Alex Ovechkin in disbelief after passing Gordie Howe

‘It’s a miracle’: Alex Ovechkin emotional after passing Gordie Howe originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON — Locked into a tie with Gordie Howe for the second-most goals in NHL history, Alex Ovechkin tried to pass up the chance at a free goal.

The Winnipeg Jets pulled their goaltender down 3-1 with 2:53 to play and lost the puck a few minutes later. Ovechkin wound up with it at the point, getting a clean look at the net. And he passed it. Evgeny Kuznetsov would have none of that, however, sending it right back to set up his teammate for the most historic goal of his career: No. 802.

“You never thought it’s going to happen when you came into the league, you’re going to beat any Gordie Howe record or Wayne Gretzky record or any record,” Ovechkin said after the game. “You felt like, OK, maybe you’re going to play in the NHL, you’re going to be good and you’re going to try to do your best, but the whole situation happening right now, it’s a miracle. You know, it’s pretty special.”

For five games, the entire hockey world stopped and held its breath each time Ovechkin approached the net. He went scoreless during a three-game homestand and then again on Thursday in Ottawa. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of history. But eventually, Ovechkin was going to break through.

With a rowdy crowd of Capitals fans watching on, Ovechkin scored two goals Friday to move past Howe on the all-time goals list. Wayne Gretzky is the only player left in front of him, holding the NHL’s most prestigious record with 894 career goals. The 37-year-old sat down for his postgame press conference with his sons Sergei and Ilya holding the two pucks.

“Very emotional,” Ovechkin said of passing Howe. “My parents watched it from home. My wife is here, kids here, friends. Doing it with the home crowd, it’s special. They give me full support, and this is pretty big. It’s a historic moment. It’s nice to be in this category of players. It’s…