- Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored his 900th career on Nov. 5, the first NHL player to reach that milestone.
- He scored in the second period against Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
- The Capitals will honor Ovechkin on Nov. 26 with a pregame ceremony for reaching 900 goals and 1,500 games.
The NHL’s greatest goal scorer has another big round number to go with his record total.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored in the second period against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, Nov. 5, to become the first NHL player with 900 career regular-season goals.
He backhanded the puck into a wide-open net from the right faceoff circle at 2:39 after a Jakob Chychrun shot. Ovechkin had started the play by intercepting a clearing attempt by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
‘It’s a huge number and no one ever did it in NHL history and to be the first player to do it is a special moment,’ Ovechkin told reporters.
Teammates poured onto the ice to congratulate him. His goal ended up as the game-winner in the 6-1 victory.
‘What an amazing athlete and just a tremendous individual for the game of hockey,’ Blues coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. ‘He’s made the game great.’
The Capitals’ 2004 No. 1 overall pick had scored No. 895 on April 6 to pass Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky and become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. He finished last season with 897 goals and needed three this season to reach 900.
Goals aren’t coming as quickly this season after he dealt with an injury that limited his participation in training camp. He hit the milestone in his 13th game of the season and 1,504th of his career.
Ovechkin, 40, said this week he was trying not to think about his slow start.
‘As soon as you think you haven’t scored or you scored two goals in 12 games, you just put pressure on yourself,’ he told reporters on Nov. 3. ‘You have to go out there and do the best you can for your team.’
Now that Ovechkin has connected, the Capitals will hold a pregame ceremony on Nov. 26 to honor him for reaching 900 goals and 1,500 games, also achieved this season.
‘900 goals. A number only Alex Ovechkin could make feel inevitable,’ Capitals team owner Ted Leonsis posted on social media. ‘A generational talent, a loyal leader and the heartbeat of DC hockey. Congratulations, @ovi8. What an incredible moment for you, the @Capitals and fans everywhere.’
Ovechkin has a chance to break another Gretzky record: most combined regular season and playoffs goals. Gretzky had 1,016 and Ovechkin is at 977 after Wednesday. He would need 40 more to pass Gretzky but will need to pick up his pace.
He has been known to score in bunches, though. Last year, he had two goals in his first seven games, then 15 goals in his next 13.
Ovechkin is in the final year of his contract and hasn’t announced his plans for next season.
‘I still enjoy the moment, everyday coming to the locker room, not (so) much practice, but I still love the game,’ he told TNT after Wednesday’s game.
In the meantime, he continues to add to his career total, making him harder to catch.
Here’s a breakdown of his 900 goals:
Alex Ovechkin career goals breakdown
- Total goals: 900, first overall
- Even strength: 569, second overall
- Power play: 326, a record
- Short-handed: 5
- Empty net: 65, a record
- Game winners: 138, a record
- Overtime goals: 27, a record
- Multi-goal games: 179, second overall
- Goalies scored against: 183, a record
- 20-goal seasons: 20, tied for second
- 30-goal seasons: 19, a record
- 40-goal seasons: 14, a record
Alex Ovechkin goals by season
Season: Goals, career total
(* denotes he led the league)
- 2005-06: 52, 52
- 2006-07: 46, 98
- 2007-08: 65*, 163
- 2008-09: 56*, 219
- 2009-10: 50, 269
- 2010-11: 32, 301
- 2011-12: 38, 339
- 2012-13: 32*, 371
- 2013-14: 51*, 422
- 2014-15: 53*, 475
- 2015-16: 50*, 525
- 2016-17: 33, 558
- 2017-18: 49*, 607
- 2018-19: 51*, 658
- 2019-20: 48*, 706
- 2020-21: 24, 730
- 2021-22: 50, 780
- 2022-23: 42, 822
- 2023-24: 31, 853
- 2024-25: 44, 897
- 2025-26: 3, 900
Dates of Alex Ovechkin’s milestone goals
- 1: Oct. 5, 2005
- 100: Oct. 12, 2007
- 200: Feb. 5, 2009
- 300: April 5, 2011
- 400: Dec. 20, 2013
- 500: Jan. 10, 2016
- 600: March 12, 2018
- 700: Feb. 22, 2020
- 800: Dec. 13, 2022
- 895 (breaks Gretzky’s record): April 6, 2025
- 900: Nov. 5, 2025