900!! It's here! It finally happened!
Now, Alex Ovechkin not only holds the record for all time highest goal-scorer in the the NHL, but also, is the first to ever reach 900 career goals. In 20 seasons and change, he's done what has never been done before, and some thought unattainable. Again.
The record and the celebration are well and good, but everything about this goal - these 10 seconds of "we were waiting for it and somehow we still never saw this coming" - are the real story.
The Goal
The goal itself was stunning. 895 did the job and we were very excited, but I wouldn't call it pretty. Goal 900 was a beautiful pirouette, no-look, back handed thing of beauty, the likes of which Ovi himself admitted had only ever been done before in practice with Logan Thompson.
We also had the good fortune for this milestone to happen at home, and with his family in attendance. In the locker room afterwards Ovechkin did express his regret that Dylan Strome didn't get the assist on this one, that he has on so many of the goals leading up to 900. He offered up an apple on 901 in Pittsburgh as a consolation.
The Aftermath
The captain's goal marked the 2nd in the game against the St. Louis Blues, 2:39 into the second period. I'm going to say that while every professional hockey player recognizes this moment and this accomplishment as something worthy of being celebrated, not a single NHL goalie wanted to be the one with their name listed on this particular piece of front page news. Of that exclusive club, I'd still have guessed Jordan Binnington would be rather grumpy about it.
And yet, nothing could have prepared me, and evidently the referee, for the Blues netminder and Four Nations notable to immediately scoop up the puck that had just become a piece of history from the back of the net, skate to the glass opposite the celebrating Capitals who had streamed off of the bench, and stuff the biscuit into the back of his hockey pants.
I don't know what in the big feelings was going through his mind, but it was enough to allow a further 2 goals in the second before being pulled and replaced by St. Louis back up Joel Hofer, who proceeded to allow another two goals from Beauvillier and Wilson for a 6-1 finish.
People are already thinking about a countdown to 1000, but I for one would love for this to turn into something better resembling a Cup season. All the right pieces are on the board if the Caps can refocus from filling Ovi's goal thermometer to playing as a whole team bringing their best to pick up points like Binnington does record setting pucks that don't belong to him.
I really hope someone washed it.