John Tavares scored his 500th NHL goal on Wednesday, hitting the milestone in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-3 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
The goal at 15:45 of the third period made Tavares the 49th player to reach the mark. Tavares scored with a snap shot low in the left circle, going short side off a pass from Matthew Knies from the slot.
Tavares scored No. 499 on a breakaway in overtime to give Toronto a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
The 35-year-old center has 1,128 points (500 goals, 628 assists) in 1,194 NHL regular-season games with the Maple Leafs and New York Islanders. He has 228 goals in 526 regular-season games with Toronto since signing a seven-year, $77 million contract ($11 million average annual value) as a free agent on July 1, 2018. On June 27, he signed a four-year, $17.52 million contract ($4.38 million AAV) to remain with Toronto.
Selected No. 1 by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft, Tavares scored 272 goals with New York, ranking ninth in franchise history.
His career high for goals in a season is 47, achieved in 2018-19, in his first season with Toronto.
On Oct. 18, he joined Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings), Mark Messier (Oilers, New York Rangers) and Ron Francis (Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins) as the only players in NHL history to score 500 points with multiple franchises.
“Obviously being able to play for two great franchises and having the success I’ve had, I think that speaks volumes for my teammates, coaches, people that have been around me, and everyone who has been part of the journey,” he said after getting his 500th point. “So I’ve really enjoyed it and just want to keep going.”