Seemingly every time Alex Ovechkin touches the ice now he creates history. And on Thursday night, Ovechkin scored a goal that was momentous in multiple ways. Firstly, the overtime game-winner against the Columbus Blue Jackets broke a personal worst 14-game goalless streak.
The goal was also the 828th of Ovechkin’s career, placing him just 66 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goals crown. But if you count the Russian sniper’s prolificness in the playoffs as well, the tally was, incredibly, Ovechkin’s 900th of his career.
Ovechkin has scored 72 playoff goals in his career, tying him for 15th all-time with former Capital Esa Tikkanen and Patrick Marleau.
According to NHL PR, only Ovechkin and Gretzky have hit the 900-goal (regular season & playoffs) plateau. Gretzky sits 116 ahead of Ovechkin in that chase.
Here’s the full top 10 list as of Friday, December 22, 2023.
Most goals (reg. season + playoffs)
| Player | Goals | Games Played | Shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 1,016 | 1,695 | 5,787 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 900 | 1,524 | 7,108 |
| Gordie Howe | 869 | 1,924 | 4,104 |
| Brett Hull | 844 | 1,471 | 5,679 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 844 | 1,941 | 6,319 |
| Mark Messier | 803 | 1,992 | 4,892 |
| Phil Esposito | 778 | 1,412 | 5,701 |
| Mario Lemieux | 766 | 1,022 | 4,035 |
| Steve Yzerman | 762 | 1,710 | 5,186 |
| Marcel Dionne | 752 | 1,397 | 5,550 |
The goal also marked Ovechkin’s 125th game-winning goal. He sits second all-time in that category and trails Jaromir Jagr by only 10 with this season and potentially two others in his career remaining.
Most GWGs (NHL History)
| Player | Game-Winning Goals |
|---|---|
| Jaromir Jagr | 135 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 125 |
| Gordie Howe | 121 |
| Phil Esposito | 118 |
| Brett Hull | 110 |
| Teemu Selanne | 110 |
| Brendan Shanahan | 109 |
| Patrick Marleau | 109 |
| Jarome Iginla | 101 |
| Bobby Hull | 98 |
Finally, the goal marked Ovechkin’s 26th career overtime goal – the most of all time. The next closest player, Sidney Crosby, has 20.
