The chase to Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record continues for Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin — that won't happen for a few seasons, but The Great Eight reached a different milestone on Thursday night.
Ovechkin tallied an assist in his team's 5-4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars at Capital One Arena, and in the process, became just the 16th player in National Hockey League history to score 1,500 points.
“It’s a pretty cool number,” one of the greatest Russian players ever explained after the game, per NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. “I always say, without my teammates, I would never reach it. It’s pretty cool.”
Over 19 NHL seasons and 1,370 regular-season games, Ovechkin has scored 827 goals and 673 assists. Every single one of those points has been recorded on behalf of the nation's capital; he had recently reached 1,499 in a two-assist performance against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 30.
A former No. 1 overall pick by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Draft, the 38-year-old remains 67 goals behind The Great One's 894 for the most in the history of the sport.
Ovechkin's brilliance earns high praise
“It’s huge,” Caps bench boss Spencer Carbery said of Ovechkin's milestone night, per Gulitti. “Another example of his greatness and what he’s been able to accomplish in this league.”
“I think he’ll get the puck for that one,” linemate Dylan Strome echoed after scoring the goal that got Ovechkin to 1,500. “That’s OK. He made a good play to get it up there to ‘Mo' [Anthony Mantha], and he’s a living legend. So, it’s an honor to play with him and, hopefully, I can start feeding him so he can get some more goals.”
Dylan Strome hits milestone of his own
Ovechkin recorded a secondary assist on Strome's goal at 9:08 of the final frame. For the Canadian, it was his second of the game and 100th in the National Hockey League.
That goal gave Washington a 4-3 lead, but that was erased by Roope Hintz's second tally of the third period with 6:13 left. The Stars would go on to win in a shootout, with Jason Robertson scoring the only goal in the mini game.
Still, it was a night to remember in America's capital, with Strome hitting 100 goals and Ovechkin joining elite NHL company with his 1,500th point. He joins Sidney Crosby (1,529) and Evgeni Malkin (1,250) as the only active players in the league with at least a millenium-and-a-half, per Gulitti.
Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with five goals and 15 points in 23 games this season, and will look to improve on those totals — and get his team back in the win column — Saturday night against the New York Rangers.
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