Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of history came to its inevitable conclusion on Sunday with the Capitals star scoring his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretzky's record.

Gretzky passed Hall of Famer Gordie Howe in 1994, and he held the record for 31 years and 14 days before Ovechkin toppled it on Sunday. The climb for Ovechkin was a long and steady one as the Washington Capitals superstar has cranked out one 40-goal season after another since his rookie season in 2005-06.

Ovechkin scored the record breaker on the power-play with 12:34 remaining in the second period. He received a pass from Tom Wilson at the top of the left circle and fired past Sorokin for a goal that rewrote the history books. Ovechkin and Sorokin embraced on the ice when the game was paused for a ceremony.