#player-milestones

#player-milestones

1999 - Braves coach Don Baylor is named as the new manager of the Chicago Cubs. 1894 - Charlie Sweeney, who pitched for the Providence Grays, St. Louis Maroons and Cleveland Blues is convicted of manslaughter in San Francisco, California. 1909 - The Boston Red Sox hire former Senators skipper Patsy Donovan as their new manager replacing Fred Lake. 1916 - Harry Frazee and Hugh Ward buy the Boston Red Sox for a reported $675,000.

Alex Ovechkin has played 21 seasons in the NHL and recently suited up in his 1,500th game, becoming only the 24th player in league history to reach the milestone. To put Ovechkin's longevity into perspective, ESPN shared a mind-blowing statistic during their telecast of the Capitals-Stars game. Ovechkin has played against 32 percent of all NHL players... ever. Meanwhile, fellow sports legends LeBron James (22 NBA seasons) and Tom Brady (23 NFL seasons) have played against 35 percent and 21 percent of their league's total players.

The goal was made possible due to some hustle by Protas on the forecheck. As Thunderbirds defenseman Theo Lindstein looked to break out of the zone, Protas's pressure forced him to make a poor pass, chunking his feed off the netting of Springfield's goal. Protas then picked up the loose biscuit and fed Thomas, who beat goaltender Georgi Romanov with a shot from between the circles.

The Islanders can't be spoilers, they can't be enablers, they just have to be passengers to the home team's Fan Appreciation Night in Columbus.