Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin confirms he will retire after 2026-27 season

The 2026-27 season will be his last with the team he has spent his entire 22-year NHL career playing for. Ovechkin has played for the Capitals since 2005, and he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer in 2025. He now boasts 929 goals scored.“This is going to be my last year,” Ovechkin told his teammates in his announcement on Monday morning. “Like, I’m pretty sure it’s for me, it’s for my family. It’s very important to you guys to know first. Yeah, it’s sad, but it is what it is.” The Capitals opened their season on Friday, defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes 5-2. Ovechkin did not score in either of the Capitals’ first two games of the season. They will play their third game of the season, their home opener, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.“We have an unbelievable team this year, and you know, 82 games left,” Ovechkin said Monday. “Let’s make the playoffs. Let’s have fun and enjoy the moment.”The record holder told his younger teammates to enjoy the present, reflecting on how quickly his two decades with the team came and went.“It seems like yesterday I was here in my first year, and right now this is my 22nd year and, you know, it just goes like this,” Ovechkin said, snapping his fingers. “It’s hard, but let’s enjoy it and let’s do some special things this year.”WASHINGTON CAPITALS STAR ALEX OVECHKIN APPEARS IN PRO-PUTIN ADHe signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Capitals in July to keep him in Washington, plus a $3.25 million signing bonus and up to $4.75 million in bonuses based on his performance.Ovechkin, a Russian citizen who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and appeared in advertisements for Putin’s party, previously confirmed to reporters that he would move back to Russia after retiring from the NHL.