Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos celebrates after scoring a goal. Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Predators' Steven Stamkos proving age is just a number with goal No. 600

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Dec 31, 2025 7:18 PM ET

Like Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin, Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos is an ageless wonder.

Stamkos made NHL history in Nashville's road game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights on New Year's Eve. Late in the first period of the Predators' 4-2 win, the 35-year-old center scored the 600th goal of his 18-year career on a wrist shot.

Stamkos is now one of three active players with 600 goals or more. The others are 40-year-old Ovechkin — the NHL's all-time goal leader (912) — and 38-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (646).

Like Crosby and Ovechkin, Stamkos isn't running on fumes at this point in his career. He remains a valuable contributor for a squad that remains in the early playoff hunt. Following the win over Vegas, Nashville is 18-17-4 and fourth in the Central Division.

STEVEN STAMKOS IS A 600-GOAL MAN pic.twitter.com/S6AlF0pvql
— NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2025

Steven Stamkos remains a key piece for Predators

Entering Wednesday's game, Stamkos led the team in goals, with 17. That mark is tied for 29th in the league. Crosby, meanwhile, had 21, and Ovechkin had 15.

If he maintains this pace, the center should surpass his goal total from last season. After the former Tampa Bay Lightning star signed a four-year, $8M deal with Nashville in free agency in 2024, he scored 27 goals in 82 regular-season games. It was the first time he had scored 27 or fewer since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

That may have been an outlier. Stamkos has scored 40 goals or more in two of his past four seasons. More importantly, the two-time Stanley Cup winner has proved he's still capable of taking over a game.

In the Predators' 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 11, Stamkos scored four goals. It was the fourth four-goal game in franchise history.

Now Stamkos isn't as dominant as Ovechkin, who has the most 40-plus-goal seasons (14) in NHL history, which may be his greatest accomplishment. But he's proving he's not over the hill. Scoring goal No. 600 on Wednesday night further cements that narrative.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads: