President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia congratulated the hockey player Alex Ovechkin on Monday for breaking the N.H.L.’s goal-scoring record.

Mr. Ovechkin, 39, captain of the Washington Capitals, scored his 895th career goal on Sunday afternoon in a game against the New York Islanders. That broke a record set by Wayne Gretzky that had stood for 26 years.

In a statement on Monday, Mr. Putin praised Mr. Ovechkin, who started out as a professional hockey player in Moscow, for the “momentous achievement” that he called “a genuine cause for celebration for fans in Russia and beyond.”

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