Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday moved up to sixth place on the NHL’s all-time goalscoring list as he netted his 718th career goal in a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders.
The 35-year-old Russian ace passed Phil Esposito in the scoring rankings after bagging his 12th goal of the season on a power play with 4 minutes, 36 seconds left in the second period.
Ovechkin’s 718th career goal came in his 1,177th regular season game for the Capitals, with whom he has spent most of his career since being recruited by the club as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft.
Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY
“It’s history. It’s pretty good numbers and happy to be in that category,” Ovechkin was quoted as saying by the Washington Post. “It’s done.”
Only five players stand ahead of Ovechkin in the rankings — Marcel Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741), Jaromir Jagr (766), Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894).
A message of congratulations from Esposito was played on a video screen at the Capital One Arena on Tuesday to mark Ovechkin’s scoring milestone.
“You are a fantastic hockey player and I don’t know how you score all those goals with the way these guys block shots with the great equipment that they wear,” Esposito said. “Good luck. Keep it going.”
Also on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Avalanche 8, Ducks 4
‧ Lightning 4, Stars 3
‧ Wild 3, Coyotes 0
‧ Red Wings 4, Hurricanes 2
‧ Devils 3, Sabres 2
‧ Bruins 2, Penguins 1
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping