Alex Ovechkin became the charter member of the NHL’s 900-goal club on Wednesday, reaching the milestone during the Washington Capitals’ 6-1 victory against the St. Louis Blues.

Ovechkin, 40, who is already the NHL’s all-time goal scorer, became the first player to notch No. 900 in the regular season when he scored against goalie Jordan Binnington 2:39 into the second period at Capital One Arena.

Below the right circle, Ovechkin collected a puck that had been shot wide by Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun. The star forward took the puck on his forehand, turned it over to his backhand and sent it whistling past Binnington into the net.

Ovechkin raised his arms skyward and was then mobbed by his teammates.

“I think a couple a days ago somebody asked me about, ‘Do you think about it?’ Of course. It’s a huge number,” Ovechkin said at a postgame news conference. “No one ever did it in NHL history and to be the first player ever to do it, it’s a special moment. So, yeah, it’s nice it’s over, and it’s nice to get it in a homestand, at home, so the fans and family can be here.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

A replay of the goal televised by TNT appeared to show Binnington trying to hide the historic puck in his pants. Linesperson Michel Cormier recovered the puck.

Twenty-two of Ovechkin’s career goals have been scored against the Blues, with Binnington victimized four times.

Only two other players have scored at least 800 regular-season goals: Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801). Ovechkin passed Gretzky late last season, scoring against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. He only needed three goals this season to reach 900.

Ovechkin has scored at least 40 goals in 14 of his 21 seasons. He has also scored 77 goals in the postseason.

Counting the regular season and postseason, Ovechkin’s 977 goals are second only behind Gretzky’s 1,016.

Will Ovechkin, who is in the final year of his contract, come back and try to reach 1,000 goals? The Capitals star focused on the present.

“I’m still playing, but when I’m going to be done playing, of course, I’m going to think about it,” Ovechkin told reporters. “And lots of guys on the bench said, ‘900. That’s pretty special.’ But I’m still playing, still have lots of games left, so we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

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