Alex Ovechkin has joined the exclusive 900-goal club in the NHL.
The Washington Capitals’ superstar achieved this milestone on Wednesday night during a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Ovechkin scored his 900th goal just 2 minutes and 39 seconds into the second period of the game.
Reflecting on this achievement, Ovechkin expressed his excitement, stating, “It’s a special moment to reach such a huge number. No player in NHL history has ever achieved this milestone before, so to be the first is truly remarkable. I’m glad I could do it at home in front of the fans and my family.”
Ovechkin made the historic goal by backhanding a rebound from Jakob Chychrun past Blues’ goaltender Jordan Binnington. The 40-year-old forward was positioned at the bottom of the right circle and successfully beat Binnington, who couldn’t recover in time to stop the shot. The Capitals’ bench erupted in celebration, with Binnington playfully tucking the milestone puck into his pants.
Teammate Logan Thompson humorously remarked, “I don’t know, maybe he was trying to grab it to give it to him.”
Having broken Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record with his 895th goal last April, Ovechkin started this season needing three more goals to hit the 900-mark. After a brief goal drought, he scored goal No. 900 against the Minnesota Wild on October 17 and followed it up with goal No. 899 against the Columbus Blue Jackets a week later.
Ovechkin’s teammate John Carlson commented on his unparalleled consistency, stating, “None of us can relate to a ‘slump’ for him. I think he’ll gain momentum from this achievement.”
Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington tried to keep the puck for Alex Ovechkin’s 900th goal 😅 <br><br>Gotta respect the effort 😭 <a href=”https://t.co/g40TrMVglI”>pic.com/g40TrMVglI</a>
—SportsCenter
Ovechkin, who is in the final year of his contract, may not reach another round milestone like the 900-goal mark. Despite a slower start to the season, his teammates remain confident in his goal-scoring abilities, with T.J. Oshie stating, “He just finds a way to prove people wrong every time people think that he’s down and out.”
Throughout his career, Ovechkin has shown remarkable durability, rarely missing games due to injuries. His goal-scoring milestones have been consistently spaced out, although it took a bit longer to go from 800 to 900 goals.
Reflecting on his achievement, Ovechkin humbly said, “I just try to play my best every game. With plenty of games left in the season, scoring goals is inevitable.”
- Goal No. 100: October 12, 2007 (game 167)
- Goal No. 200: February 5, 2009 (game 296)
- Goal No. 300: April 5, 2011 (game 473)
- Goal No. 400: December 20, 2013 (game 634)
- Goal No. 500: January 10, 2016 (game 801)
- Goal No. 600: March 12, 2018 (game 990)
- Goal No
