(AFP)
Alex Ovechkin broke the National Hockey League record for most goals with one team on Saturday by scoring his 787th for the Washington Capitals in a 3-2 loss to Arizona.
The 37-year-old Russian left wing scored the game’s first goal 8:55 into the second period on the power play with a one-timer blast from the left faceoff circle — an area nicknamed “Ovie’s Office” for his frequency of scoring from there.
Ovechkin had matched the old one-team goals mark of 786 set by Gordie Howe with a second-period goal Thursday in a 3-1 Washington loss at Detroit, where Howe played for most of his career.
“Obviously, right now it’s a special night,” Ovechkin said. “My wife, my kids are here, all my friends, and I know my parents are watching back home.
“It’s a very special moment. It’s big history. It’s nice to be number one and it’s very important. It doesn’t matter what kind of goal you score and from which spot, but it’s a special, 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 over 25 seasons with Detroit from 1946 to 1971.
Ovechkin’s credentials
Ovechkin has scored seven goals in 13 games this season and moved within 14 goals of matching Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Howe had 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 behind only the all-time NHL career goals record of 894 set by Canadian legend Wayne Gretzky.
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