In the home win over the Winnipeg Jets (4-1), Ovechkin, 37, passed one of hockey legends, Canadian Gordie Howe (who died in 2016), who ruled the league from 1946 to 1980.

The Russian only has before him the other Canadian Wayne Gretzky, who retired in 1999, who still sits at the top of the rankings with 894 goals.

"It's a very strong feeling, we have to continue and we'll see what happens," said the player with 1,310 NHL appearances, who is under contract with the Capitals until 2026.

Trained at Dynamo Moscow, Ovechkin was drafted in first position in 2004 by the Washington Capitals with which he spent his entire career in the NHL and to which he finally gave their first Stanley Cup title in 2018.

With Russia, he was three times world champion (2008, 2012, 2014), but could never reach the podium of the Olympic Games in three participations (2006, 2010, 2014).

© 2022 AFP