ELMONT, NY — Alex Ovechkin reached the mountaintop Sunday afternoon, scoring his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. As the hockey world watched on, Ovechkin made history in the same way he has for close to two decades, launching the puck from the left faceoff circle for a power-play goal that cemented his legacy.
Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome, who earned the assists on the goal, will see their names etched beside Ovechkin’s in the record books. Both players have built their careers in Washington — Wilson has been Ovechkin’s teammate for a dozen years and is poised to succeed him as captain, while Strome has established himself as one of the team’s best players after failing to find his footing elsewhere, becoming Ovechkin’s regular center after Nicklas Backstrom stepped away from the club due to injury.
Wilson and Strome each downplayed their role in the milestone but found meaning in giving back to a player who has given them so much in return. Asked what it meant to be the one who passed Ovechkin the puck, Wilson struggled even to find the words.
“It makes me a little bit emotional, just because I think so much of him,” he said, voice cracking. “To be able to be beside him forever on a big goal, I feel very lucky. I feel very honored to be a part of that. It’s not about me at all. I’m just really proud, and I love that guy, and I love his family, and I’m really happy for him.”
Sunday marked the 50th time Wilson has assisted on an Ovechkin goal, and while he can remember the moments leading up to his pass, the rush of emotions as the buzzer sounded overwhelmed his memory.
“I just tried to find him on the entry there, and then when I was skating to the net and the puck went in the net, the next 15 seconds…I truly just kind of blacked out,” Wilson said. “I’ve got to watch it back, because I don’t remember what happened. It was just chaos.”
Once known more as a fighter than a scorer, Wilson has proved himself in many ways by following a path Ovechkin set. He recorded his first 30-goal season last month, days before his 31st birthday, and has grown into a role as one of the Capitals’ veteran leaders. He’ll soon be tasked with ushering the Capitals into the post-Ovechkin era as he attempts to fill his mentor’s shoes.
In Wilson’s words, Ovechkin’s influence has allowed him to grow into the player he is today.
“I love him,” he said. “I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for my career. I wouldn’t have made this much money. I wouldn’t have been able to look after my family. I wouldn’t have been able to stay in the league so long. He’s done so much for me, and this isn’t about me. This is about him. I’m just truly, as a friend, very, very happy for him.”
While Wilson came to DC as a highly touted draft pick, Strome joined the team at a low point in his career, signing as a free agent after the Chicago Blackhawks declined to tender him a qualifying offer. He’s since revitalized his career in Washington and found success at Ovechkin’s side — though he’s played just three seasons with the Capitals, he’s assisted on more of Ovechkin’s 895 goals (47) than all but seven players.
Strome has become known as the stats guy in the Capitals’ locker room, often throwing out trivia during interviews and recalling otherwise obscure facts. When asked back in February how he’d like to see Ovechkin break the all-time record, he couldn’t even bring himself to hope for an assist.
“It would be cool to be on ice for it,” he told RMNB then. “Obviously, an assist would be cool, but you can’t really wish for that. So I would say just to be on the ice or just enjoy the moment.”
Strome got his wish and then some. He was grinning as he began his postgame media availability on Sunday, still holding a half-drunk beer.
“For him to have this, he’s the greatest goal-scorer of all time, and I think everyone would agree with that now,” he said. “It’s an incredible honor to be even a little part of it. It’s truly incredible. There’s not really words you could say to describe what you’re feeling at the time. You’re almost not even focused on the game when it’s happening because you just want him to score and not get it done with, but for him to do it and complete it.
“He’s very humble, and he doesn’t talk about himself, and he doesn’t talk about the record, and he doesn’t say how bad he wants it. It just speaks to his character of how he conducts himself, and the way he goes about his business. He’s in the history books. He already was, but now he’s No. 1, and it’s cool to be a part of.”
On a play with lower stakes, Strome might have gotten the goal himself. He was in the slot as Ovechkin’s shot flew past and could have tried to redirect the puck for a better chance at beating Sorokin. But in this game? The thought didn’t even cross his mind.
“No. God no. No, no, no, no,” he said.
Even Ovechkin knew how much the assist meant to Strome, becoming part of a moment he didn’t dare to dream about.
“Probably, Stromer’s the happiest guy right now in the whole world because he’s crazy about the stats, he knows everything, and he just wants to be in that history,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin went on to sign Strome’s hat commemorating the milestone, adding a heart and a personalized message.
“To Zinni,” he wrote, “Thx for 2nd assist.”
Wilson and Strome’s names will live on in hockey history for the role they played Sunday. Their passes will feature in highlight reels for decades to come, their celebrations enshrined in the memories of hockey fans around the world. For the two of them, however, the real gift wasn’t the points they earned on Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal, but the opportunity to spend years by his side.
“It’s just an honor to be living through this and to see this,” Wilson said. “You know, 10-year-old me or 10-year-old any of us, to be in a room with Wayne and Ovi during this moment is so special. He’s taken us on an amazing journey, and it’ll be the honor of my career to play with him, learn so much from him, win with him, watch him score this goal. There’s really no words to describe it.”
