Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have been must-watch hockey all season, and the fans made sure to be tuned in when history was made. While the Capitals took on the New York Islanders, fans across the world were waiting for Ovechkin to score career goal No. 895 to surpass Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history.
With a power play goal in the second period, Ovechkin scored to get the Capitals on the board and finally completed the chase. According to TNT Sports, 1.3 million viewers were watching when Ovechkin scored the now-iconic record-breaking goal.
The entire game between the Capitals and Islanders averaged 905,000 viewers, making it the most-watched non-Winter Classic regular season game ever on TNT. Despite the historic moment, the Islanders went on to defeat the Capitals by a score of 4-1.
All eyes have been on Ovechkin this season as he chased down Gretzky. At the age of 39, the record-breaking goal was Ovechkin’s 42nd of the season, which is good for third-most in the NHL.
Between Ovechkin’s scoring prowess and the rest of the team producing well around him, the Capitals are a top team in the NHL with a 49-19-9 record and 107 standings points.
The NHL has done pretty well with television viewership this year between TNT and ESPN. The 4 Nations Face-Off was some of the most watched hockey in quite a few years, while the Stadium Series between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets also caught a ton of attention.
With one of the sport’s most iconic records on the verge of falling, it was obvious plenty of people were going to tune in. 1.3 million fans sure showed up to make a little bit of history of their own.
