Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin Passes Wayne Gretzky for NHL Road Goals Record

Washington Capitals superstar winger Alexander Ovechkin made history Tuesday night, breaking the NHL record for most career goals scored on the road.

According to ESPN, Ovechkin scored twice in a 5-1 road win against the Vancouver Canucks, giving him the 402nd and 403rd road goals of his career and surpassing the record previously held by legendary Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.

Regarding the new mark, Ovechkin said: "It's always nice when you beat The Great One. It doesn't matter what kind of milestone it is. It's history."

The 37-year-old Ovechkin moved into third place on the NHL's all-time goals list last season, and he continues to inch closer to Gordie Howe for second.

Ovechkin's two goals Tuesday gave him 793, putting him just eight behind Howe.

On Nov. 5, Ovechkin set a record at Howe's expense, scoring his 787th career goal with the same team. Howe previously held the record with 786 goals scored as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

The two goals against Vancouver also inched Ovechkin ever closer to Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record of 894, which was set during a historic 20-year NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers.

While Gretzky's goal record once seemed unbreakable, it is appearing more and more likely that Ovechkin will pass him and perhaps reach the 900-goal mark.

Despite closing in on age 40 and having been an NHL player for 18 seasons, the Russian star is showing no signs of slowing down.

Just last season, Ovechkin recorded the ninth 50-goal season of his career, and his 90 points were the most he had since the 2009-10 season.

In 24 games this season, Ovechkin is producing at nearly a point-per-game pace with 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points.

At that rate, Ovechkin is slated to finish with over 40 goals this season, which would put him well over 800 for his career and within striking distance of Gretzky in the next couple of years.

The all-time goals mark is likely the primary focus for the future Hall of Famer as far as records go, but the fact that Ovechkin is routinely surpassing Gretzky and Howe in the record books speaks to how special his career has been already.