Alex Ovechkin became the 11th player to reach 1,600 career NHL points with an empty-net goal in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday (March 10). While the goal inches him closer to the NHL regular season goal-scoring record in “The Gr8 Chase”, Ovechkin joins an elite list populated by NHL Hall of Famers and one active member of the hockey community with the 1,600-point milestone.
Ovechkin Joins Crosby on List in the 2024-25 Season
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby had his name added to the VIP list in a mid-October 6-5 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Pittsburgh’s captain reached the milestone with a secondary assist on a Bryan Rust first-period goal. “I think it’s just an honor to be part of that group,” Crosby told NHL.com. “To be honest, I don’t think about it a whole lot. Hopefully, there’s a lot of time to reflect after the fact. But it’s just a huge honor to be in that group of guys.”
Ovechkin took a similar route in his postgame interview session on Sunday. Washington’s superstar did not speak about himself or his accomplishments during the 60-second meeting with the media. Washington’s winger joins the list of NHL legends with the highest goal total (886) of any player to reach 1,600 NHL points. “Mr Hockey” Gordie Howe moves into second place with 694 goals to reach the 1,600-point plateau.
11 Members in the Exclusive 1,600 NHL Points List
Wayne Gretzky headlines the NHL career points leaderboard with his 2,857 points, including the regular-season goal record total that Ovechkin is pursuing this season. Gretzky scored 894 goals over 1,487 games, while Ovechkin has 886 goals in 1,474 games (and counting). The dynamic forwards have scored at an equal goals-per-game (G/GP) scoring rate in their careers at 0.60 G/GP. Ovechkin’s 0.69 G/GP in 2024-25 has him projected to break Gretzky’s record near the end of the 2024-25 season.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 33rd goal of the season and the 886th of his career to move within nine goals of passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. pic.twitter.com/2TPeDRlfB1
— Capitals PR (@CapitalsPR) March 9, 2025
Jaromir Jagr (1,921 points) is second on the all-time NHL points list followed by Mark Messier (1,887), Howe (1,850), Ron Francis (1,798), Marcel Dionne (1,771), Steve Yzerman (1,771), Mario Lemieux (1,723), Crosby (1,664), Joe Sakic (1,641), and Ovechkin (1,600).
7 Members Topped 1,600 Points with One Franchise
Seven of the 11 members of the 1,600 NHL points list completed the milestone with one franchise. Howe’s 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings tops that group with 1,809 points for a single NHL hockey club. Howe totaled 786 goals and 1,023 assists for Detroit between 1946 and 1970. Yzerman totaled 1,755 points for the same franchise over a 22-year period between 1983 and 2006.
Related: Crosby Becomes 10th Player in NHL History to Reach 1,600 Points
Pittsburgh can also claim a pair of franchise ironmen in Lemieux and Crosby. Lemieux scored 690 goals and 1,723 points for the Penguins over a 17-year career. Crosby’s stats are still accruing as he skates in his 20th NHL season. Pittsburgh’s star has 21 goals and 68 points in 64 games this season. Crosby has 613 goals, 1,051 assists, and 1,336 points in his career, with 16 games remaining on Pittsburgh’s 2024-25 schedule.
Gretzky played 1,669 games before that streak came to a screeching halt due to his 1988 trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. Colorado’s current president of hockey ops, Joe Sakic, skated in 1,641 games for the Avalanche before hanging up the skates. The closest active player to 1,600 NHL points is Evgeni Malkin, a teammate of Crosby’s with the Penguins. The Russian forward has 511 goals and 827 assists for 1,338 points in 1,201 games for Pittsburgh over 19 NHL seasons.
