On Wednesday night, Nov. 6, 2025, Alex Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to score 900 goals during the Washington Capitals’ 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Ovechkin’s milestone came three minutes into the second period on a backhanded shot that beat Blues goalie Jordan Binnington. As Capitals players celebrated on the ice, Binnington removed the puck from the net and briefly put it into his pants before a linesman intervened and took possession. The exchange was captured on TNT cameras and shown to the national television audience.
Key takeaways
- Alex Ovechkin scored his 900th NHL goal on Nov. 6, 2025, three minutes into the second period with a backhand that beat Jordan Binnington.
- The Washington Capitals beat the St. Louis Blues 6-1; the goal stood as the game-winner and was Ovechkin’s 138th career game-winning goal (an NHL record).
- After the puck entered the net, Blues goalie Jordan Binnington retrieved it and briefly put it in his pants; TNT cameras recorded the action.
- NHL linesman Michel Cormier approached Binnington, spoke with him and ultimately took the puck from him; the piece of history is expected to enter official provenance.
- Binnington was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots and was replaced by Joel Hofer during the game.
- Capitals goalie Logan Thompson said he did not see the exchange and offered Binnington the benefit of the doubt; Ovechkin declined to comment on the incident.
- The incident prompted wide attention on social platforms and raises questions about puck-handling norms around major milestones.
Background
Ovechkin entered the 2025 season already established as one of the NHL’s most prolific scorers, and the race toward 900 goals had been tracked by fans and media for months. The milestone is historically significant: before Ovechkin, Wayne Gretzky finished his career with 894 goals and remained the long-standing benchmark. Teams and leagues treat milestone pucks as artifacts; they often end up in museums, halls of fame or in curated team collections with documented provenance.
Jordan Binnington, the Blues’ starting goaltender that night, has been a regular presence in St. Louis since his 2018 breakout. Goaltenders have a complex relationship with pucks that mark notable events — some collect them, others hand them off to officials or opponents as a gesture. NHL protocol usually places historic game pucks into the league’s or team’s custody for verification and archiving, especially when a milestone has league-wide significance.
Main event
The goal occurred early in the second period when Ovechkin skated in and executed a backhand finish past Binnington. Capitals players swarmed their captain on the ice, celebrating the unprecedented number. Cameras focused on the crease in the follow-up moments and showed Binnington fishing the puck out of the net and briefly tucking it into his pants as he skated away from the crease.
Michel Cormier, the NHL linesman working the game, noticed the exchange and skated toward Binnington. Video shows the two men speaking for a short time; Cormier then left the crease with the puck in hand. Team and league personnel later confirmed the puck was removed from play and will be retained for record-keeping and likely archival display.
On the same night Binnington was removed after surrendering four goals on 15 shots, Joel Hofer entered as his replacement. Capitals goalie Logan Thompson, who was in net for Washington, told reporters he hadn’t seen Binnington’s actions but assumed there was a non-malicious explanation, while Ovechkin declined to offer a public comment on the episode.
Analysis & implications
The incident raises questions about informal norms and formal procedures surrounding milestone pucks. Informally, players sometimes exchange, gift, or pocket memorable pucks; formally, the league and teams prioritize documented custody so milestones can be verified and preserved. When cameras show a player or opponent handling a milestone puck, teams and the league act quickly to secure the object and the chain of custody.
For Binnington the episode is likely a minor reputational flashpoint rather than a disciplinary issue. He returned the puck after speaking with an on-ice official, and there is no immediate indication of a league complaint or sanction. Still, the optics can matter: rivals, fans and social media amplify brief moments, and clubs may review internal procedures with their players about handling historic game items.
For the NHL and the Capitals, the primary effect is archival and promotional. Ovechkin’s 900th goal is a marketable milestone for the league, the team and the Hockey Hall of Fame; securing authentic provenance helps preserve commercial and historical value. The league will likely catalogue the puck with supporting documentation, video and official scorer logs to ensure a transparent record.
Comparison & data
| Player | Career goals (NHL) |
|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | 900 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 894 |
| Gordie Howe | 801 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 766 |
The table places Ovechkin’s 900 goals in historical context. Ovechkin now stands first on the all-time NHL goal list; the closest previous benchmark was Wayne Gretzky’s 894. These totals underscore the rarity of reaching even the 800–900 range among NHL careers.
Reactions & quotes
Teammates, opponents and viewers reacted quickly after the play, with social platforms circulating the TV footage.
“I was just so happy ‘O’ got it. I don’t know, maybe he was trying to grab it to give it to him. Who knows?”
Logan Thompson, Capitals goalie
Thompson’s remark framed the exchange as ambiguous and offered Binnington the benefit of the doubt in postgame comments. The Capitals’ locker-room response prioritized the milestone and the team win over the momentary peculiarity of the puck exchange.
“I’m not gonna comment.”
Alex Ovechkin (via postgame interaction)
Ovechkin laughed when asked and declined to elaborate, signaling that his focus remained on the achievement rather than the surrounding theatrics. Media accounts and social posts then amplified the clip and the brief back-and-forth between Binnington and Cormier.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Binnington intended to permanently keep the puck as a personal souvenir remains unclear; video shows a brief attempt but the linesman ultimately took the puck.
- That the puck will be donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame is likely but not yet formally confirmed by league or Hall officials at the time of reporting.
Bottom line
Alex Ovechkin’s 900th goal on Nov. 6, 2025, is a defining NHL milestone and will be catalogued as such; the brief incident with Jordan Binnington drew attention because it was captured on national television. The league’s procedures for securing historic pucks appear to have worked: an on-ice official intervened and the object was removed from play for preservation.
For players and teams, the episode is a reminder of how quickly small actions are replayed and interpreted in the digital era. Going forward, the focus for the Capitals and the NHL will be on celebrating the record, ensuring the puck’s provenance is documented, and managing any internal guidance about handling milestone artifacts.
Sources
- The New York Times (media report)
- NHL.com (official league site)
- Hockey Hall of Fame (institutional archive)
- FanDuel (Twitter) (social media post capturing clip)
- Sammi Silber (Twitter) (journalist tweet with player reaction)