NHL News, 2023 Winter Classic Overview, Ovechkin 800th Goal

The 2022-23 NHL season has been a rollercoaster of emotions, with several iconic moments seen throughout the season. We have listed our top five moments in the current NHL season. The ranking is from top to bottom, with the latest coming first. If you love the NHL, stay glued as we bring these interesting pieces. 

Alex Ovechkin Enters The 800 Club

Who else to make the headlines other than Alex Ovechkin? The Washington Capital veteran forward became the third player to hit the 800-goal mark in NHL history, and he did it in style. Superstar Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals reached 800 goals after scoring the 29th hat trick of his career.

Ovechkin, 37, scored twice in the opening frame and his 800th goal in the third to help the Redskins defeat the Blackhawks 7-3. There was no better scenery than seeing the Russian-born athlete holding three pucks to show his remarkable entrance into the 800 club. 

• Ovechkin jumped onto the ice one last time after it was over to thank the fans for their support. Above the tunnel to the opposing locker room, he offered his stick to a little fan wearing a Capitals jersey. It was indeed a beautiful moment.
• He was promptly doused with beer by his cheering teammates after reaching the back. Ovechkin was prodded into giving a speech in which he mentioned how great it was to achieve the milestone as a team.
• At the writing of this article, Ovechkin now has 806 career goals to his name, making him the second-highest NHL player in history. He is now on the path to overtaking the overall highest goal scorer in NHL history Wayne Gretzky with 894 goals. 

Jason Robertson Spectacular Sophomore Year

Robertson being only the second Filipino-American to ever play in the NHL or having a stellar rookie season is just the tip of the iceberg. The Dallas Stars forward developed into a genuine star, and for me, his hat trick in the Stars’ 5-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks cemented that status.

His first goal came at 4:13 of the first period; a bank shot from behind the net against Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, which put him the first player to reach 20 goals this season and extended his point streak to 17 games. In the second period, the second goal was scored during a power play.

After Robertson scored his third goal, on the power play, in a similar fashion to the second, at 1:23 of the third period, hats began to fall onto the American Airlines Center ice. It is evident that the forward was ready to embrace the superstar role.

Borje Salming Farewell 

On an emotional night, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed Borje Salming on the 11th of November, 2022. Borje Salming, the only Swedish Hall Of Famer in the history of the NHL, was present between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs at the Hall of Fame game.

We were informed that Borje Salming’s inability to express his emotions resulted from his courageous fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The 71-year-old was honored at the event. Salming raised his arm to gesture as the spectators stood, with assistance from legendary Maple Leaf Darryl Sittler.

Salming appeared to smile when Sittler and Mats Sundin, two more Toronto legends who also visibly moved, screeched their admiration for him. It served as both his and our method of saying goodbye to one another. After twelve days, Salming passed away.

Mikko Rantanen Dropped A Masterclass In Home Country

Mikko Rantanen was thrilled to play in Finland when the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets played two games in Tampere for the 2022 Global Series. But his experience far surpassed his greatest expectations. In the opening match at Nokia Arena, he not only won with a score of 6-3 but also contributed three goals and an assist.

Rantanen fired into an empty net to complete his hat trick with 1:04 left. Rantanen, born and raised less than 100 miles away, was serenaded by the sold-out audience when the hats were removed from the ice with a sing-song shout of his name.

Mitchell Marner Enters History Books

This season, Mitchell Marner set a record for the Maple Leafs with a 23-game point run that ended on December 15 in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers. The attacker played 23 games starting on October 27 and finished with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists). The previous Maple Leafs’ record of 18 games, set by Sittler in 1977–1978, was shattered by Marner’s streak.

The previous record for a player in the NHL was held by Patrick Kane, who scored in 26 consecutive games for the Blackhawks from October 17 to December 13, 2015. Marner joined Kane and Crosby as the third player currently playing with a point run of 23 or more games. 

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