Alex Ovechkin continues to etch his name in the NHL's record books. With a goal against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, Ovechkin tied the legendary Gordie Howe for most goals with a single team.
Ovechkin's latest tally gave him 786 goals as a member of the Washington Capitals, which tied Howe's mark with the Red Wings. Howe set the record in his 25 seasons and 1,687 games played with Detroit. It took Ovechkin less than 18 full seasons and 1,286 games played with Washington to tie that record, further establishing him as one of the elite goal-scorers in NHL history.
Goal No. 786 for Ovechkin came at the 7:11 mark of the second period and broke open the game's scoring. After receiving a slick pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ovechkin fired a wrist shot to the top right corner of the net. That would end up being Washington's lone goal for the game, as Detroit rallied back to win 3-1 at Little Caesars Arena.
Here's a look at Ovechkin's historic goal:
After the game, which dropped Washington to 5-5-2 and fifth in the Metropolitan Division, Ovechkin expressed enthusiasm for his accomplishment but disappointment for the loss.
"It's pretty cool. It's a great accomplishment," Ovechkin said. "Sucks we lost, but yeah, it's pretty cool."
The Capitals drafted Ovechkin with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, and he has been torturing opposing netminders ever since. Ovechkin has scored at least 50 goals in nine different seasons, and he has won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league's leading scorer nine times as well.
To Howe's credit, he didn't end his streak of goals with the Red Wings because he walked away from hockey after an illustrious career. Instead, Howe went on to play alongside his sons on the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers of the WHA. When the WHA folded, and the Hartford Whalers joined the NHL in the 1979-80 season, Howe scored 15 more goals at the age of 51.
The 37-year-old Ovechkin keeps rolling, putting himself among the sport's best players while chasing Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Gretzky holds a substantial lead with his 894 career goals, so Ovechkin still has some work to do. Having said that, Ovechkin tied Mr. Hockey in the record books, and he has shown no real signs of slowing down offensively.
