Alex Ovechkin Shatters NHL History with 900th Goal – What’s Next for the Hockey Legend?

When Alex Ovechkin stepped onto the ice Wednesday night, the air was thick with anticipation—and boy, did he deliver something historic. Scoring against the St. Louis Blues, Ovechkin didn’t just notch another goal; he smashed through a monumental barrier to become the very first NHL player ever to reach 900 career goals. Picture this: with the Capitals up 1-0 in the second period, Ovechkin snagged a rebound from a wild slapshot, calmly slipped the puck past goaltender Jordan Binnington, and suddenly the scoreboard read 2-0. The moment was electric. Teammates swarmed him like bees, and the home crowd erupted in pure jubilation—no surprise, really, considering this is the stuff hockey legends are made of. It’s been over two decades since Ovi burst onto the NHL scene back in 2005, and from those first two goals to this gigantic milestone, he’s been rewriting the record books with every game. His season started close to this feat, and reaching it in just the 13th game? Truly remarkable. LEARN MORE

Alex Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to reach 900 career goals scored when he scored Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues.

With his Washington Capitals holding a 1-0 lead in the second period, Ovechkin coralled a rebound off a missed Jakob Chychrun slapshot at the right goal line. He then slipped the puck into the net past goaltender Jordan Binnington for a 2-0 Washington lead.

As the horn sounded, Capitals players poured off the bench to swarm Ovechkin at the glass to celebrate the latest milestone for hockey’s greatest goal scorer. An appreciate home crowd in Washington joined in on the celebration from the stands.

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The Capitals captain hit the milestone more than 20 years after he made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, where he scored the first two of his 900 career goals.

Ovechkin began this season with 897 regular-season goals. He reached 900 in Washington’s 13th game of the season.

In April, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing NHL record. He finished with 44 goals last season with the Capitals, the 14th time he’s scored at least 40 goals in a season.

On Saturday, he became the eighth player in NHL history to play 1,500 games with one franchise.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft entered the league and immediately made an impact, scoring 52 goals during his first season and earning the 2005-06 Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. His ability to beat goaltenders on a regular basis has earned him nine Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the top goal scorer.

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Other accolades Ovechkin has earned includes three Hart Trophies as regular-season MVP, eight appearances as an NHL first-team All-Star, and a Stanley Cup title and playoff MVP in 2018.

The 40-year-old Ovechkin will see his contract expire following the 2025-26 NHL season, but he’s yet to confirm his future plans.

“I’m just going to enjoy it,” Ovechkin said before the season. “I’m going to enjoy the season, and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”