Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. If you’re a fan of the movie Hoosiers, you’ll love our latest Stadium Wonders video on Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.
In today’s SI:AM:
🏈 NFL mid-season picks
🏀 Ohio’s best since LeBron?
⚾ World Series lessons
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900 for the Great 8
Alex Ovechkin is already the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer. Now he’s just running up the score.
Ovechkin buried a backhand early in the second period of the Capitals’ game against the Blues on Wednesday night to become the first player in NHL history to score 900 career goals.
Ovechkin set the NHL career goals record late last season, scoring his 895th on April 6 to surpass the previous mark set by Wayne Gretzky. It was obviously an impressive achievement, but it was made even more incredible because Ovechkin broke the record in the midst of the greatest season any player his age had ever had. Ovechkin scored another two goals in the Caps’ final four regular-season games after breaking the record to finish the season with 44 (tied for third in the league, despite only playing 65 games) and give him 897 for his career.
That set the stage for another milestone watch as this season began. After Ovechkin scored No. 899 on Oct. 24, the anticipation ratcheted up. When the moment finally arrived on Wednesday, St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington managed to make it a bit awkward.
Ovechkin’s teammates mobbed him after the puck hit the back of the net and, in the middle of the celebration, Binnington scooped up the puck and slipped it into his pants. The linesman spotted Binnington’s shenanigans, approached the goalie for a quick conversation and retrieved the puck.
BINNINGTON TRIED TO STEAL THE 900TH GOAL PUCK 😭 pic.twitter.com/cOPqSOLSRn
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 6, 2025
Binnington allowed another goal two minutes later and was pulled from the game. He did not speak with the media after the game ended. Binnington has a reputation for being a pesky player, but it’s not clear what the intention behind the stunt was. Did he really want to keep the historic puck, or was he just trying to get under the Capitals’ skin? It would have been hard for the missing puck to go unnoticed in the middle of the period. This isn’t like Doug Mientkiewicz pocketing the ball from the final out of the Red Sox’ 2004 World Series win.
Ovechkin said he was aware of Binnington’s actions but declined to share his thoughts on the matter.
“Yeah, I just saw it. I’m not going to comment,” Ovechkin said with a chuckle.
Binnington’s counterpart, Washington goalie Logan Thompson, also took a humorous approach to giving Binnington the benefit of the doubt.
“I was just so happy that ‘O’ got it,” Thompson said. “Don’t know, maybe he was trying to grab it to give it to him. Who knows?”
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Back in April, I went to one of the most famous venues in college basketball, Hinkle Fieldhouse, for our Stadium Wonders video series. You can watch the incredible behind-the-scenes tour on our YouTube channel and read my accompanying article for a little more background on what makes Hinkle so special.
- Halfway through the season, our NFL team examines the biggest surprises, which trends are real and who they now expect to reach Super Bowl LX.
- A long-anticipated showdown headlines Gilberto Manzano’s ranking of the top 15 games left on the 2025 NFL schedule, with the Eagles, Bills and Chiefs featured throughout.
- Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson’s rise from Canton gyms to national stardom has scouts wondering if he is the best talent to come out of Ohio since LeBron James, Kevin Sweeney writes.
- After a record-breaking season, Kansas City’s dominance has raised a big question: Are the 2025 Current the best team in NWSL history? Theo Lloyd-Hughes explores the case.
- From October strategy to superstar moments, Tom Verducci shares eight takeaways from a World Series we won’t soon forget.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. Kyshawn George’s disbelief when Jaylen Brown’s “hair” rubbed off on his shirt.
4. A goal for Flames veteran Nazem Kadri in his 1,000th career game.
3. Russell Westbrook’s lockdown defense to seal the Kings’ win over the Warriors. Westbrook had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for the 204th triple-double of his career. He also surpassed Jason Kidd for the most rebounds all-time by a guard (8,734).
2. This play by Victor Wembanyama, where he began with the ball in the corner behind the three-point line, took one dribble and then dunked it.
1. A powerful dunk by Cooper Flagg on a lob from Naji Marshall.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Awkward Situation as Goalie Tries to Steal Alex Ovechkin’s Historic Puck.
