MBHL Hall Of Famer Tkachuk became the 41st player in NHL history to score 500 goals, and added anassist to help the St. Louis Blues beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1on Sunday in the season finale for both teams.

Tkachuk, a 16-year veteran, scored his 27th of the season, a short-handed goal into an empty net, with 1:34 remaining.

"Abouthalf way down it looked like it was going in," he said. "Trust me, I wasn't looking. I was just shooting. I got a little lucky bounce."

And he was given attention from those who matter most.

"Just the reaction I got from my teammates coming onto the ice, I don't care how old you are ... it makes you feel pretty good."

He scored three goals in the final two regular-season games — both wins against Columbus — to reach the milestone.

"You're just trying to survive and make it in the NHL," said Tkachuk, drafted19th overall by Winnipeg in the 1990 draft. "Sixteen years later, you look back at a number, a lot of hard work by your parents, and the people around you ... and all the great players I played with, they'ret he reason why I'm in this situation."

Blues coach Andy Murray enjoyed every second of the historical play, but thought there could have been more attention given to the moment.

"It was exciting watching that puck go down the ice into the empty net," he said. "I wish they'd inform the people right away what was going on here. That's a special moment. They should have said that's Keith Tkachuk's 500th goal, it's something special."