Peter Bondra Career Goals Record

Lore & Background

Drafted by the Capitals at the age of 22 in 1990, Bondra made the team in his rookie season with no time needed in the minor leagues. He recorded 12 goals in his rookie season before quickly becoming a productive scorer for the Capitals for the next decade, which saw him record thirteen consecutive 20-goal seasons with the team. He is one of the few players who scored five or more goals in one NHL game, having done so on 5 February 1994. He became the first Capitals player to lead the NHL in goals scored for a season, doing so in and .

Bondra helped lead the Capitals to their first ever Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1998. In the 2002 IIHF World Championship, representing the Slovakia national team, he scored the game-winning goal to win the world championship for the first time ever. By the time he was traded by Washington in the middle of the season, he was the all-time team leader in goals (472) and points (825) in franchise history.

Reader's Guide

After spending the latter half of the 2004 season with the Ottawa Senators and the ensuing NHL lockout, Bondra returned to the NHL for the season with the Atlanta Thrashers, where he had his fourteenth straight 20-goal season. He joined the Chicago Blackhawks in free agency for the season. On 22 December 2006, Bondra became the 37th player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 500 NHL goals. He retired after the season ended to become the general manager of the Slovakia national team, where he served until 2011. Currently, he works for the Capitals in as their Director of Alumni Affairs & Business Development.

Did You Know?

• Bondra is one of four eligible 500-goal players not currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• He has the fewest points among all players who reached that milestone, with 892.
• He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2016.
• Bondra scored five goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on 5 February 1994, doing so in a span of 24 minutes.