Alexander Ovechkin has broken legend Wayne Gretzky's all-time record for goals scored

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Russian ice hockey star Alexander Ovechkin on becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of the National Hockey League.

The 39-year-old Washington Capitals forward reached the milestone during a game on Sunday against the New York Islanders, thus surpassing the longstanding record set by legend Wayne Gretzky.

"Accept my congratulations on your outstanding achievement. You have surpassed legendary players in the number of goals scored in regular-season NHL games," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday.

Beating Gretzky's seemingly untouchable record "has become not only your personal triumph but also a true celebration for fans in Russia and abroad," the president added. "I wish you good health, success, and fighting spirit to conquer new heights in life and in sports."

Ovechkin is a three-time world champion with the Russian national team and won the 2018 Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, the team he has spent his entire NHL career with. Gretzky, widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time, needed 1,487 games to reach 894 goals. Ovechkin matched that number in his 1,486th game and surpassed it in the following one.

The record-breaking goal came at the 12:34 mark of the second period, when Ovechkin took a pass from Tom Wilson and rocketed a shot past fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin - marking the first time Ovechkin had ever scored against him. The game was paused to celebrate the historic moment, while Ovechkin received congratulations from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky himself.