Ovechkin sets NHL record for most career goals with one club
Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin celebrates a historic goal against Arizona, the 787th of his NHL career giving him the most goals by any player with a club
patrick smith
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Alex Ovechkin broke the National Hockey League record for most goals with a team on Saturday by scoring his 787th for the Washington Capitals in a 3-2 loss to Arizona.
The 37-year-old Russian left winger scored the game’s first goal 8:55 into the second period on the power play with a pinpoint shot from the left face-off circle – an area nicknamed “Ovie’s Office” for its frequency to mark From there.
Ovechkin tied the old team record of 786 goals set by Gordie Howe with a second-period goal on Thursday in Washington’s 3-1 loss to Detroit, where Howe has played for most of his career.
“Obviously, right now is a special night,” Ovechkin said. “My wife, my kids are here, all my friends and I know my parents are watching at home.
“It’s a very special moment. It’s a big story. It’s good to be number one and it’s very important. It doesn’t matter what kind of goal you score and from where, but it’s is a special moment.”
Ovechkin reached the milestone in his 1,287th game with the Capitals, who selected him first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft.
Howe scored 786 goals in 1,687 games in 25 seasons with Detroit from 1946 to 1971.
Ovechkin has scored seven goals in 13 games this season and moved within 14 goals of tying Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Howe scored 15 goals with Hartford in the 1979-80 season to finish with 801.
If Ovechkin passes Howe, a feat expected later this season, he would rank only behind the all-time NHL career goals record of 894 set by Canadian legend Wayne Gretzky.
