Forward Alex Ovechkin became the leading scorer in Washington Capitals history with a first-period assist against the Calgary Flames at Verizon Center on Tuesday.
The assist on a goal by Nicklas Backstrom 10:18 into the period gave Ovechkin his 826th point, breaking a tie with Peter Bondra.
Ovechkin was playing his 691st NHL game, all with the Capitals; Bondra accumulated his points in 961 games.
| GOAL LEADERS, SINCE 2005-06 |
POINT LEADERS, SINCE 2005-06 |
||
| Alex Ovechkin | 428 | Alex Ovechkin | 826 |
| Jarome Iginla | 312 | Sidney Crosby | 787 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | 309 | Joe Thornton | 784 |
| Dany Heatley | 292 | Martin St. Louis | 730 |
| Patrick Marleau | 288 | Henrik Sedin | 709 |
"It has been a thrill to watch Alex play for the Capitals during his young, illustrious career," Bondra said in a statement. "He is an extremely talented player and I couldn’t be happier for him on achieving this great milestone. I extend to him my most sincere congratulations for passing my mark and becoming Washington’s franchise points leader. I wish him good luck in the rest of his career as he continues to rewrite the Capitals' history books."
Ovechkin is one of 10 active NHL players to hold a franchise scoring record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Four others hold the record for their current club: Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild, Patrik Elias of the New Jersey Devils, Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks, and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.
Ovechkin holds the Capitals record in power-play goals (154) and overtime goals (15). He ranks second in goals (428, 44 behind Bondra), game-winning goals (70, three behind Bondra) and assists (398, 20 behind Michal Pivonka).
"He’s an unbelievable player," Bondra said. "If you are not a hockey fan and you come just once in the building to watch the game, you’re going to say, ‘Who’s that, No. 8?' Just the way he plays is unbelievable. It was just a matter of time (to break the record), maybe weeks for him in this case, but I’m happy for him, really I am."
Ovechkin has six goals and seven assists this season.
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