Capitals Captain Ovechkin Named NHL’s First Star Of December After Historic Month

ARLINGTON, V.A. — After being named the first star of the week two times last month, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has been named the NHL's first star for the month of December.

Behind Ovechkin, Connor McDavid and Tage Thompson earned second and third-star honors.

Ovechkin hit numerous historic milestones in December, finishing the month with 13 goals and nine assists through 15 games and recording points in 11 of those 15 matchups. He hit the 800-goal mark on Dec. 13 and passed Gordie Howe for second on the NHL's all-time goals list on Dec. 23. The 37-year-old also had two hat tricks and now has 30 total in his career, which moved him past Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull for the six-most in NHL history. Not only that, but Ovechkin also passed Ray Bourque for the most shots in NHL history.

"You never thought it's going to happen when you came into the league, you're going to beat any Gordie Howe record or any Wayne Gretzky record or any record," Ovechkin said. "You felt like, 'Okay, maybe you're going to play in the NHL, you're going to be good and you're going to try to do your best.' But the whole situation happening right now it's a miracle. It's pretty special.

READ MORE ON WHN: Alex Ovechkin's Hat Trick Powers Washington Capitals To 9-2 Win Over Montreal Canadiens

"Who knows who's going to score 800 goals next time?" he added later. "I hope someone. And I'm lucky enough to be able to stay healthy and be able to score so many goals. I want to say, first of all, thank you to all my teammates who play, coaches for the trust, for the opportunity, too, to be able to be out there in different situations. Without them, I would never reach those milestones and reach those numbers."

The Russian is tied for third in the league in goals and also leads Washington with 45 points through 39 games. He is on pace for 54 goals, which would move him past Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history. If he hits 40 goals, he will also hold the record for the most 40-goal seasons in the history of the Show.

"It's an incredible honor… when I signed with Washington, getting the chance to play with Alex Ovechkin, I thought that was the coolest thing in the world," Charlie Lindgren said. "To come here and see the kind of guy he is, he's so easy to talk to. He's just a really happy-go-lucky guy. Everyone just loves him."