Capitals fan follows Ovechkin's goal record chase in countdown-themed car - ESPN

Inside UBS Arena on Sunday afternoon, Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record with the 895th tally of this career. Outside the arena, the moment had already been commemorated on a car roof with a mannequin and a goat in a hockey sweater.

«What is that?» asked one Islanders fan as they walked past Eddie Twomey's white Jeep.

It was adorned with Washington Capitals flags and stickers, car magnets in honor of Ovechkin's «GR8 CHASE» of Gretzky's goal record and an elaborate scene atop the automobile involving an Ovechkin mannequin and that aforementioned goat. Ovechkin entered Sunday's matchup against the New York Islanders needing one goal to break Gretzky's record.

«This has been in my head for, I don't know, five years trying to figure out how to make this work,» Twomey told ESPN.

For years, the jeep had an eight-foot replica Stanley Cup on the roof to celebrate the Capitals' 2018 championship. Twomey took that to places like the Stadium Series game in 2023 at North Carolina State University, drawing crowds of fans.

As Ovechkin neared Gretzky's career goals record of 894 — which he tied with a two-goal effort on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks — Twomey started to brainstorm how to best represent that historic pursuit on his car.

«The Cup is easy because you can understand that. But this is understanding Gretzky,» he said.

So Twomey decided to tell a story, and it's sort of a personal one. He grew up in New York but moved to Los Angeles in 1988. Gretzky was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Kings two months later. He was at the Great Western Forum when Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal to pass Gordie Howe for career NHL goals in 1994. Twomey has his two ticket stubs from that game.

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