Washington Capitals franchise cornerstone Alex Ovechkin scored the 800th goal of his career on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, becoming the third player in NHL history — behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, to accomplish the feat.
Ovechkin, 37, became the first to do it with a single franchise, and did so in grand fashion as he hit the milestone as part of a hat trick performance to spark the Capitals’ 7-3 victory over the Blackhawks on the road in Chicago.
“This … it’s huge. It’s huge for hockey, it’s huge for the organization,” Ovechkin said, according to ESPN’s Kristen Shilton.
“It’s a special night. To get two goals right away, I could feel the game,” Ovechkin said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” later in the night. “I’m really proud that it’s over. Now, we can move on and focus on the next one.”
“The fans here did a really good job of taking a second and just honoring something,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. “Because they’re hockey fans, and what happened was a hockey moment. It wasn’t about a win or a loss or Chicago against Washington. Somebody did something great and the hockey fans in Chicago noticed.”
“I’m just trying to think about the next game, the next shift and not what’s going to happen out there,” Ovechkin said. “I’m just going to try to help the team win, and it doesn’t matter how.”
