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Alex Ovechkin Sets NHL Record for Goals Scored by a Russian

Alexander Ovechkin notched the 484th goal of his career to pass Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov for the most at the NHL level by a Russian player.

Move over, Sergei Fedorov.

Alexander Ovechkin broke out of a mini-slump to pass Fedorov for the most goals scored at the NHL level by a Russian player on Thursday night. The Washington Capitals superstar netted his ninth goal of the season and the 484th of his career against Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars to tie the game 2-2 in the third period.

Even more incredible than Ovechkin's record-breaking goal is the amount of games it took him to reach that total. Ovechkin needed 777 games to pass Fedorov, the Hall of Famer who notched 483 goals in 1248 contests. It's a huge accomplishment for Ovechkin, especially considering the rich history of Russian stars who have excelled at the NHL level, including Alexander Mogilny (473 goals), Pavel Bure (437) and Alexei Kovalev (430).

The next milestone on Ovechkin's radar is the 500-career goal mark. With 16 more goals this season, the Capitals' sniper would become the 43rd player in NHL history to reach the mark. At 30 years old, and coming off back-to-back 50-plus goal seasons, it's going to be fun to watch Ovechkin climb up the all-time leaderboard. Only 18 players have scored 600-plus goals, while just seven have notched at least 700. Gordie Howe (801) and all-time leading goal scorer Wayne Gretzky (894) are the lone two players to eclipse 800.

Ovechkin should notch his 1000th career point next season, too, which would make him the fourth Russian to accomplish the feat—82 players have reached the milestone in NHL history. San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau is one point away from joining the club.