Rare Air For Great Eight

In the game of hockey, goal scoring is essential. You do it once, you got skill. You do it 800 times, that's a feet that three men have ever hit. Wayne Gretzky and Gordie How now have company as Alexander Ovechkin joins that exclusive brotherhood. It had been a hot streak for Ovechkin, who had scored goals in four straight games to reach the milestone.

What Ovechkin has done is nothing short of incredible.

There's no stopping him when he's on his game. Ovechkin has had a unique ability in his career to be able to find the back of the net in new and exciting ways. he makes the highlight films and he does it so easy. Since he's joined the league in 2006, in every full year that he has had, Ovechkin has scored 32 or more goals, he's gone over 60 goals once, eight more of 50 or more goals and three more seasons of 40 or more, the rest have been 30 or more. There are times watching the great eight, where he looks like more then a man.

Gretzky is going to have some company soon in the close to 900 goal club and Ovechkin is the guy to do it. Now don't get it wrong, there have been great goal scorers in this game. Jaromir Jagr looked like he might have had an outside shot at it, but didn't really come close. Brett Hull same thing when he was on top of his game in the early 90s.

With current skaters, Crosby could have come close to 600 had he managed to stay healthy, same thing with Steven Stamkos. Nobody else right now really looks like, at least on paper and based on past performances, that they will come close to doing what Ovechkin has done.

Ovechkin has been the face of the Capitals and one of the faces of the entire league since he burst onto the scene. He's been one of the most steady scorers that this game has ever seen and he's played at such a high level.

Next up to catch, #99