Make it 800 for the Great 8.
Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin scored his 800th-career goal on a hat trick in the Caps’ 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
Ovechkin started his big night off with a bit of a messy one, swinging away at the puck on a broken play until it squeaked its way past Petr Mrazek.
The second goal was not any prettier, pouncing on a loose puck behind Mrazek and willing it in as Chicago’s defenders sprawled across the crease to keep it out of the net.
If you were expecting the classic Ovi one-timer, tonight may have been a disappointment, as the Russian star seemed intent on scoring the scrappiest goals possible.
He notched his third of the night on another goal mouth scramble, this time patiently corralling the puck and slotting it high in the net, away from a desperate Mrazek.
The Capitals captain was joined by his teammates as caps rained down onto the United Center ice. The Blackhawks faithful in attendance made sure to give Ovechkin his props for the milestone with a classy ovation.
History.
Someone had the genius idea of giving Ovechkin a mic for the game, and it paid off big time as viewers got his awesome reaction to the big goal.
We’ll never get tired of that primal scream, even after seeing it on 800 separate occasions.
Despite the disappointment of a tough loss, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane congratulated Ovechkin on his achievement at the end of the game.
The 37-year-old is only one goal shy of equalling Gordie Howe for second all-time in NHL goals, and now sits within sight of Wayne Gretzky’s record mark of 894. In 1,305 career games, Ovechkin has 644 assists to add to his 800 goals, for a total of 1,444 points.
Despite playing in his 18th NHL season, the Great 8 is not slowing down, notching 20 goals and 14 assists in 31 games this season.
Washington is currently sitting outside of a playoff spot with a 15-12-4 record and 34 points, good for sixth in the Metropolitan Division.
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