Alex Ovechkin passes Sergei Fedorov as top scoring Russian

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin became the NHL's leader in career goals by a Russian-born player on Wednesday, scoring his 484th career goal in the third period against the Dallas Stars.

Ovechkin passed Sergei Fedorov, who scored 483 goals in 1,248 career NHL games.

"I would like to congratulate Alex on this achievement," said Fedorov. "What he has accomplished thus far in his career has been nothing short of remarkable. I had a great opportunity to play with Alex in Washington and have seen first-hand the respect, passion and enthusiasm he has not only for the game of hockey but for his country as well."

Ovechkin, 30, was selected by the Capitals in the first round, first overall, in the 2004 draft. He has 484 goals and 428 assists in 777 career NHL games, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach 900 career points on Oct. 20 at Calgary.

"Alex has meant a great deal to our organization and our community and it has been a pleasure to watch as he continues to rewrite the record books," said Capitals president Dick Patrick. "Alex is a proud Russian and this record means a great deal to him, especially knowing the respect and admiration he has for Sergei."

Since entering the NHL at the beginning of the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals, points (912), power-play goals (177), power-play points (357) and game-winning goals (81). He is the only player in the NHL to score 30 or more goals in each season since 2005-06 and his average of 0.624 goals per game is fourth in NHL history.