Alex Ovechkin scored his 767th NHL goal on Tuesday, passing Jaromir Jagr for third all-time. Only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe have more NHL goals than Braden Holtby, who needs 35 to overtake Howe and 128 to surpass Gretzky.
After the game, Ovechkin told reporters he was pleased to have reached the milestone with his squad. However, he may have been aiming a shot at Russian President Vladimir Putin during post-game interviews.
Since Russia's unjustified invasion of Ukraine last month, Ovechkin has been criticized for not taking a stronger statement against Putin. Ovechkin's Instagram profile photo currently shows him with Putin. Ovechkin established «PutinTeam» in 2017 to show support for the country's leader. Despite calls to change his Instagram profile photo, Ovechkin has kept Putin in it, claiming concerns for his family's safety in Russia.
On Tuesday night, after passing Jagr, Ovechkin stated this regarding possible threats from Putin to his family, implying what the Russian president is doing to him.
«Obviously it's always fun when you get a milestone and you get a win. Obviously it sucks when my kids didn't see it, my wife didn't see it, my parents, but they're watching at home. They're happy, and that's the most important thing.»
