Alex Ovechkin flexes his Rolex gifted by Sidney Crosby & Evgeni Malkin for breaking Wayne Gretzky's goal record

Alex Ovechkin broke the all-time goals scored record that was held by Wayne Gretzky for decades. Near the end of the regular season, Ovechkin knocked home his 895th career goal. It was the end of a journey many did not think Ovechkin could accomplish.

He has scored a ton of those goals as part of a rivalry with Sidney Crosby, another 20-year veteran who has a ton of accolades himself. Crosby and his longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin paid homage to Ovechkin despite their rivalry in the Eastern Conference.

The Washington Capitals player posted a video on Wednesday, showcasing what Malkin and Crosby had done. There was a fancy box that the winger opened up and brought out an expensive timepiece.

The Pittsburgh Penguins players wanted to honor Ovechkin even though he's often been a thorn in their sides. Malkin has been in the NHL for 19 seasons, so he's had the same longevity as Crosby and Ovechkin.

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Capitals aiming to add youth around Alex Ovechkin

The Washington Capitals lost in the second round to the Carolina Hurricanes. Their season is over, so now they look to the future. Their hope is that the roster around Alex Ovechkin, who remains one of their most impactful players even in his 40s, will get younger.

Alex Ovechkin may retire (Credits: IMAGN)

President Brian MacLellan said via NHL:

“We had some big spots to fill last year, our goals for roster spots. This year, there’s fewer holes; we’ve had some growth in young players. We have some players that are young and are coming up to make the next jump, so you’ve got to be cognizant of leaving room for improvement, leaving room for guys to come in and, hopefully, still add a piece or two.

MacLellan promised that the roster would not be the same as last year's. Ovechkin hasn't yet decided about his 21st NHL season.

“I think we’ve learned with him to leave possibilities open all the time," MacLellan added. "I think he had a fun year this year. He really enjoyed himself. The team had a lot of fun together and was successful and I think he’ll come back, and we’ll see where it goes from there. Hopefully, he has another good year.”

The team is open to his return, but regardless, they want youth around to help him and to mitigate the loss when he does retire.