Gretzky to Ovechkin: ‘You get to 900 and I might buy you a car’

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When Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe’s National Hockey League goal record in 1994, Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall gifted him a rare Rolls-Royce in reward, a fact he was quick to share twice as he joined the celebration of that record being surpassed by Alex Ovechkin on Sunday.

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And if the Russian superstar can hit 900 goals, the Great One says he might bestow a similar gift.

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Gretzky, who’d attended Friday’s game to see Ovechkin tie his 894-goal record, was joined by his wife Janet and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for the Washington Capitals’ matinee road game against the New York Islanders.

Down 2-0 midway into the second period, Ovechkin took a pass from Tom Wilson and wristed his signature shot from the top of the left playoff circle past Isles netminder Ilya Sorokin, bringing the estimated sell-out crowd of 17,250 to their feet, the Gretzkys included.

“I felt like I scored the goal, honestly,” he told Ovechkin in the locker room after.

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The Great 8 skated to centre, swan diving as he did before being mobbed by teammates. Hockey fans might recall a shirtless Ovechkin celebrating in the same manner when he dove into a fountain during festivities following the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup win.

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The Gretzkys made their way to ice-level for a mid-game ceremony to mark the passing of the mantle of hockey’s greatest goal scorer.

“When I set the record, they bought me a Rolls-Royce, so you got your work cut out,” he said to Capitals owner Ted Leonsis at the end of his remarks.

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As the ceremony ended, Gretzky went up to Ovechkin again. 

“Honestly, best thing to ever happen to hockey. You get to 900 and I might buy you a car,” Gretzky said, giving the Capitals’ captain a collegial smack on his chest protector.

“I will try,” the new record holder replied.

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Back in the locker room after the game, a 4-1 loss for the Caps, Gretzky held court with the club and brought up the free Rolls-Royce again.

Ovechkin looked to Leonsis, who said, “Talk to him,” as he gestured to Bettman, who responded, “We’ll talk.” Gretzky quickly adds that he doesn’t “want to circumvent” the league’s salary cap, but Ovechkin’s feat might be a special occasion.

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Meanwhile, Gretzky’s car — one of just 219 1994 Rolls-Royce Cornish IVs ever made — hasn’t been in his possession for at least two decades and is currently being auctioned by Sotheby’s, where it’s expected to fetch in excess of US$500,000.

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