NHL: Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs
USATSI

Alex Ovechkin added another notch to his Hall of Fame belt with his 700th career goal on Saturday. The historic tally came in the third period of the Washington Capitals game against the New Jersey Devils, and tied the game at 2-2. Ovi scored No. 700 on a one-timer in from near the right face-off dot, as he pinged the puck off a post before it ricocheted past Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. 

The entire Caps team joined No. 8 for the celebration on the ice -- a celebration that only seven NHL players have had before. Take a look (and listen):

No.8 becomes the eighth player in NHL history to reach 700 career goals, joining an exclusive list that looks like this:

  • Wayne Gretzky (894)
  • Gordie Howe (801)
  • Jaromir Jagr (766)
  • Brett Hull (741)
  • Marcel Dionne (731)
  • Phil Esposito (717)
  • Mike Gartner (708)
  • Ovechkin (700)

In addition to becoming the eighth player to join the 700 club, Ovechkin is also the second-fastest to do so.

Ovechkin, 34, is in his 15th NHL season and doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. He's projecting to finish this season with 56 goals, which would match the second-largest output of his career. This season marks the third straight year in which he's hit the 40-goal mark, his 11th time accomplishing that feat. He's also won the Rocket Richard as the league's leading goal-scorer eight separate times and has taken home the Hart Trophy as league MVP three times. 

Here's what the latest member of the 700-goal club had to say about his accomplishment following Saturday's game.

With No. 700 out of the way, attention will now shift to Ovechkin's climb up the all-time list and the debate over whether he can eventually catch Gretzky at the top. Once upon a time, it seemed silly to even consider the chances of anybody catching The Great One, but there's good reason to believe that Ovechkin could eventually knock No. 99 off the throne.