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As Ovechkin nears the NHL goals record, the hockey world leans in to savor the moment

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As Ovechkin nears the NHL goals record, the hockey world leans in to savor the moment

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. He’s now in his 20th season in the NHL.

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WASHINGTON — Step into Washington’s Capital One Arena, and the number 895 pervades every curve of the concourse — there’s even a stack of exactly that many pucks, topped by a goal horn waiting for a certain historic moment to blare.

It’s the magic number in hockey this spring: the number of career goals it will take for Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin to break one of the most significant records in National Hockey League history.

When the sport’s all-time great, Wayne Gretzky, retired in 1999, he left the NHL having scored 894 goals in his regular-season career, 93 more than any player before him. To many, Gretzky’s record seemed like it might never be broken.

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The crowd of spectators, players and team mates applaud as Wayne Gretzky of the New York Rangers waves in salute on his retirement after the National Hockey League (NHL) game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on 18 April 1999 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Wayne Gretzky waves to the crowd at New York City’s Madison Square Garden after his last game in the National Hockey League, against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18, 1999.

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Ovechkin, with 888, is on the brink. He only needs six more goals to tie Gretzky’s record — and seven to set a mark of his own. The chase has come to loom large over every Capitals game, broadcast and hockey front page.

“He amazes me night in, night out. I mean, he truly is the best,” Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren said after a February game in which Ovechkin scored three goals, the cheers of the delighted Washington crowd growing more deafening with each score.

Even Ovechkin’s teammates were starstruck that night — and every night, as the record draws nearer. “You can’t deny how special this is,” Lindgren said. “I’m trying to soak it in every single chance I can.”

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“Russian machine never breaks”

The career goals record, along with the career points record (in hockey, a statistic that counts both goals and assists), are the two most significant records in the sport, according to hockey historian Andrew Podnieks.

“As the game progresses, and [with] the quality and the skill and the coaching and the styles of play, fewer and fewer records — those big records — are going to be broken,” he said. “Those are the kinds of records, when Ovechkin retires, that will stand the test of time.”

From the start of his career, Ovechkin has always been a threat to score. But scoring capability alone is not enough to claim a record like this. It’s the combination of skill and Ovechkin’s remarkable longevity that has made claiming the record possible.

Early in his NHL career, Ovechkin took a hard shot to his foot and had to be helped off the ice. The next day, he had completely recovered. When a surprised reporter inquired, Ovechkin famously replied, “Russian machine never breaks.”

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals looks on before playing against the New York Rangers in Game Three of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

At 39, Ovechkin might not blaze across the ice like he used to, but he’s already scored 35 goals this season and is tied for fourth-most league-wide — even though a broken fibula sidelined him for more than a month.

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That durability has never been more salient. In his 20th season in the league, Ovechkin has already scored 35 goals — tied for fourth-most league-wide. Nevermind that he was sidelined for more than a month after a leg-on-leg hit in a November game left him with a broken fibula.

“Scoring goals is a difficult task, and if you look at everybody’s career arc, goal scoring goes down as you get older. It’s a fact of life,” Podnieks said.

The years are visible on Ovechkin, who at 39 moves slower on the ice these days. His unruly brown hair has turned grey, and he has lost a tooth and a half. He moves more slowly than he once did, drifting down the ice when the younger Ovechkin more often barreled toward the goal.

Yet he has scored more goals this year than the season when he was 25. Had he not broken his leg, he might have scored 50 this year.

“That’s just mind-boggling,” Podnieks said.

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“Ovi’s office”

Ovechkin’s consistency as a scorer is due in part to his trademark move — a one-timer slapshot from the left side of the ice. That shot is especially deadly during the power play, when his Capitals are up a man while an opposing player sits in the penalty box.

His preference for that particular spot on the ice — around the left face-off circle, stick raised, ready to slap the puck into the net — was evident early in his career. Before long, commentators and fans were calling it his “office.”

WASHINGTON DC, DC - APRIL 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Verizon Center on April 23, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Ovechkin skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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“That is not a play that ages you easily,” Podnieks said. “You can stand there when you’re 50 years old, and if someone puts the puck on your stick and you’ve got a great shot like he’s got, it’s going to go in the net.”

Even when opponents know it’s coming, they struggle to stop it, said Capitals forward Anthony Beauvillier, who played against Washington for years before being traded to the Capitals this spring.

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“It’s so hard to score goals in this league the way he’s been doing it over and over and over again, with guys knowing exactly where he’s going to stand in the power play, and still being able to get it off and score a goal from there,” Beauvillier said.

Ovechkin’s career has seen the NHL reach new heights after its low point

Ovechkin is no stranger to pressure, or to the spotlight of an entire league. He entered the NHL at its lowest point: the lockout of 2004–’05, when union negotiations between the team owners and players grew so acrimonious that an entire season of hockey was wiped away.

It remains the only time in major North American professional sports that a labor dispute erased a whole season. At the time, there was serious anxiety about whether attendance and viewership could recover.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 1: Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals 2004 first round draft pick, is introduced at a press conference September 1, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Ovechkin went No. 1 in the 2004 draft, signing with the Washington Capitals. He didn’t begin his NHL career until 2005, because a labor dispute wiped out the 2004-’05 season.

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Hopes rested on the shoulders of two young phenoms who entered the league the year the lockout ended: Sidney Crosby, the divine 18-year-old Canadian drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and of course, Ovechkin, the bruising 20-year-old from Moscow.

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It was billed as a rivalry for the ages, and TV broadcasts played it up, hoping to lure back hockey fans and spark the league back to life.

Two other players so young might have wilted under the pressure. But not Crosby and Ovechkin, said the historian Podnieks. “They welcomed the attention, and they thrived on the attention, and they thrived on the rivalry,” he said. “These two young … players really did take the league and drive the energy and the enthusiasm after the lockout.”

A dozen games to go

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, hoists the Stanley Cup after the Capitals defeated the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The Washington Capitals took their first Stanley Cup on June 7, 2018, knocking out the Golden Knights in Game 5 in Las Vegas. Ovechkin, the team captain, later won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

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Twenty years later, Ovechkin has performed beyond any Washington fan’s loftiest dreams. He helped reverse the fortunes of a long-suffering franchise and brought the team its first Stanley Cup, in 2018.

Now, skating into the twilight of his career, his current contract is set to expire after the end of next season. It could be his last. Barring injury or unexpected early retirement, he is essentially certain to claim the goals record for himself, whether it comes this spring or next fall.

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The Capitals have 12 games left to play this regular season. The NHL plans to start bringing Gretzky and Commissioner Gary Bettman to every Capitals game, to have them both on hand for the historic moment when it comes.

Ovechkin says he won’t feel any disappointment if the chase stretches into the fall. “It’s life. You can’t change it, so it is what it is,” he told reporters at practice last week.

His teammates say they will enjoy this ride while it lasts.

“I’ve never seen a guy so hungry. Some guys score and they go, ‘OK, I had a good night.’ He comes back to the bench, and he’s asking if he can go out again right away,” said forward Tom Wilson. “It’s been an amazing journey watching him do what he can do.”

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after teammate Jakob Chychrun scored a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Capital One Arena on February 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Caps have a dozen games left this regular season. The NHL plans to start bringing Wayne Gretzky to all the games so that he’ll be there for the inevitable moment when Ovechkin breaks his career goals record.

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Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City

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Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Eastern. The New York Times

A minor, 2.3-magnitude earthquake struck about 12 miles north of New York City on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 10:17 a.m. Eastern in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., data from the agency shows.

The Westchester County emergency services department said in a statement that it had not received any reports of damage.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Eastern. Shake data is as of Tuesday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Tuesday, March 10 at 2:18 p.m. Eastern.

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Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics

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Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics

Ed Martin, an outspoken Trump administration official, is facing attorney discipline proceedings in Washington, DC, for a letter he sent to Georgetown Law about its diversity programs, the district’s professional conduct investigator announced on Tuesday.

Martin is formally accused of violating his ethical codes as an attorney for telling Georgetown Law’s dean last year that his Justice Department office wouldn’t hire students because of the school’s diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives programs, according to the filing from Hamilton Fox, the disciplinary counsel for DC who acts as a quasi-prosecutor on attorney discipline matters.

Unlike unsolicited complaints, Fox’s formal disciplinary complaint kicks off professional conduct proceedings for Martin in which he will need to respond and could be sanctioned or ultimately lose his law license.

Fox’s announcement on Tuesday marks the first major bar discipline proceeding against a high-profile administration official or attorney supporting President Donald Trump during Trump’s second term. Several Trump lawyers faced disciplinary proceedings after the efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, including Rudy Giuliani, who lost his law license.

“Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of ‘DEI,’” Fox wrote in the complaint. “He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to continue to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students.”

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Martin was removed from the top prosecutor job in DC after senators made clear he would not be confirmed to the role, but has remained at the Justice Department in several roles, including as pardon attorney.

“Mr. Martin knew or should have known that, as a government official, his conduct violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States,” Fox wrote.

Martin is being represented by a Justice Department attorney, a source told CNN.

A spokesperson for DOJ attacked Fox’s complaint. “The DC bar’s attempt to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to investigate or act against actual ethical violations that were committed by Biden and Obama administration attorneys is a clear indication of this partisan organization’s agenda,” DOJ said.

Martin had sent the letter to Georgetown Law while serving temporarily as US attorney for DC, a prominent Justice Department position, and told the school his federal prosecutors’ office wouldn’t hire Georgetown’s law school students. It came at a time when the Trump administration was beginning to crack down on universities for their DEI efforts.

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In his letter, Martin claimed a whistleblower told him that the school was teaching and promoting DEI.

Martin also violated attorney ethics rules by contacting judges of the DC court directly, Fox alleged, rather than going through official channels, once he was informed he was under investigation for his professional conduct. The DC Court of Appeals ultimately signs off on attorney discipline findings.

Early last year, Fox’s office had formally asked Martin to respond to a complaint it received by a retired judge regarding the Georgetown letter.

Martin instead wrote to the judges on the DC court complaining about Fox.

“In that letter, he stated that he would not be responding to Disciplinary Counsel’s inquiry, complained about Disciplinary Counsel’s ‘uneven behavior,’ and requested a ‘face-to-face meeting with all of you to discuss this matter and find a way forward,’” Fox wrote.

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“He copied the White House Counsel ‘for informational purposes because of the importance of getting this issue addressed,’” Fox said.

The top judge in the DC courts told Martin the court wouldn’t meet with him about the disciplinary matter and that he would need to follow procedure.

With Fox’s complaint, there will now be several steps ahead of bar discipline authorities looking at Martin’s action, and Fox didn’t specify how Martin should be reprimanded or punished if the discipline boards and the court ultimately determine he violated his ethical codes.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday morning.

In recent days, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her office would have a more powerful role in reviewing attorney discipline complaints against Justice Department attorneys, potentially setting up an approach that could keep the department at odds with the bar on behalf of DOJ attorneys facing their own individual disciplinary proceedings.

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CNN’s Paula Reid contributed to this report.

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Europe and Asia battle for LNG as Iran war chokes supply

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Europe and Asia battle for LNG as Iran war chokes supply

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Asian and European buyers are battling to source liquefied natural gas after the war in the Middle East choked off shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, blocking a fifth of global supplies.

In an indication of the intensifying contest for LNG since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, a handful of gas carriers have abruptly changed course while sailing to Europe and swung towards Asia instead, according to ship monitoring data analysed by the FT.

Countries across Asia are highly dependent on oil and gas sent through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway where shipping has slowed to a near standstill.

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Most of the LNG produced in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is ordinarily shipped through the strait to Asia, and Asian LNG prices surged almost immediately after war broke out, creating an incentive to divert US gas to the region.

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Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are among the countries that need to source LNG to make up for supplies they will not receive from the Gulf, said Massimo Di Odoardo, head of gas and LNG analysis at consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Taiwan relied on Qatar for more than 30 per cent of its gas consumption in 2025, according to Citigroup, while for South Korea and Japan the figures were 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Asia typically uses more gas than Europe in the hotter summer months because of more air-conditioning use, creating urgency for Asian utilities to secure cargoes.

The vast majority of LNG is sold under long-term contracts rather than on the spot market, but some buyers are able to change the final destination of their purchases and some sellers are willing to break contracts if prices rise high enough.

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By Thursday, surging European gas prices and rocketing shipping rates had swung the balance back against diversion of US LNG to Asia, according to data company Spark Commodities.

The decision on where to send gas carriers can depend on the relative levels of the European gas price, Asia’s JKM benchmark for LNG and shipping rates.

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For European buyers, the battle with Asia for LNG supplies is eerily familiar to the situation four years ago after Russia slashed pipeline natural gas flows to the continent following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Competition for spare cargoes then pushed prices to record levels.

On Monday, European gas prices reached as high as €69.50 per megawatt hour, more than double their level before the Iran conflict began. Even so, prices are still far from the €342 per megawatt hour reached in 2022.

JKM gas prices also more than doubled since the start of the war to $24.80 per 1mn British thermal units by Monday, equivalent to €73.10/MWh.

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European buyers have learnt from their experience in 2022. “Europe has more weapons at its disposal in this extreme price scenario to try and fight,” said Alex Kerr, a partner at law firm Baker Botts.

Buyers had started putting clauses in contracts to say that suppliers would face much higher penalties if they diverted cargoes for commercial gain, Kerr said.

There is also much more LNG on the market now that is not committed to set destinations, largely because of new projects starting in the US.

While producers such as Qatar impose strict rules on where its LNG can be sent, almost all US exports are allowed to sail wherever buyers want. Several analysts said there had also been an increase in the willingness of some producers to break contracts for financial advantage.

This makes diversions more likely, while the reluctance of some European buyers to sign long-term supply contracts before the outbreak of war this month could prove costly.

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Expectations of a global supply glut convinced some European buyers that it would be cheaper to wait until later in the year to sign supply deals.

Wood Mackenzie’s Di Odoardo said the buyers had also held off on LNG purchases because new EU legislation on methane emissions made it unclear whether they could incur penalties in the future.

The risk of prices rising as Europe and Asia fight for available cargoes is increasing every day the Strait of Hormuz stays almost closed.

Gas is more difficult to store and to carry in tankers than oil, making its markets more vulnerable to shortages and price shocks.

“The longer the Strait remains shut, the greater the risk that the shipping disruption turns into a genuine gas shortage, as tankers cannot load and facilities have limited storage,” said consultancy Oxford Economics in a research note.

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Additional reporting by Harry Dempsey in Tokyo. Data visualisation by Jana Tauschinski

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