There are birds, there are planes, there's Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. And then there's Washington Capitals 2012 first round draft pick and now legend Tom Wilson. Tonight when the Capitals take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, Wilson will suit up for his 800th.
He was drafted with the 16th overall by Washington and played all of his games with them becoming the ninth player to play in 800 games with the Capitals. Among players to debut with the team, Wilson will be the third youngest player to reach the 800 game mark.
Wilson ranks third on the Capitals in games played since making his NHL regular season debut on Oct. 1, 2013, just behind Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. He ranks ninth in franchise history in games played and is 27 games shy of passing Michal Pivonka (825) for the eighth mos games played with the Capitals.
Wilson will be the third player from the 2012 NHL Draft to reach the 800 game mark, joining Morgan Riley and Cody Ceci. Among his draft class, Wilson ranks tied for third in goals with 165 and sixth in points with 363. He had his 19th goal of the sason on Jan. 11 at Nashville.
Wilson's goal came on the power play which marked his team leading ninth power play goal of the season. Wilson's nine power play goals are tied for the fifth most in the NHL. Wilson is one goal shy of his fourth career 20 goal season.
With 33 points in 45 games this season with 19 goals and 14 assists in 45 games, Wilson is on pace for 34 goals and 60 points this season, both of which would mark career highs. He is also on pace to set a career low in penalty minutes a full 82 game season. His current pace is 80 penalty minutes.
Wilson also leads the Capitals and ranks 18th in the NHL in hits with 133. He is one of two players in the NHl with 15 plus goals and 125 plus hits. The other one is Brady Tkachuk who's got 18 goals and 155 hits.
Logan Thompson will get the net when the Capitals host the Penguins in what will be a big sports night for the city. Will the trifecta hit? Will Alex Ovechkin or Tom Wilson score? Will the Commanders win? Will the Caps win? Maybe. All we know is Tom Wilson gets a pat on the back no matter the Caps game result tonight for a job well done throughout his storied career. You can catch the game at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network.