At some point in the second half of 2019-20 season we’re going to see NHL history.
The man who will be making history is Alex Ovechkin, who moved to within 14 goals of 700 for his career with a pair Monday night. During the Capitals’ 2-0 win over the Hurricanes, Ovi scored goals Nos. 685 and 686 of his career.
The multi-goal game is the 139th of Ovechkin’s career, which ties him with Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne for the fifth-most in NHL history.
Hitting 686 moved Ovechkin ahead of Teemu Selanne -- who Tweeted out a congratulatory message -- and into 11th place on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Next in his sights is Mario Lemieux’s 690.
Whenever Ovechkin hits 700 goals he’ll become only the eighth player in league history to reach the mark.
Alex Ovechkin is now just 14 goals shy of becoming the eighth member of the NHL’s elite 700-goal club. Only three Hall of Famers stand in his way. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/iwJ6mIorMQ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 14, 2020
It took Ovechkin just 142 games to go from goal No. 600 to goal No. 686 which, per the NHL, matches Wayne Gretzky for the fewest games to achieve that.
If you’re wondering, the closest active player to Ovechkin’s 686 is Patrick Marleau, who is at 559 goals scored for his career.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.