Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored the 800th goal of his career Tuesday night, becoming the third player in NHL history -- behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe -- to reach the milestone.

He also became the first to do it with a single franchise, and it came as part of a hat trick performance in a 7-3 victory over the Blackhawks in Chicago.

"This ... it's huge. It's huge for hockey, it's huge for the organization," a drained Ovechkin told his teammates in the locker room after the win. "And to do it with you guys, it's special."