Washington Capitals forward Ethen Frank (53) celebrates with teammates forward Alex Ovechkin (8) and defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at the Bell Centre.

The NHL's all-time leading goal scorer joined another exclusive club Thursday night.

During the Washington Capitals' Nov. 20 game against the Montreal Canadiens, Alex Ovechkin recorded the 33rd hat trick of his career. It's his first since he turned 40 years old in September.

He scored off the faceoff on a power play in the first period, extended the Capitals' lead with his second goal in the third period and sealed the hat trick with an empty-net goal. Washington won, 8-4.

Ovechkin is just the sixth player to record a hat trick after turning 40 years old. The others are all Hall of Famers (or eventual Hall of Famers): Nicklas Lidstrom, Johnny Bucyk (twice), Teemu Selanne, Gordie Howe (three times) and Jaromir Jagr, the oldest player to record a hat trick at 42 years old.

After a slow start to the season Ovechkin has caught fire. He's scored in four straight games and in five of his past six. He's extended his record to 907 career goals.

Alex Ovechkin hat trick, Capitals vs. Canadiens highlights

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Ovechkin hat trick: 40-year-old Capitals star joins exclusive club

Reporting by Jace Evans, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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