Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin continues to etch his name in the NHL‘s history books. On Tuesday, Ovechkin scored his 767th career goal against the New York Islanders and passed Jaromir Jagr for sole possession of third place on the league’s all-time goals list.
Jagr shared a congratulatory message via the NHL’s official Twitter account as well.
Ovechkin tied Jagr for third place on the all-time list last week when he scored two goals in a 5-4 Capitals win over the Calgary Flames. His second goal, which came in the third period, proved to be the game-winner as it gave Washington a 5-3 advantage at the time.
Back on Nov. 12, Ovechkin scored the 742nd goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets and passed Brett Hull for sole possession of fourth place on the league’s all-time goals list in the process.
Ovechkin entered the 2021-22 season with 730 goals, which was good for the No. 6 spot on the all-time goals list. The Capitals winger quickly staked his claim to fifth place on that list as he passed Marcel Dionne for fifth place on the all-time list with a two-goal performance against the New York Rangers in the season opener.
Now only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe are the only players that have more goals in their respective NHL careers than Ovechkin. Gretzky owns the top spot on the all-time goals list with 894 career goals while Howe scored 801 career goals, which is good for second place.
With Ovechkin officially passing Jagr, the Capitals star now is 127 goals away from Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history. Ovechkin is currently 36 years old and just signed a five-year contract extension to remain with the Capitals through the 2025-26 season.
Ovechkin has placed himself in the MVP conversation as he currently has 73 points (37 goals and 36 assists) this season. Considering that Ovechkin has scored at least 48 goals in three of the past four seasons, the Capitals winger will have every opportunity to pass Gretzky at some point.
KVSP