Washington Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin scored the 800th goal of his NHL career on Tuesday, joining Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe as the only players to reach the mark.
Ovechkin’s 800th came in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks, when he completed the hat trick following a pass from Anthony Mantha in front of the net.
The Capitals captain wasted no time getting on the board scoring 24 seconds in after he shot in a blocked shot past goaltender Petr Mrazek for his first of the night.
His second goal of the game came on the power play as he was open on the goal line beside the net as he banged home a rebound past Mrazek who was far out of his crease.
Ovechkin is now one goal back of Howe’s 801 career goals. Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with 894.
“It’s not even a question that he will pass me, and I think it’s great,” Gretzky told David Waldstein of The New York Times last year. “There is no doubt that, ultimately, he will break the record.”
Ovechkin surpassed Jaromir Jagr for third all-time last season during a turbulent stretch for the longtime Russia-born captain, who faced criticism amid his home country’s invasion of Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin, a president he has long supported.
The 37-year-old took little time to settle into the NHL, scoring 52 goals in his rookie campaign back in 2005-06.
Ovechkin’s lowest total in his first five seasons was 46 goals. He also recorded the highest single-season mark of his career in that span, scoring 65 goals in a Hart Trophy-worthy campaign.
Last season, Ovechkin joined Gretzky and Mike Bossy as the only players to record nine 50-goal seasons. Ovechkin is currently in his 18th NHL season, three of which have been shortened by the NHL lockout or the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ovechkin has 20 goals in 31 games so far in 2022-23.
Among active skaters, he’s heads above the rest. The next highest-scoring player is longtime rival Sidney Crosby with 534.
As far as team success goes, Ovechkin won the Stanley Cup in 2016.
