His league debut delayed by a season-long lockout, the 2004 No. 1 overall pick put on a show in his rookie year. The Russian winger threw his body around for the Washington Capitals, bulled past defenders with speed, beat goalies with a wicked shot and celebrated enthusiastically.
He scored 52 times in 2005-06 to edge Sidney Crosby for rookie of the year. It was clear that a new goal-scoring threat had emerged.
Twenty years later, his style has changed, but his shot remains difficult to stop. He has racked up nine goal-scoring titles and passed Wayne Gretzky’s 894, a record once thought to be unbreakable.
He scored twice on Friday to tie the record and ripped a power-play goal shot past New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin on Sunday afternoon to stand alone as the NHL’s top goal scorer.
He scored in Game No. 1,487, the same number as Gretzky’s played. The goal was scored 21 years after the Capitals won
Here are Ovechkin’s milestone goals and other memorable ones:
First goal
Ovechkin ended up with two goals in his Oct. 5, 2005 NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was just what was needed with the league emerging from a canceled season.
Stunning the Coyotes
In case you didn’t think that a two-goal debut meant Ovechkin would have a special career, just check out this rookie year, highlight-reel goal on Jan. 16, 2006. Ovechkin appeared to be down and out, and he still managed to slide a no-look backhander past Phoenix Coyotes goalie Brian Boucher. Making the goal even more impressive: It was done in front of Gretzky, who was coaching the Coyotes at the time.
100th career goal
After getting 52 goals his first season and 46 his second, Ovechkin needed only two goals in his third campaign to hit the century mark. He did it in his fourth game of the season (Oct. 12, 2007), in typical Ovechkin fashion, with speed, a slick move and a quick shot.
Hitting the record books
On April 3, 2008, Ovechkin scored twice (his 64th and 65th goals of the season) to break Luc Robitaille’s season record for goals by a left wing.
200th career goal
Ovechkin took advantage on a turnover and ripped a shot past Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick in the third period of a 5-4 loss on Feb. 5, 2009.
Passing to himself
Not only did Ovechkin bank the puck off the boards to himself to get past one defender on Feb. 18, 2009, he was pulled down and still had the presence of mind to roof a one-handed shot past Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price.
Stick is on fire
Ovechkin was on fire, but he caught some flak for his celebration after he scored his 50th goal of the season on March 29, 2009. He pretended that his stick was too hot to pick up. He jokingly repeated the move in a later All-Star Game.
300th NHL goal
Goal 100 was past Henrik Lundqvist. No. 200 was past Quick. On No. 300, on April 15, 2011, he beat James Reimer. It was typical of many of his power-play goals, a rocket shot on a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. No matter how many teams know it’s coming, it’s hard to stop.
400th goal
Pretty easy. An empty netter against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 20, 2013. After all of the highlight-reel goals, it’s fine to have an occasional layup.
500th goal
Also scored from his office on Jan. 10, 2016, against the Ottawa Senators. The difference: This was a wrist shot. Just as lethal. His parents were in the stands and teammates poured onto the ice for the goal.
Seven goals in first two games
Ovechkin entered the 2017-18 season with 558 goals and got off to a swift start in the drive for 600 by getting a hat trick in Game 1 against the Senators and four goals in Game 2 against the Canadiens. He was the first player in 100 years to get hat tricks in his opening two games.
600th goal
Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck is the NHL’s best goalie nowadays, but Ovechkin has beaten him six times. This was the first time, on March 12, 2018, giving Ovechkin 600 goals in 990 career games.
700th goal
Ovechkin needed 154 games to go from 600 goals to 700, compared with Gretzky’s 169. He got No. 700 on Feb. 22, 2020 against the New Jersey Devils with a big shot from the right faceoff circle.
Moving into the top five
Ovechkin scored goal No. 732 on Oct. 13, 2021, against the New York Rangers, to pass Marcel Dionne for fifth place. Less than a month later, he scored No. 742 against the Blue Jackets to pass Brett Hull.
Power-play goal record
Ovechkin scored his 275th career power-play goal on Dec. 31, 2021 to pass Dave Andreychuk and did it in 400 fewer games.
“He’s a special player,’ Andreychuk told reporters in the leadup to the Ovechkin record. ‘We all have watched him over the years. Playing against him, he’s no different now than he was then. … For all of us now as hockey fans, he’s fun to watch.”
Passing Jaromir Jagr to move into third
Ovechkin scored his 767th career goal on March 15, 2022 to pass Jaromir Jagr for sole possession of third place on the goal list. He beat the New York Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov, who also gave up the goals on which Ovechkin passed 10th-place Mario Lemieux and sixth-place Phil Esposito.
800th goal
Ovechkin scored a hat trick on Dec. 13, 2022, to reach career goal No. 800. That left him one goal behind No. 2 overall scorer Gordie Howe.
Ties and passes Gordie Howe
Since early January 2020, Ovechkin had passed Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Mark Messier, Mike Gartner, Esposito, Dionne, Hull and Jagr. On Dec. 23, 2022, he tied and passed Howe for second best of all time.
Ovechkin ties Gretzky
Ovechkin scored his 40th season of the season about minutes into the April 4, 2025 game. He tied Gretzky in the third period with a power-play goal from the left faceoff circle.
Ovechkin passes Gretzky
Ovechkin scored the record-breaker on April 6, 2025 in a game at the Islanders. It on the power play and from near the left faceoff circle.
Ovechkin record on-ice ceremony
The game was halted so Ovechkin could be honored for his achievement. Gretzky, Ovechkin and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke.
Every goal Ovechkin ever scored
If you have plenty of time, here’s the video of every Ovechkin goal compiled by the Capitals.
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