Jordan Binnington claims he wasn’t trying to steal Alex Ovechkin’s milestone 900th goal puck: ‘I had full intention to give it back to him’
St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington shared headlines with Alex Ovechkin when he seemingly tried to steal the Capitals captain’s milestone 900th goal puck on Wednesday night. After allowing the backhand goal, Binnington fished the puck out of his net and slid it down the back of his pants as he skated toward the boards.
While the 32-year-old backstop was ultimately unsuccessful in his heist due to linesman Michel Cormier and cameras filming the game for multiple TV networks around the arena, Binnington says he never actually planned on keeping the historic hockey puck. He explained himself after the Blues’ morning skate on Thursday.
“Yeah, I figured I basically had an assist on the goal there, turning it over. Didn’t think he’d mind sharing it,” Binnington told KMOV’s Jacob Cersosimo. “I had full intention to give it back to him.”
“basically had an assist on the goal…didn’t think he’d mind sharing it but had full intention of giving it back to him”#stlblues Goalie Jordan Binnington adds some clarity after going viral for putting Alex Ovechkin’s 900th goal in his pants.
🎥: St. Louis Blues pic.twitter.com/Tdrs3rPSUB
— Jacob Cersosimo (@JacobCersosimo) November 6, 2025
Binnington elaborated further, giving praise to Ovechkin not only for the skillful play that led to the goal but also for his historic career as a whole.
“Incredible play by him to catch that on his forehand, spin around, and get that on net from a bad angle,” Binnington said. “Obviously, he’s such a legendary player. Just seeing a play like that still happening at his age, the talent, hand-eye coordination, cutting off my pass, spinning backhand, getting it up past our guy’s skate, and my pad.
“He’s next level. He just continues to impress. Yeah, full intention of giving it back. He’s a legendary, inspirational player for the game and for the league. It’s a good moment for him and their team.”
Ovechkin, to his credit, seemed to take Binnington’s antics in stride, laughing about the situation postgame. “I’m not going to comment on that,” he said.
Binnington’s good guy claim comes as controversy has followed him ever since his rookie season with the Blues in 2018-19. He routinely attempts to get into rough stuff in his crease, drawing the ire of opposing goalies like Devan Dubnyk, Philipp Grubauer, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Linus Ullmark. He also once threw a water bottle at Nazem Kadri as Kadri was giving a postgame interview on live TV.
The Capitals and their captain ultimately got the puck and the last laugh as Binnington gave up four goals on only 15 shots and was pulled at the 9:28 mark of the second period. Washington would tack on two more goals against Blues backup Joel Hofer and come away with their biggest victory of the young season.
