Ovechkin tells Capitals teammates this will be his last NHL season

ARLINGTON, Va. –  Alex Ovechkin announced to his Washington Capitals teammates before practice Monday that this will be his final season in the NHL.

“This is going to be my last year, I’m pretty sure,” Ovechkin said in a video the team posted on social media. “It’s for me, for my family, it’s way important for you guys to know first. It’s sad, but it is what it is."

Ovechkin, the NHL record holder with 929 career goals, is in his 22nd season in the League, all with Washington, which selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. The 41-year-old left wing had one assist in the Capitals’ first two games, which were on the road. He wanted announce this will be his last season before their home opener against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT) so he can focus on playing.

He is the longest-tenured captain in team history, having held the role since Jan. 5, 2010.
 
“It's going to be the home opener,” he said. “Obviously, it's going to be pretty loud. I'm not going to think about that this is my last season. I'm just going to think about the game.”

Ovechkin said he made the decision during the summer after talking it over with his family, including his wife, Nastya.

“Me and my wife talked about how I have to feel in my body as well,” he said. “I'm not 20 years old and I want to play with my kids when they're growing up playing hockey, playing soccer, playing basketball. I want to be healthy enough to do that kind of stuff.”

He said hasn’t told his sons Sergei, 8, and Ilya, 6, just yet. 

“But I tell the boys like I'm going to enjoy this time,” Ovechkin said. “My kids are going to enjoy this time, and all my family, friends, and fans, obviously, as well.”

Ovechkin’s decision didn’t come as a complete surprise to his teammates. Forwards Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome said Ovechkin hinted to them last week that this would likely be his final season during a team dinner in Annapolis, Maryland.

“You never know after a couple beers if it's like full-truth or half-truth or what,” Wilson said. “But he gave us a little tip, and you take it with a grain of salt. Then, today, obviously, it's pretty official. … He addressed the team as a group, all the trainers, all the coaches. So, I think you could see the emotion behind him. 

“This is all he knows, so it's going to be hopefully a great year.”

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said he had an inkling this might be Ovechkin’s last season, but he didn’t know “definitively” until Ovechkin called him Sunday to talk about addressing the team before practice Monday.

“The feelings that you get inside of hearing the finality of him saying this is going to be my last year, there's like a lot of mixed emotions of you're almost like there's sadness to it,” Carbery said. “And then I'll turn into being super grateful of our relationship and me having the opportunity to come to the Caps organization and be the head coach and him being the captain and him welcoming me in with open arms and our relationship growing.”

Ovechkin’s announcement came on the 21st anniversary of his NHL debut as a 20-year-old on Oct. 5, 2005. He scored two goals in a 3-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets and went on to score 52 goals in 81 games to win the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie. 

Washington qualified for the playoffs in 16 of Ovechkin’s first 21 seasons, including winning its first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

“Time flies,” Ovechkin said. “It’s been a pretty good career, pretty 22 seasons. It was ups and downs, and obviously the goal we have to bring the Stanley Cup to D.C., we did it, and that was most important thing.”

Ovechkin led Washington with 32 goals and 64 points while playing all 82 games last season, but it missed the playoffs, finishing three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division, and four back of the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

With his previous contract expiring, Ovechkin took some time to decide whether to continue playing. The Capitals were aggressive during the offseason, adding three-time 30-goal scorers in forwards Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, as well as versatile forward Boone Jenner and stay-at-home defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Those moves, and the potential to win the Stanley Cup again, contributed to Ovechkin’s decision to sign a one-year contract July 2 that includes $1 million in salary, a $4.75 million games-played bonus (10 games) and a $3.25 million signing bonus.

Ovechkin and Wilson are the only players still here from the 2018 Stanley Cup team.

“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “(There are) 82 games left. Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because time flies. For young guys who (are in) first year or experienced guys, remember that moment and enjoy it because, how I said, time flies. It seems like yesterday I was here my first year and right now this is my 22nd year and it goes like this. So, it’s hard, but let’s enjoy it and let’s do some special things this year, all right.”

In addition to being the NHL’s all-time leader in goals, after surpassing Wayne Gretzky (894) on April 6, 2025, Ovechkin also ranks first in NHL history in power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141), overtime goals (27), empty-net goals (72), 30-goal seasons (20), 40-goal seasons (14) and 50-goal seasons (nine, tied with Gretzky and Mike Bossy).
Ovechkin also scored 77 goals in the playoffs, including a League-leading 15 during the Capitals’ run to the Cup in 2018, when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the postseason. His combined total of 1,006 goals is second in NHL history behind Gretzky’s record of 1,016.  He is second in Capitals history with 759 assists, three behind Nicklas Backstrom’s 762. 

Ovechkin won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in points in 2007-08 when he had 112 (65 goals, 47 assists) in 82 games to help Washington reach the playoffs for the first time in his career. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player three times (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13), was voted to the NHL First All-Star Team eight times (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2018-19).

He has mentioned in the past the possibility of returning to his native Russia to play for Moscow Dynamo in the Kontinental Hockey League. Ovechkin grew up playing in the Dynamo program, so finishing his playing career there would provide a fitting bookend, but he has yet to announce a decision on that.

Although Ovechkin didn’t seem interested in the past in taking a farewell tour through each NHL market, he understands that might become part of his season now. But he thought it was more important to put to rest any questions about his future and try to make the most of this opportunity with the Capitals.

“I'm going to focus on my game, he said. “I'm going to focus to help the team to win. Obviously, if some different teams want to do something, yeah, why not? But to be honest with you, I'm not going to pay attention to that.”

Of course, the Capitals would love to for Ovechkin’s final season to end in the best way possible.

“Our goal is to obviously compete for a Stanley Cup and give Ovi the best chance to have one more,” Strome said. “Every other guy in here besides Tom (hasn’t won the Cup) and finally has a chance to compete for one. That's obviously the goal as a hockey player is what you're trying to do is compete for a Stanley Cup, and I don't think any better sendoff than that would be for us to help Ovi try to achieve that again.”