Alexander Ovechkin didn't want to wait.
In his first game since tying Wayne Gretzky's career goals record, Ovechkin needed less than 28 minutes to claim the mark all for himself with the 895th goal of his 20-year career.
The Capitals left winger buried a one-timer on the power play early in the second period of Washington's 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon.
The crowd at UBS Arena — many of whom paid more than $1,000 for tickets on the secondary market — gave Ovechkin a loud ovation.
Hoping to witness history, those fans had showed up early and scooped up every souvenir they could find for the "Gr8 Chase," a name and logo that Ovechkin had trademarked.
Matchup pucks, featuring both the Capitals and Islanders logos and the historic date of the game, were sold out around 10 minutes after the doors opened. Another souvenir puck, depicting Ovechkin's record chase, was also gone just a few minutes later.
The Islanders offered fans in attendance the chance to receive a paper ticket for a $45 fee. The tickets were printed before the game, meaning they can be authenticated and graded by PSA.
The retailers were almost as quick as Ovi on Sunday, too.
Within minutes of his record-setting goal, Fanatics, New Era, 500 Level and FOCO all were selling memorabilia from the moment.
Fanatics offered more than 50 items celebrating the record, including T-shirts, hoodies, pennants, pucks, coins, rally towels, framed photos and even socks. The company is also selling 895 Ovechkin-signed pucks for $299 each.
New Era immediately was selling Capitals hats with the 895 logo patch on the side.
Physical tickets are available to all ticket holders at Ovechkin record breaker.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 6, 2025
The @NYIslanders understand the value of physical. Way to go! pic.twitter.com/HfkYO4JtWi
Additionally, 500 Level offered a line of licensed T-shirts, including one depicting Ovechkin sitting on a "Game of Thrones" style throne made out of hockey sticks.
In the bobblehead department, FOCO offered four different styles, including a gold variant.
Ovechkin, who has been very cognizant about collecting his own memorabilia during the record chase, received Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin for his game-used stick for his collection.
Ice was collected in the arena and also will be available for purchase for fans who want to own a piece of the historic playing surface.
Washington fans are invited to a special Ovi Shop at Capital One Arena, beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday. Located on 7th Street, the shop features a full collection of merchandise related to Ovechkin, the Gr8 Chase and his newfound status as the NHL’s all-time goals leader. The store is open until 6 p.m.
Kevin Jackson is the Chief Content Officer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.