The Great 8 Chase: Alexander Ovechkin’s Quest For History

The Great 8 chase has to be the second-most historic moment in the National Hockey League behind “The Miracle on Ice” moment. Alexander Ovechkin did what everybody said was never going to be broken, yet he ignored the doubters and just kept chasing after the impossible. We’re going to be diving into every goal milestone Ovechkin accomplished and breaking each goal down.

Goal #1 (October 5th, 2005)

Ovechkin’s first game was something to behold. He was a goal away from notching a hat trick against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He ended the 2005-2006 season scoring an outstanding 52 goals.

Goal #94 (March 22nd, 2007)

The Great 8 had another 30+ goal season the following season scoring 46 goals. Ovechkin notched his 94th goal on March 22nd, 2007, against the Carolina Hurricanes. Although his team, the Washington Capitals, lost the game 4-3, he carried the team with 2 goals that night.

Goal #194 (January 19th, 2009)

In that game vs the New York Islanders, Ovechkin banked in his 2nd goal of the night in a 2-1 victory. Ovechkin went berserk on scoring in later games, ending the season with a 56-goal campaign.

Goal #294 (April 2nd, 2011)

Ovechkin went 1 for 1 in that game vs the Buffalo Sabres. Coming off a prior 50-goal season in the 2009-2010 season, he only had 32 goals the following season.

Goal #394 (December 10th, 2013)

That game vs Tampa Bay had to be the highlight of his career. It had to be due to him achieving his first 4 goal night, according to nhl.com. Not to mention, he earned that 394th goal on the second goal of the night. Heading into the 2015-2016 season, he crushed goal scoring by getting half of a thousand goals.

Goal #494 (December 30th, 2015)

It was a wonderful New Year’s Eve for Ovechkin when he notched 1 of 2 goals, which led him to get his 494th goal.

Goal #594 (November 11th, 2017)

Despite only scoring 1 goal against Buffalo that night, Ovechkin made an incredible mark in almost scoring his 600th goal.

Goal #694 (November 7th, 2019)

That night, he scored his 694th career goal. He led his team to a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Great 8 Chase Goal #794 (December 2nd, 2022)

Ovechkin made history that night by scoring 2 goals against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Great 8 Chase Goal #894 (April 4th, 2025)

Everyone at the Capital One Arena, which included Wayne Gretzky and Commissioner Gary Bettman, gave a loud standing ovation once Ovechkin got his 894th goal on the power play. What’s also crazy is that the goal that tied Gretzky was in just halfway through the third period. Although he didn’t get goal number 895, we all experienced history.

The Great 8 Chase Doesn’t Stop There

Yes, the Great 8 tied Gretzky’s 894-goal career. But it doesn’t stop there. All eyes are on Ovechkin as he surpasses that milestone by notching his 895th goal. It’s also worth noting that he has one more season in hand. That being said, by the time he retires, he’ll probably leave the league with 950 goals.

The Great 8 Chase Summed Up

Nobody ever thought that a player would be able to do what Gretzky did, but nothing is impossible. If you believe in yourself and ignore what doubters say about you, anything could happen.