Following a beautiful tribute to the late NBA superstar Kobe Bryant during warm-ups, Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin took the ice Wednesday night against the Predators looking to make history.
For Kobe.
For Gianna.
For all who tragically perished.
Tonight we honor and remember the lives lost. pic.twitter.com/rrHw34pxAA— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 30, 2020
He would do exactly that.
With roughly 3:30 left to play in the first period, with the Capitals down 3-1, Ovi would capitalize on a bad bounce to the side of Nashville's net, burying his 693rd career goal, and bringing the Caps within 1.
The goal, his 35th of the season, would effectively move Ovechkin up the NHL all-time goals list, surpassing Red Wings legend and general manager Steve Yzerman, making him 9th all-time in NHL history.
Ovechkin is now just 2 goals shy of tying and surpassing NHL legend Mark Messier (694) for 8th all-time. With more 20 games left to play in the regular season, it can be strongly anticipated we'll see The Great 8 climb the ladder yet again before the season ends.
Following the goal and surpassing of Yzerman, the Red Wings GM reached out to congratulate Ovi via video.
See the goal and video here;
9. Alex Ovechkin (693)
10. Steve Yzerman (692)
Keep climbing @Ovi8!! 🚨
And now a message from Mr. Yzerman 🗣#ALLCAPS #Gr8 pic.twitter.com/HvVB9BSwzH— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 30, 2020
