Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin passes Brett Hull for fourth place in all-time NHL goals

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin began his spectacular career against the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring two goals in his NHL debut in October 2005.

More than 16 years later, he achieved another milestone against the Blue Jackets, firing a quick wrist shot past Joonas Korpisalo on Friday night for his 742nd career goal to pass Hall of Famer Brett Hull for sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list.

Ovechkin's strike from the top of the left faceoff circle, after a nice backhand feed from countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov, tied the game 1-1 at 10:19 of the first period.

“It’s means a lot,” Ovechkin said of reaching fourth all-time after the Capitals' 4-3 win. “When you start playing hockey, and you came to the NHL, you never thought you’d be in that position with those names. It’s a special moment for me, my parents, my brother, my wife, kids.”

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Ovechkin had tied Hull on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, a game in which he recorded his 600th career assist.

Ovechkin, who signed a five-year deal in the offseason, is surging this season. He has 12 goals in 14 games after being limited to a career-low 24 in the shortened 2021 season. He missed 11 games last season because of COVID-19 protocol and injuries and fell short of the 30-goal plateau for the first time. 

But he passed fifth-place Marcel Dionne (731) with two goals in the 2021-22 season opener and has been held without a point in only two games. 

He has a good chance to pass Jaromir Jagr (766) this season. Next after that is Gordie Howe at 801 at No. 2. 

Ovechkin is pursuing Wayne Gretzky’s record 894 goals, a mark that was once thought to be unbreakable.  

Contributing: Associated Press