Ovechkin notches 700th goal, and teammates enjoying view

Wilson among Caps who marvel at run to milestone

Tom Wilson is enjoying his front-row seat to history.

The Washington Capitals right wing has watched for seven seasons as teammate and linemate Alexander Ovechkin has climbed the

NHL’s all-time leaderboards. He’s observed Ovechkin’s goal-scoring prowess. And he doesn’t want the show to stop anytime soon.

Ovechkin became the eighth player in NHL history to score 700 goals Saturday in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Wilson and the rest of the Capitals had been giddy with anticipation, but they don’t want the celebrations to end there.

Surpassing Wayne Gretzky and his 894 goals was long thought to be an impossibility. Ovechkin is shattering that notion.

“He’s a player of a lifetime,” Wilson said. “I think it’s exciting for everyone around the game to watch what he’s doing. I don’t think anyone ever would have thought in today’s era there would be that many goals scored. He’s one of a kind, for sure. That’s really the only way to put it.”

It’s taken a special player to put Gretzky’s record in sight. Not just because “The Great One” was so dominant — he led the league in points 10 times — but because of the era he played in. From 197999, when Gretzky played, teams averaged 3.34 goals.

During Ovechkin’s career, which started in 2005, teams

have averaged 2.85 goals. The fact that he’s been so otherworldly in a low-scoring era is a testament to his excellence.

Ovechkin has eight 50goal seasons, one fewer than Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the all-time record, and could record his ninth this year (he has 42).

Markups

It’s a good year to be a seller.

The NHL’s trade deadline will pass Monday, but already the demand for additions seems to be outpacing supply. That’s thanks to parity, as just eight teams

were six or more points out of a wild-card spot entering Sunday.

More teams in the mix means fewer teams are ready to sell off. And those that are have extracted a pretty penny from desperate would-be contenders.

Consider that the Buffalo Sabres traded defenseman Marco Scandella, a pending free agent, to the Montreal Canadiens in January for a fourth-round pick. A month later, Scandella, who is now under contract for fewer games, fetched a second- and conditional fourth-round pick from the St. Louis Blues.