Ovechkin hits 929th

Alex Ovechkin left Pittsburgh with career goal No. 929, scoring into an empty net in Washington’s 6-3 win on April 11 as Penguins fans stood and cheered. (espn.com, nhl.com) The goal was Ovechkin’s 32nd of the season and came at 16:22 of the third period at PPG Paints Arena, with Tom Wilson credited with the assist. Washington got two goals from Ryan Leonard and a goal plus two assists from rookie Ilya Protas. (espn.com, russianmachineneverbreaks.com) The ovation came during a second-period television timeout after Pittsburgh played a video tribute to Ovechkin and his long rivalry with Sidney Crosby. Penguins players on the bench joined the applause as Ovechkin waved to the crowd. (nhl.com, espn.com) The scene carried extra weight because Ovechkin said on April 8 that he will wait until the offseason to decide whether he will play in 2026-27. He is 40 and in the final season of a five-year, $47.5 million contract with the Capitals. (nhl.com, nytimes.com) Pittsburgh and Washington have spent two decades tied to the Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry, but the expected 100th head-to-head meeting did not happen Saturday. The Penguins sat Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and several other regulars after clinching a playoff berth and first-round home ice. (newsday.com, sportsnet.ca, tsn.ca) Ovechkin already changed the record book a year ago, when he scored his 895th goal on April 6, 2025 to pass Wayne Gretzky for the most regular-season goals in National Hockey League history. He reached 900 in November 2025 and has added 29 more since. (nbcsportsboston.com, espn.com) The Capitals and Penguins meet again on April 12 in Washington, so Saturday may not have been the last game of the rivalry. It may have been Ovechkin’s last trip to Pittsburgh, though, and the building that used to boo him sent him off on its feet. (nhl.com, post-gazette.com)