Two times four is eight, and Friday night’s game between the Caps and Chicago Blackhawks at Capital One Arena fell on April 4 – 4/4. The Great Eight – Alex Ovechkin – doubled down with a pair of goals, Nos. 893 and 894 of his illustrious career, to match Wayne Gretzky’s total of 894, which stood alone as the mountaintop for career goals in the NHL for over 31 years.

“Wayne texted me before the game,” says Ovechkin. “He said, ‘Score three.’ It’s a special moment. It’s great for hockey, great for DC, great for all our fans to do it here in Washington.

“It’s fun. It’s always a pleasure to be in that category with those names, and thank you Wayne, for your support. It’s great.”

Ovechkin scored the first goal of the game in the first period, and he appropriately tied Gretzky with a one-timer from his left dot office on the power play in the third period. That goal turned out to be the game-winner in a 5-3 Washington win over the Hawks.

“And at home, too,” adds John Carlson, who had three assists, including a pretty primary helper on 894. “There’s so much celebration for so long in this building, from the fans in this city for him and what he’s built here. And I think it goes without saying, his place in Capitals history, and DC history, and DC sports history; I think he is that pillar.

“And I think that’s even more special in somewhat of a familiar place [his office], and also just in front of these fans that were begging for it all night, which was pretty cool to see. the engagement.”

The jubilant sellout crowd didn’t have to wait long to see at least part of what they came to see. With 16:16 left in the first period, Ovechkin stepped onto the ice for a left dot draw on his second shift of the game. Dylan Strome won it cleanly back to Rasmus Sandin, whose shot missed the net wide. John Carlson pinched down and pushed the puck behind the net for Strome. Operating from Gretzky’s office, Strome fed Ovechkin a flat pass at the very bottom of the right circle. From there, Ovechkin ripped a shot to the far corner of the net behind Spencer Knight.

The goal staked Washington to a 1-0 lead at 3:52 of the first; Ovechkin’s shift was eight seconds in length – because of course it was – it was also a milestone marker; the goal was Ovechkin’s 40th of the season, extending his League record to 14 seasons of 40 or ore goals. It was also his 242nd career first-period goal; he passed Gretzky (241) for the most in NHL history.

And with the primary helper on career goal No. 893, Strome registered his 50th assist of the season to become the first Caps center not named Backstrom or Kuznetsov to reach the half century mark in assists since Adam Oates had 57 in 2001-02.

Chicago answered back later in the frame. Landon Slaggert was able to nudge the puck across the cease to Tyler Bertuzzi at the back door, and he shelved a shot to square the score at 1-1 at 13:55 of the first.

The Hawks jumped in front just 31 seconds into the middle frame when Frank Nazar scored from the slot to make it a 2-1 contest.

Nearly seven minutes later, Martin Fehervary tied it for the Caps, hustling hard to the net to punch a puck in the paint across the goal line after a Connor McMichael shot trickled through Knight’s five-hole.

Alas, the Hawks needed only 10 seconds with which to regain the lead. Washington won the center ice draw after the Fehervary goal, but the Caps turned it over in the neutral zone, and the Hawks broke into Washington ice with speed. Charlie Lindgren stopped Slaggert’s shot, but Philipp Kurashev pounced on the rebound to make it 3-2 at 7:19.

Strome tied it early in third on a Washington power play, getting a break when veteran Chicago defenseman Connor Muphy inadvertently tucked it into his own net at 3:46, marking the fourth straight game in which the Washington power play was heard from.

Minutes after the Strome goal, Chicago’s Connor Bedard was busted for holding Caps rookie Ryan Leonard, putting Washington back on the man advantage.

After receiving a bump pass from Andrew Mangiapane, Carlson made a picture-perfect pass to Ovechkin, who unleashed a one-timer as the puck reached the red epicenter of his left dot office. The shot beat Knight on the short side, and bedlam ensued in the best way.

The Washington bench emptied, and the Capitals mobbed their captain while thousands of cell phones recorded history unfolding before their very eyes. When the mob dissipated, Ovechkin skated over to the glass to fist bump his family through the glass. It was a remarkable moment in Washington sports history, NHL history, and a most fitting and remarkable moment at the end of what has been a glorious 50th anniversary season for the team.

“I’m just really, really happy for him, for [wife] Nastya, his family, his kids,” says longtime teammate Tom Wilson. “I saw him skate over to Sergei [and tap the glass] and tap the glass. Nastya’s dad was there. You try and burn those images into your head for as long as you can remember.”

“We always talk about our game, and the players who are in it,” says Gretzky. “From Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, [Mark] Messier, on and on. And we wonder, ‘Okay, what’s going to happen when those guys retire?’ Along came Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Alex has been so great for the city of Washington, he’s been so great for the National Hockey League, and he’s encouraged so many kids in his home country of Russia to play the sport of hockey. He’s been nothing but a champion, and I’m so proud that we’re tied. I can live with that for 24 more hours; I can still say I’m tied for the most.”

When the fervor dissipated, 13:46 of hockey remained to be played. The Caps did their best to get Ovechkin the hat trick and 895. He had several excellent looks late in the game; Knight shouldered aside one of the best ones, from the slot. Ovechkin also had a short ice breakaway, but he couldn’t settle the puck and pull the trigger.

Leonard scored his first NHL goal into an empty net to account for the 5-3 final at 18:24, and the Hawks promptly put Knight back in the crease and kept him there. Ovechkin had a shot and a couple of misses after that.

“He was getting open a few times; he had a couple of chances after that,” says Strome. “It wasn’t meant to be tonight for the record breaker, but we’ve got six games to go, and I’m pretty confident we’re going to find it in those six games. I hope.”

At game’s end, the Hawks lined up to congratulate Ovechkin in a classy gesture.

“I’m still a little shaking and can’t believe it,” said Ovechkin, about an hour after the game ended. “It’s nice with my family here, my mom, my wife, my kids, my father-in-law. Lots of friends came from lots of different cities, and how I said, it’s history. It’s great for the game, and it’s great that it was here. So, it’s special.”

The Caps are in action on Long Island on Sunday afternoon; the game following that is Thursday at home against Carolina. Six games remain for Ovechkin to ascend to his destiny, and he’s on a heater as he often is at this time of year. He has scored in four straight games – with five goals over that span – and he now has 75 goals in just 115 April games in his career.