WASHINGTON — After scoring the 894th goal of his career to tie Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time goals leader on Friday, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin pointed to The Great One, seated in the owner's box, and took a bow.

Gretzky loved every second of it.

"He's been nothing but a champion, and I'm so proud that we're tied," Gretzky said.

"I still can't believe it... it's not going nowhere," Ovechkin noted.

For 31 years, Gretzky sat alone atop the NHL leaderboard, his record of 894 thought to be impossible to break.

Then along came Ovechkin.

A 6-foot-3, 238-pound dynamo with a lethal shot and a passion for scoring, Ovechkin kept up with the ever-changing speed of the game, scoring goal after goal and hitting milestone after milestone.

Before he even knew it, the totals were piling up, and to Gretzky, it became apparent that Ovechkin may just have a chance at this thing.

"You could tell he was a goal scorer right from the get-go," Gretzky said. "I've said this before, there's three guys that have played the game with finesse, physical and smartness, and that was Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Ovechkin. Those three guys are in their own category, and good for Alex."

Back in 2016, Ovechkin himself said that Gretzky's mark was impossible to reach. But then, he hit 500 goals. Then a couple of years later, he hit 600, 700, 800 and then, 802 to pass Gordie Howe's mark.

At that point, it wasn't a matter of "if," but "when." All the while, Gretzky watched closely, admiring the way Ovechkin was able to defy time and remain a consistent force to be reckoned with.

A lot of things have changed over the years: the technology is different. The game is faster. Goalie equipment's larger; the pads are made of leather and durable plastics rather than being stuffed with deer fur. In today's game, scoring a goal is harder than ever.

But for Ovechkin, it's not so much a challenge as it is second nature. He was born to put the puck in the net. Not much shakes him; even a broken fibula that held him out for 16 games didn't stop him from remaining right in the throes of the NHL scoring race while paving the way toward history.

It's that wicked shot, that love for the game, that strength as he snaps his wrists around and forces his 100 flex stick to bed, that allows him to keep doing what he does best.

"It's so hard. I don't care what era you play in: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, it's hard to score goals," Gretzky said, adding, "Twenty years from now, it's going to be better than it is today."

"We always talk about our game, the players who were in it, from Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Messier, on and on. And we wonder, OK, what's gonna happen when those guys retire? And along came Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin," Gretzky added.

Ovechkin's GR8 Chase isn't stopping there; there's six games left on the Capitals' regular season schedule, and Gretzky remains on for the ride as the Great 8 tries for 895, which would establish a new mark.

He couldn't be happier to be on the ride.

"Alex has been so great for the city of Washington. He's been so great for the National Hockey League. And he's encouraged so many kids in his home country of Russia to play the sport of hockey," Gretzky said.

"I'm so happy for the league. I'm so proud of Alex. When I broke Gordie's record, my dad told me that same night be as proud of the guy that breaks your record. You know what, this is so good for hockey. It's really been a wonderful journey for everyone. Good for hockey. Great for the people in Washington and hockey fans all over the world. It's wonderful."