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.

Alex Ovechkin is closing in on the all-time NHL goal-scoring record held by the legendary Wayne Gretzky. Stats and what to know about "The Great One."

Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.