"It felt like the whole country was worried and rooting for me"

Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal in the NHL regular season match with the Islanders. The 39-year-old Russian scored the 895th goal of his career in the 1,487th game in the North American League. Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's record for goals in the regular season (894 goals in 1487 matches). The great Canadian has been at the top of the NHL's list of top snipers since March 23, 1994, when he scored his 802nd goal and beat Gordie Howe. Gretzky played for Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and the Rangers and retired after his 20th season in April 1999. Ovechkin is in his 20th NHL season. The Russian scored his first league goal in his debut match on October 5, 2005.

After the historic game in New York, Alexander answered questions from Russian and American journalists.

"The main thing is that it's all over, and we'll calmly prepare for the playoffs."

— Who are you dedicating your record-breaking 895th goal to?

— To my whole family, dad, brother, grandmothers, grandfathers, Vera Vitalyevna (Glagoleva, Ovechkin's mother-in-law, who died in 2017. — Approx. Izvestia). To all my loved ones.

— You took off your jersey after the game. Where will it go?

— To the museum.

— You jumped on the ice celebrating a goal scored. Was it something spontaneous or had it been decided in advance?

—By accident. I tripped and fell. But it turned out to be fun.

— Are you planning to finish your record with up to a thousand goals?

"At least give me a break."

— Did you want to score more at home or didn't you care?

"I don't care. The main thing is that it's all over, and we'll calmly prepare for the playoffs.

— Did you feel the support of the motherland?

- of course. So many messages, so many messages from friends, family, loved ones. It was felt that the whole country was worried and sick. Thank them very much.

— You've never beaten Ilya Sorokin. Was that an additional incentive?

— We didn't play much against him. It's good that it turned out. The Russian allowed Russian to score.

— Would you prefer that if this record falls, a Russian should do it too?

— We'll wait and see.

"It's going to take me a couple more weeks to figure out what it means to be number one."

— What did you feel after the record goal?

— When I caught up with Gretzky, I couldn't believe it. It was so emotional. It's a great night. It's crazy. It's going to take me a couple more weeks to figure out what it means to be number one. I am very proud of myself, my family, and my partners who helped me achieve this record. Also thanks to my coaches. It's unbelievable. I still can't believe it.

— Did you feel any pressure?

— Finally, they won't ask me when I'll break the record. I think it's a fun time for me and all my teammates. You can see how many people from all over the world have come here to see this. This is a special moment.

— The whole world is talking about this record. How does it feel to feel all the attention?

— It's great for the whole of hockey, Washington. Something incredible is happening. Especially for Russia. People are celebrating. They're happy. I'm glad to be a part of it all.

— There was a video with LeBron James and Michael Jordan, who managed to congratulate you.

"I haven't seen it yet." But it's such a beautiful moment. I've been getting videos from real legends. I thank them for their kind words! I'm happy. I can't wait to get back to Washington.

— The presidents of Russia and the United States had a conversation and during it they discussed the possibility of holding a match between the KHL and the NHL. Who would you play for?

— First of all, I don't know what the format will be. But if it could happen, it would be cool. I would love to participate in the match.

— Is hockey diplomacy a good way to establish relations?

— God grant it! God grant that it's over.