After 1575 games and 22 seasons in the NHL, this is Alex Ovechkin’s final season.
The 41-year-old captain of the Washington Capitals told his teammates Monday morning that he will be retiring.
In a video posted by the Caps, he said it was important to his family to let the players find out first.
He said, “It’s sad, but it is what it is,” adding, “It’s hard, but let’s enjoy it and let’s do some special things this year.”
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s career goal-scoring record in April 2025 and signed a one-year contract for $4.25 million, according to the team. As of Monday, he had 929 goals in the NHL with 1688 points and 857 penalty minutes.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin said. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
The Caps drafted Ovechkin in 2004 with the No. 1 pick, and he played his entire NHL career with Washington. His first game was on Oct. 5, 2005, when he went up against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had two goals during his NHL debut. At the end of his first season, he won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie, finishing with 106 points from 52 goals and 54 assists. He also won the Richard and Hart trophies, the Pearson Award, was a First-Team NHL All-Star eight times and is on the list of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
He won one Stanley Cup in 2018 and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with 15 postseason goals.
The Capitals’ first home game this season is Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps’ last regular-season home game is on April 4 against their rivals, the Pens.
Their final regular-season game is against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 10.