Blackhawks line up to congratulate Ovechkin on record-tying goal

The celebration was as inevitable as the goal.

Washington Capitals fans went wild on Friday night as Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky's NHL goals record with the 894th of his incredible career.

After the game, the Chicago Blackhawks lined up to shake hands with Ovechkin and congratulate him for tying the record. The moment was reminiscent of just eight days ago when Ovechkin gathered his teammates to congratulate Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury on his retirement.

The entire Blackhawks team shook hands with Ovechkin, even goalie Spencer Knight who was light-heartedly booed by fans at Capital One Arena for making a few late saves to prevent the record-breaking goal. As the teams shook hands, loud "Ovi! Ovi!" chants poured on to the ice from even the highest points of the arena.

The Capitals shared their appreciation for the Blackhawks' gesture on social media.

Earlier in the game, Ovechkin let out a loud scream after the score that tied the record, where he beat Knight low stick side from his all too familiar "office" on the left faceoff circle.

"I said 'congrats' and all that, he was, like 'Thanks, brother,' something like that,” Knight said after the game. "I said, 'Oh, thank you for not scoring on me the last one.' ... I think we all know that it’s not a matter of if, it’s when... It’s great for the sport. I wasn’t around to see Gretzky play really, I was a little too young. You’ve got guys in this League (like Ovechkin) you’ll think of down the road and tell your kids about later.”

After a prolonged hug with teammates, Ovechkin skated right over to the glass where his son, Sergei, was sitting for a fist bump. That's become somewhat of a ritual for home games as Ovechkin has chased the record.

The size of the moment certainly wasn't lost on fans at Capital One Arena, who gave Ovechkin an extended standing ovation immediately after the goal.

- NHL.com staff writer William Douglas contributed to this report.