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Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record by scoring his 895th

Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record

Alex Ovechkin fired just about the perfect shot from the place on the ice that has defined his remarkable career. When the puck hit the net, it made him the top goal scorer in NHL history.

Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s record by scoring his 895th career goal in the Washington Capitals’ game Sunday against the New York Islanders, beating fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin on a power play with 12:34 left in the second period. He took a cross-ice pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and fired a laser past Sorokin with defenseman Jakob Chychrun screening.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery called it “the ultimate goal-scorer’s goal for the greatest of all time.”

With the excitement of a child, the 39-year-old belly flopped onto the ice as tens of thousands of fans around him cheered and chanted, “Ovi! Ovi!” while teammates streamed off the bench, mobbing him in celebration.

“I’m probably gonna need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize what does it mean to be No. 1,” Ovechkin said after a 4-1 loss that was still a party for the Capitals. “I’m really proud for myself. I’m really proud for my family, for all my teammates that help me to reach that milestone and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable moment, and I’m happy.”

That any player got to 895 goals, breaking a record that stood for 31 years, seemed unreal to those in the middle of it.

“It’s truly incredible,” said center Dylan Strome, who got the secondary assist for passing the puck to Wilson. “Sometimes those moments happen where you’ve kind of got to pinch yourself to believe that you’re really in this moment and really on the ice celebrating or a part of it, and it was awesome.”

Ovechkin broke a record that appeared to be one of the most untouchable in sports. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made sure to point that out when he opened the 10-minute ceremony to celebrate the milestone.

“Wayne, you’ll always be the ‘Great One’ and you had a record that nobody ever thought would be broken,” Bettman said. “But Alex, you did it.”

The first to get hugs from Ovechkin were longtime equipment managers Craig “Woody” Leydig and Brock Myles, along with the rest of the training and locker room staff who have been around him so long. Ovechkin waved to acknowledge the crowd and went through a handshake line with the Islanders as crew members set up for the 895 ceremony that has been months in the making.

Ovechkin got a portrait of himself and Gretzky. Janet Gretzky presented a gift to Ovechkin’s wife, Nastya, just as Colleen Howe did to her when her husband broke Gordie’s record back in 1994. Ovechkin got No. 895 in his 1,487th game — the same number Gretzky finished with.

Gretzky shook Ovechkin’s hand, embraced him and congratulated the “Great 8” and his family for the accomplishment.

“They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that,” Gretzky said.

Ovechkin took the microphone from Gretzky like a torch being passed from one legend of the game to another. He thanked injured teammates Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2018, and expressed his affection for his wife, mother and two sons standing nearby.

“We did it, boys. We did it,” Ovechkin said. “And the most important thing, to my mom, my family, my beautiful wife, my father-in-law, my beautiful kids, thank you. I love you so much, and without you, without your support I would never stand here.”

More “Ovi!” chants followed. Plenty more will be coming as he attempts to reach 900

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A tiny boy walks onstage, barely taller than the mic, and says just one word, Surprise, What happens next? Absolute chills, The second he sings, jaws drop, By the final note, the entire room is on its feet, cheering like never before, Even the judges are lost for words, Its the twist no one saw coming

A tiny boy walks onstage, barely taller than the mic, and says just one word, Surprise, What happens next?

He waddled onto the stage like he’d taken a wrong turn on the way to daycare—chubby cheeks, messy curls, one shoelace untied. The judges smiled politely. The audience chuckled. No one expected anything more than a cute moment and maybe a short clip for the blooper reel.

Simon leaned forward, curious. “What’s your name, little man?”

The boy grinned and said proudly, “I’m Max. I’m three.”

“And what will you be singing today?” another judge asked, trying not to laugh.

Max leaned into the mic and whispered, “It’s a surprise.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Someone pulled out their phone. Another judge raised their eyebrows, expecting a quick nursery rhyme or a few off-key notes before Mom came to carry him offstage.

But then the music started.

Max stood still. One beat, two. And then—he sang.

It wasn’t perfect. His tiny voice cracked in places. But there was something in it, something that reached past the laughter and melted straight into the hearts of every person in the room. He sang a slow, soulful ballad, one far too big for someone his age. But somehow, he made it his.

By the chorus, the room was dead silent. People leaned in, wide-eyed. Phones were lowered. Judges stopped smiling—they were stunned.

And when he reached the final note, that impossibly brave final note, the entire audience jumped to their feet. A roar of applause filled the room. One of the judges wiped a tear. Simon just shook his head in disbelief.

No one knew where he learned to sing like that. No one knew how a toddler could deliver so much emotion in two minutes. But everyone knew they’d just witnessed something rare.

That night, little Max didn’t just sing. He made history.

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Trump attacks Fed chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates

Trump attacks Jerome Powell

Donald Trump early on Thursday blasted the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, for not lowering US interest rates and expressed a wish for him to be gone from his role.

The US president lambasted Powell as “always too late and wrong” in a post on his Truth Social platform. Trump noted that the European Central Bank (ECB) was poised on Thursday to lower interest rates again, without mentioning that the body has been responding to the chaos caused by Trump’s initiatives on tariffs.

Trump has been pressuring Powell repeatedly to cut US interest rates even though the central banker is independent of the administration in setting monetary policy and the White House typically does not publicly lobby the Federal Reserve.

US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks in Chicago, on 16 April.
Fed chair says Trump tariffs could make inflation worse as US stocks slide further
Read more
The ECB had been expected to cut interest rates for the seventh time this year in order to prop up economic growth, and then did so not long before US markets were due to open. Powell enraged Trump on Wednesday night by warning that the president’s sweeping tariffs could raise inflation. That would make the Fed even more hesitant to cut interest rates.

Europe was preparing another interest rate cut following the global financial turmoil caused by Trump’s tariffs push, where he has gone back and forth on whether, when and how deeply to tax imports from other countries, and on which countries, since he returned to the White House for a second term.

He retreated sharply earlier this month from his decision to impose tariffs worldwide, pausing most of the charges for 90 days, although most notably not on China, after markets plunged and US government bonds – traditionally seen as one of the world’s safest financial assets – had suffered a dramatic sell-off. Wall Street chiefs and other experts also forecast a heightened likelihood of recession.

After insisting for days that he would hold firm on his aggressive trade strategy, unveiled in full on 2 April, which he dubbed “liberation day”, Trump announced on 9 April that all countries that had not retaliated against US tariffs would receive a reprieve – and only face a blanket US tariff of 10% – until July.

Powell on Wednesday said the US economy was well-positioned but added that Trump’s tariffs were likely to cause “at least a temporary rise in inflation. The inflationary effects could also be more persistent.” He indicated that the prospect of sweeping tariffs on virtually every trade partner could put the Fed in the unenviable position of having to choose between tackling inflation and unemployment.

The World Trade Organization, meanwhile, warned that Trump’s tariffs would send international trade into reverse this year, depressing global economic growth.

Trump also said as part of his Truth Social post at daybreak on Thursday that: “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough.” He dubbed him, further in the post, “Too Late” and put forward the argument that prices were coming down, from oil to eggs.

Trump nominated Powell to become chair during his first term in the White House, in 2018, and Joe Biden renominated him during his term in the White House, in 2022. The US Senate confirms the chair and the US president cannot terminate the head of the Federal Reserve before the end of their four-year fixed stints.

The US central bank has held interest rates steady at 4.25% to 4.5% since the start of this year.

Trump said in his post: “The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, “Too Late” Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete “mess!” Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS. Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”

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A Whitney Houston song? Sung by this kid? In the middle of the street? Thats what everyone thought, until he opened his mouth, Within seconds, the crowd froze, Conversations stopped, Phones flew up, Her voice hit notes no one expected, and jaws hit the pavement, Pure talent, zero warning

A Whitney Houston song? Sung by this kid?

It was just another busy afternoon in the city. Street vendors called out their deals, people weaved through the crowd with coffee cups and shopping bags, and a small stage had been set up near the fountain where performers cycled through all day long—magicians, guitarists, the usual. Then came a boy. Barely a teenager. Hoodie too big, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking like he’d gotten lost on the way to somewhere else.

He walked up to the mic with quiet confidence and glanced at the sound guy. “Whitney Houston,” he said.

A few people in the crowd chuckled. A couple rolled their eyes. One woman whispered, “He’s brave, I’ll give him that.” A Whitney ballad? Outside? In the noise of traffic and chatter? That took guts.

Then the first note played.

And he sang.

The moment his voice hit the air, everything changed. His tone was rich, powerful, haunting—notes soared through the street like they belonged there. A man on his phone stopped mid-sentence. A girl dropped her sandwich. The vendors went quiet. One by one, heads turned. Conversations stopped. A thousand things were happening in that square… and then suddenly, only one thing mattered.

His voice.

He didn’t perform it like a karaoke cover. He owned it. Raw emotion. Perfect control. He hit the chorus with a strength that made people gasp. Even traffic seemed to hush around him. People pulled out their phones, filming as if they’d stumbled on a miracle.

When he finished, he didn’t say a word. He just nodded once and stepped away.

For a beat, the square stayed frozen. Then, an eruption of applause. Cheers echoed through the buildings. Strangers high-fived. Someone shouted, “Record deal now!” And somewhere in the crowd, a man said what everyone was thinking:

“Where the hell did he come from?”

The video hit the internet that night. It wasn’t just another street performance—it was a moment no one could forget.

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Ex USA President Joe Biden with his very first public speech since leaving the White House

Joe Biden speaks out for the first time

Former President Joe Biden makes his first major speech since leaving office, at the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) conference in Chicago, Illinois on April 15, 2025.

Joe Biden has used his first speech since leaving office to criticise the Trump administration’s welfare policies.

The ex-US president told a conference in Chicago that the government had “taken a hatchet” to the Social Security system, which Donald Trump and Elon Musk – who is leading the White House’s cost-cutting efforts – say is beset by fraud.

The administration wants to cut staff at the agency responsible for spending $1.6 trillion (£1.2 trillion) in benefits a year.

Biden did not refer to Trump by name during his speech on Tuesday, but said: “In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction. It’s kind of breath-taking.”

He described Social Security as a “sacred promise”, adding: “We know just how much Social Security matters to people’s lives.”

Biden – who was speaking at a disability rights event – did not address his departure from the White House or the 2024 presidential election.

The Social Security Agency (SSA) provides a base income for people in the US who are retired or cannot work because of a disability. It covers about 67 million Americans, primarily older citizens.

Democratic politicians have accused the Trump administration of planning sweeping Social Security cuts.

The White House accuses them of scaremongering, citing the Republican president’s promises never to cut Social Security payments to American retirees.

Trump has previously said he intends only to target fraudulent claims and payments to illegal immigrants.

Members of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have been making cuts to the agency staff since February, with the target of slashing 7,000 jobs – about 10% of its total staff.

Musk has described Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”.

On Tuesday, Trump signed an order preventing illegal immigrants and “other ineligible people” from obtaining social security payments.

Before Biden’s Chicago speech,Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president was “absolutely certain” about protecting benefits for “law-abiding tax-paying American citizens and seniors”.

“He will always protect that programme,” she added.

In a post on X, the SSA – which is now controlled by a Trump appointee – said Biden had been “lying” during his Chicago speech.

Since leaving office, Biden has kept a relatively low profile. In February, he signed with Creative Artists Agency, the Los Angeles talent agency that represented him between 2017-20.

Barack Obama also criticised the Trump administration on Tuesday, saying on X that its decision to freeze more than $2bn (£1.5bn) in federal funds for Harvard University was “unlawful and ham-handed”.

Trump is freezing the fund because Harvard said it would not make changes to its hiring, admissions and teaching practices that he argues are key to fighting alleged antisemitism on campus.