Ovechkin celebrates hat trick on ice with his family, pulls into striking distance of Gretzky record

The Capitals superstar is now only 13 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL goal record, which he will likely do this season.

After Ovechkin scored his first goal of the game, he came by and had a great celebrating with his young son sitting against the glass.

After his second goal too, Ovechkin came by the same corner to celebrate with his son, who threw up a number 2 for his dad's goals.

From then on, Ovechkin had several more chances to score and was clearly sniffing for the hat trick. While on the ice with the Oilers net empty, fans began chanting Ovi's name looking for the hat trick. He got a fortunate bounce from the Oilers, and didn't miss a cross-ice shot.

After the hat trick, he skated all the way to the other end of the ice to give his son one final fist bump. It looked like an incredibly special moment for Ovechkin's legacy, and also just a connection between a father and a son - it's an emotional scene for one of hockey's greatest players.

Looking at Ovechkin's scoring pace this season, he's on pace to surpass Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 career goals on April 4th of this season against the Chicago Blackhawks. It would be a truly incredible accomplishment to topple any Gretzky record.

The Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky is still in frequent contact with Ovechkin as he chases down the record. When Ovechkin gets into striking distance of around 5 goals, Gretzky will begin travelling to watch every game in person.

It's incredible to see any record Gretzky be toppled, and yet Ovechkin will surely be able to accomplish it. Tonight's game will be one he remembers that helped accelerate the final push for 894, and the Edmonton Oilers poor play definitely helped him out.