Jordan Binnington Explains Viral Alex Ovechkin Video After Historic 900th NHL Goal

After St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington caused the turnover that led to Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin's historic 900th career goal on Wednesday night, he felt that he had a right to hold onto the puck.

Binnington went viral for hiding the puck in his pants for a bit before eventually giving it back to officials to mark the historic moment. On Thursday, he explained his reason for holding onto the puck.

"Yeah, I figured … basically had an assist on the goal there, turning the puck over, didn't think he'd mind sharing (the puck)," Binnington joked, per The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "I had full intention to give it back to him … yeah, full intention to give it back."

Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to reach the 900-goal mark when he intercepted Binnington's pass to teammate Nathan Walker and corralled a rebound before finding the back of the net in the second period of Washington's 6-1 blowout victory. It was Ovechkin's third goal of the season after becoming the league's all-time leading goal scorer last year.

During the Capitals' celebration, Binnington seized the opportunity to hide the puck, but he did so in full view of the television cameras. A linesman eventually approached him to retrieve the puck, and he handed it over after a brief discussion. Binnington was eventually pulled from the game in the second period after surrendering four goals on 15 shots.

Ovechkin didn't have much of a reaction to Binnington's cheeky moment while speaking to reporters after the game.

"Yeah, I just saw it. I'm not going to comment," he said, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

None of Ovechkin's teammates or coaches addressed the moment after the game, either. Ovechkin posed for photos with the puck in the locker room as the celebration continued. The 40-year-old admitted that he was relieved to finally reach 900 goals.

"A couple of days ago somebody asked me about, 'Do you think about it?' Of course. It's a huge number," Ovechkin said. "No one ever did it in NHL history and be the first player ever do it is a special moment."