President Vladimir Putin on Monday lauded Russian ice hockey star Alexander Ovechkin for surpassing all the sport's other legends in a dazzling career that the Kremlin chief said was a cause for celebration for fans across Russia and the world.

Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scored his 895th career goal this weekend. That put the 39-year-old superstar captain ahead of the former record holder, Wayne Gretzky, who congratulated him in a ceremony on the ice,

Alexander Ovechkin scored his 895th career NHL goal during the second period of the Washington Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders on Sunday to surpass Wayne Gretzky as the league’s all-time leading goal scorer.

The Washington Capitals clinched the Metropolitan Division on Tuesday. Washington (49-19-9), which was idle, won the division following the Carolina Hurricanes’ 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. It's the Capitals’ first division title since they won the Metropolitan for the last of five consecutive seasons in 2019-20.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Washington Capitals’ captain and super sniper, Alexander Ovechkin, broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record this weekend when he beat countryman Ilya Sorokin on a power play.

Gretzky, back then at least, was more than a hockey player to Canadians. He was homegrown royalty, a player of such quality, of such rare possibility, that he transcended the game we’ve always used to define ourselves.

After Alex Ovechkin completed his chase of Wayne Gretzky and the NHL goal record by scoring his 895th against the New York Islanders on Sunday, their statistical lines as goal-scorers are almost identical.

Ovechkin’s dominance on the ice from the left circle defines his legacy as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.

In honor of Alexander Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record with his 895th tally Sunday afternoon, Topps NOW has released a 10-sticker set for the Washington Capitals left winger. The checklist tracks Ovechkin’s journey from his first career goal in 2005 to the record-breaker,