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Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second in all-time NHL goals with 802, scoring twice against the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
Ovechkin tied Howe with a goal at 1:38 of the first period and then passed him on an empty-netter with one minute remaining in the third period, giving him 22 goals on the season.
Ovechkin, 37, trails only Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history. Gretzky scored 894 goals in 1,487 games.
“You never thought it was going to happen when you came to the league, that you were going to beat any Gordie Howe record or Wayne Gretzky record,” Ovechkin said. “The whole situation happening right now, it’s some miracle.”
Ovechkin’s empty-net goal came with his back to the Winnipeg net. He initially passed the puck so teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov could take a shot at the goal, but Kuznetsov fed the puck back to Ovechkin. The Capitals captain flicked the puck between Jets defenders into the abandoned net to give the Capitals a 4-1 victory.
“I’d feel bad if I scored there,” Kuznetsov said. “Half of the world would probably be so mad at me.”
The game was stopped as a congratulatory message from Mark Howe, Gordie’s son, played on the Jumbotron. Ovechkin took a twirl on the ice and tapped his heart with his glove as Jets and Capitals players tapped their sticks in congratulations.
Ovechkin scored his first goal on a drop pass by center Dylan Strome, snapping a shot past Jets goalie David Rittich for the historic tally to tie Mr. Hockey.
The Capitals fans chanted Ovechkin’s name and gave him a standing ovation, as the in-arena goal counter flipped to read 801.
“It’s nice to get it done at home in front of our house, family and friends. It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s a tremendous feeling. We just have to keep going and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
The entire Winnipeg team came over after the game to shake Ovechkin’s hand after the game.
“Obviously, you don’t want it to be against your team. But he’s generational….
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