The Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal record with his 895th career goal Sunday, an achievement celebrated by fans. John Walton, the play-by-play announcer for the Capitals, shared the historic moment on the radio.
“There’s a new goal-scoring champion, and his name is Alexander Ovechkin!”
Hear goal number 895 for @ovi8 on https://t.co/9UQQZ2Ll8D, as called by @JohnWaltonPxP and Ken Sabourin.#ALLCAPS #GR8CHASE pic.twitter.com/u4TL33ZVix
— Caps Radio 24/7 (@CapitalsRadio) April 6, 2025
Walton talked about Ovechkin’s legacy and impact on making D.C. a hockey town Monday, with WTOP’s John Aaron and John Domen.
Listen to the interview below or read the transcript, which has been lightly edited for clarity.
John Walton: There sure were a lot of fans that made the trip from the DMV to and there was so much red in the stands. And it was such a great moment, and certainly one we’re never going to forget. And 895, a record that a lot of folks thought Wayne Gretzky would have for all time. But our guy from Washington, 20 years in the uniform, ends up getting it yesterday.
John Domen: You know, for a long time, Ovechkin was a pretty polarizing player in the NHL. A lot of people didn’t want to necessarily give him his due credit, especially compared to Sidney Crosby. How does that debate, not just between Ovi and Crosby, but a sort of, Ovechkin’s overall legacy? Where does that settle now?
John Walton: He’s the greatest of all time in terms of goals. I mean, Sidney Crosby is a bit of a different player. He’s an outstanding player as well. And the fact that these guys have gone head-to-head now for 20 years has been just an amazing run for two world class athletes that have carried the banner for this sport.
But for us, and for doing it in one uniform. The part that really stuck with me, John and John, is that to be able to see a Washington Capital at the top of this to create all that he has from a hockey standpoint, this is truly a hockey town, and it is in large part because of the efforts of Alex Ovechkin over the last two decades.
John Aaron: It’s hard not to focus on this big chase all season long, but should we be focusing more on the team now how good they are, and will we be able to do that now moving forward?
John Walton: It’s nice to have this last five game stretch out of action now until Thursday and some final tune ups before the playoffs, but this team has been outstanding. All the way through to be one-point away from being the top team in the NHL, the first place team, and all the Eastern Conference.
Yeah, I think it maybe has gotten lost a little bit how good this team really is, but there will be a time to move on to that now, because where things are with the record and the celebration, and now a little bit of time to get ready for what we hope is a long run into springtime and hopefully a second Stanley Cup for Alex Ovechkin.
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