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Alex Ovechkin scores hat trick on Blackhawks to hit 800 career goals

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Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin, welcome to the 800 Goals Club!!!

Ovechkin reached the milestone by scoring a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center, which might I add is the most Ovi thing ever. The hatty is Ovechkin’s 29th of his career.

The goals were nos. 798, 799, and 800.

Career goal no. 798

Ovechkin’s first goal came 24 seconds into the game. After a faceoff win by Dylan Strome, the puck eventually made its way to John Carlson who chipped the puck toward the net. Ovechkin blocked the biscuit down and rifled a shot through Petr Mrazek for the goal. Carlson and Conor Sheary got the assists.

Career goal no. 799

Ovechkin’s second goal came on the power play. After Conor Sheary’s shot was blocked, the puck found it’s way right onto Ovechkin’s blade near the crease. Mrazek, who had slid out of the net to challenge the initial shot, was completely out of position, giving Ovi a layup. Sheary and Sonny Milano got the assists.

Ovi scored at the end of a 2:14 shift.

“It feels nice,” Ovechkin said during the first intermission on ESPN. “Obviously, we had a good start. First shift, good bounce. Same on second one.

“You just have to be focused on the puck, focused on the game,” Ovechkin added. “When you have a chance to put it in, you have to put it in.”

Career goal no. 800

Ovechkin scored number 800 after Anthony Mantha forced a Blackhawks turnover behind the net. Mantha dished to Kuznetsov whose shot was stopped by Mrazek. Mantha found the rebound and chipped it over to Ovi wide open on the other side of the net. Ovechkin swept the puck home with authority.

Ovi’s goal came at the 6:34 mark of the third. It was his 20th goal of the season.

Every Capitals player left the bench to celebrate with Ovi on the ice. Fans threw hats. Ovi got a standing ovation from the Blackhawks crowd and they chanted Ovi. He saluted the crowd two different times.

This is the first time an NHL player has scored an 800th goal in 27 years. Wayne Gretzky was the last player to do so when he scored goals number 800 and 801 on March 20, 1994.

Ovechkin is now the third player in NHL history to score 800 goals joining Gordie Howe and Gretzky.

Ovi sits one goal away from second-place Howe (801) and 94 from Gretzky (894) on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Unbelievable!

Here’s the Capitals’ press release:

Ovechkin Becomes the Third Player in NHL History to Reach 800-Goal Milestone

Capitals captain scores hat trick against Chicago and becomes the second-fastest player in NHL history to reach the mark

CHICAGO, Ill. – Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 18th, 19th and 20th goals of the season on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center to become the third player in NHL history to reach the 800-goal mark, joining Hall of Famers Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894).

Ovechkin reached the 800-goal mark in his 1,305th career game, the second-fewest games required to reach the milestone in NHL history (Gretzky: 1,116 GP). Howe scored his 800th career goal in his 1,748th career game at the age of 51. Ovechkin went from 700 to 800 goals in 162 games, the fewest games required to make that leap for any member of the 800-goal club (Gretzky: 231 GP; Howe: 256 GP). It is tied for the third-fewest games Ovechkin has required to go from one 100-goal milestone to another in his career (100 to 200 goals: 130 GP; 600 to 700 goals: 155 GP; 300 to 400 goals: 162 GP). Ovechkin’s 100 goals in 162 games since scoring his 700th career goal on Feb. 22, 2020, equates to a 0.62 goals-per-game average, slightly higher than his overall career average (0.61 G/GP). Gretzky’s goals-per-game rate from goal 700 to 800 was 0.44, while Howe’s was 0.39.

Ovechkin is now two goals shy of passing Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Ovechkin scored his 787th career goal on Nov. 5 versus Arizona, passing Howe (786) for the most goals with one franchise in NHL history and scored his 122nd career game-winning goal on Oct. 24 at New Jersey to pass Howe for the second-most game-winning goals.

Ovechkin, who has scored 20 goals in 31 games this season, recorded his 29th career hat trick against Chicago to reach the 800-goal mark, passing Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull (28) for the sixth most hat tricks in NHL history. Ovechkin has reached the 20-goal mark in each of his 18 NHL seasons and his 18 20-goal seasons are the sixth-most in NHL history. Ovechkin is on pace to score 52 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 50-goal mark, it would mark his 10th career 50-goal season, passing Gretzky and Mike Bossy (9) for the most in NHL history. In addition, Ovechkin would pass Gretzky (12) for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history and tie Mike Gartner (17) for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history.

In NHL history, Ovechkin ranks first in power-play goals (292), overtime goals (25), road goals (409), game-opening goals (136), game-tying goals (140) and go-ahead goals (270), second in game-winning goals (124), empty-net goals (53) and multi-goal games (162), and fourth in even strength goals (503).

Ovechkin was selected by the Capitals in the first round, first overall, in the 2004 NHL Draft. The Moscow native has registered 1,444 points (800g, 644a) in 1,305 career games with Washington. Ovechkin is the Capitals’ franchise leader in games played, goals, points, playoff games played (147), playoff goals (72) and playoff points (141).

Since entering the NHL at the beginning of the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals (800) and ranks second in points (1,444) and games played (1,305). Since 2005-06, he holds a 266-goal lead over the next closest player.

In his career, Ovechkin has won a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Calder Trophy, an Art Ross Trophy, three Hart Memorial Trophies, three Ted Lindsay Awards and nine Maurice Richard Trophies. He is the only player in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, a Calder, an Art Ross, a Hart, a Ted Lindsay and a Maurice Richard Trophy.

Full Coverage of Alex Ovechkin’s 800th Goal

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