The Washington Capitals are in the middle of a playoff chase. Meanwhile, the Capitals best player, Alex Ovechkin, is in the middle of a chase of his own. Entering Tuesday nights game against the New York Islanders, Ovechkin sat at 766 career regular season goals. That was tied with Jaromir Jagr for the third most in NHL history. With less than five minutes remaining in the third period of a tied game, Ovechkin made history in a most iconic way.

The Capitals center man Evgeny Kuznetsox cleanly won a faceoff back to Ovechkin, who quickly ripped a snap shot past Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov. The goal gave the Caps a 3-2 lead, that they would ultimately squander a few minutes later. However, Washington would go on to win 4-3 in a shootout.

Alex Ovechkin is now third place all by himself in career goals with 767 goals. The only two players ahead of him are arguably the two biggest names in the sports history. Wayne Gretzky, of course, tops the list with 894 career goals. Second place belongs to Gordie Howe who has 801 goals to his credit.

It would likely take at least three full seasons beyond this year for Ovechkin to even have a chance at surpassing “The Great One.” But 801 could be attainable next year.

Ovechkin is currently 36 years old, turning 37 in September. Despite his advanced age, Ovechkin is still among the elite goal scorers in the NHL. He has 37 goals to along with 35 assists with 20 games remaining this season. His 37 goals are tied for fourth in the league this season.