NHL: Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals - Source: Imagn — T.J. Oshie missed Alex Ovechkin's goal which tied Wayne Gretzky's all time goal record on Friday (Source: Imagn)

T.J. Oshie makes his feelings known about missing Alex Ovechkin’s historic goal that ties him with legendary Wayne Gretzky’s record

Modified Apr 05, 2025 16:47 GMT

T.J. Oshie missed one of the biggest moments in Alex Ovechkin’s career on Friday night. Ovechkin scored two goals in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Those goals brought his career total to 894, tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record.

The second goal came in the third period during a power play. It was a classic one-timer from the left faceoff circle. The crowd at Capital One Arena was full of cheers with Gretzky in attendance.

Oshie, who is on long-term injured reserve, didn’t see the goal happen live. He was walking in the hallway with other team alumni. They had just finished watching the power play and decided to visit Wayne Gretzky in Ted Leonsis’ suite. As they left, they heard the loud cheers from the crowd.

"I was walking right here actually," Oshie said, via RMNB."We heard the roars and obviously, Wayne’s in the building and a couple of us wanted to head over to Ted’s suite and say ‘Hi,’ so we said, ‘Let’s sneak down there real quick.’ The power play just ended and we heard the roars and we were like, ‘No, no way.'"

Oshie and the others ran to find a TV. But the broadcast was delayed, and no one could tell them what happened.

"We’re like 'Who scored?' And they're like, 'The TV's delayed, I don’t know!' ... I was like, ‘I can’t believe we missed it’ ...," Oshie said.

They eventually saw the replay and realized Ovechkin had tied the record. Oshie was still glad to be there, even if he didn’t see it happen live.

"(It was) amazing," Oshie said.

Alex Ovechkin will have a chance to break Gretzky’s record on Sunday in Belmont, New York. According to the team broadcast, Oshie will travel with the team.

Ovechkin’s goal also broke another NHL record. It was his 136th game-winning goal, passing Jaromir Jagr for the most ever. It was also his 40th goal of the season. He has now scored 40 goals in 14 different seasons.

Alex Ovechkin avoided scoring an empty net goal to surpass Wayne Gretzky

Alex Ovechkin passed on scoring into an empty net during Friday’s game. He could have scored goal No. 895 and set the NHL record. But he told Coach Spencer Carbery he didn’t want to do it that way.

"I tell 'Carbs' (Spencer Carbery) right away, 'I don't want to do it,'" Ovechkin said, via NHL.com.

Ovechkin wants to break the record by scoring against a goalie. Carbery said he respects that decision.

"I appreciate that ... he wants to ... have that moment be where he's shooting a puck past a goalie," Carbery said.

Alex Ovechkin has six games left to break the record, and his next chance comes Sunday against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with 3 years of experience as a travel writer. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, while John Tortorella is his favorite coach of all time due to his outspoken personality.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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