ELMONT, N.Y. — Ilya Sorokin and Alex Ovechkin had a moment on the ice after the ceremony to celebrate goal No. 895. What could Ovechkin have said?
“He asked about (a) stick,” Sorokin said with a laugh. “I said, no problem.”
What does one ask in return when the greatest goal scorer in NHL history asks a favor?
“I don’t know,” Sorokin said. “Respect?”
He’s got that. Sorokin will be on the highlight reels and viral clips forever now as the goalie who gave up the career record-setter to Ovechkin, but he is also the goalie Ovechkin shouted out during his on-ice speech, the goalie who sat and played with Ovechkin’s older son during the All-Star skills event two years ago and the one who came down to the visitors’ room following Sunday’s momentous game to spend time with the Ovechkins.
Respect. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/HzUPQFlO3Z
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 6, 2025
“It’s kind of historical moment, Russian scoring against Russian. … It’s pretty cool,” Ovechkin said. “He’s such a great kid, and my kids love him.”
“It was amazing,” Sorokin said. “I can say it was first time in my life we stopped game for how many minutes and stay and play after this. It’s a big moment for all the hockey world. Congrats to Ovi and his family. Big player and it’s an unbelievable achievement.”
Ovechkin did not score a goal in his previous three games against Sorokin, which made Sorokin the 183rd different goalie to allow a regular-season goal to Ovechkin.
Patrick Roy certainly understands how goalies feel in such moments. The New York Islanders’ coach held the goalie wins record for a stretch and gave up plenty of goals, too. As he noted, when he was in his prime, “I won the best save percentage one year and it was something like .899. You have that now and you’re in the minors.”
Roy also knows Sorokin well, so it wasn’t a surprise to see Sorokin shake off the 22-minute break in the action after allowing Ovechkin’s record goal and shut down the Washington Capitals the rest of the way for a 4-1 win.
“I think Ilya should feel really good about himself because he played really well today,” Roy said. “He made a phenomenal save (on Ovechkin) in the first period when he made that tip, with the right shoulder. Obviously we’re going to see that goal a lot in the next few days. But after that, I mean, he should not feel bad about it at all. He’s a strong person and he’ll be fine.”
“I don’t think it affects him at all,” Matt Martin said of Sorokin. “He was smiling and laughing about it as soon as the ceremony happened. He takes some heat sometimes and it’s definitely not deserved. We haven’t played well in front of him at times, but he’s always got a smile on his face, he’s ready for the next shot. He’s just such a relaxed personality and stays focused on what he needs to do. Today, it’s obviously something but he’ll remember it forever too, I bet. It’s still pretty cool.”
Sorokin has played with Ovechkin on World Championships teams for Russia in past seasons, so there’s a friendship there. There’s also plenty of knowledge, since Sorokin has seen that Ovechkin shot on the power play from the left circle plenty of times. Sorokin said he never saw the record-setting goal with Jakob Chychrun and Ryan Pulock screening his view. Plus, there was a new wrinkle.
“He usually shoot on my left side,” Sorokin said. “Today, he was on the right side.”
On the play, Sorokin reacted initially with his glove hand, assuming that an Ovechkin bomb would be coming to that far side. But Ovechkin wired this one through traffic and by Sorokin’s stick hand. Just another change of pace from the master.
Sorokin said he didn’t hear Ovechkin acknowledge him during his on-ice speech, when Ovechkin said, “Thank you to Sorokin to let me score 895. I love you, brother.”
Sorokin spoke to reporters, then brought that goalie stick down the hall to a packed Caps room. He stood in the corner, chatting with Ovechkin’s wife, Anastasia, and her father, plus Ovechkin’s two boys while No. 8 finished talking to the assembled media and circling the room. The stick exchange happened. And true to his word, Sorokin didn’t ask for anything in return.
“He don’t need to give me back nothing,” Sorokin said. “I just give for him and it’s my respect for him.”
(Photo: Andrew Mordzynski / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)