The announcement
Alex Ovechkin is done after this season. The Capitals forward confirmed this morning that 2026-27 will be his last in the NHL, sharing the news in a video message to his teammates before the club posted it on its social accounts.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL,” Ovechkin said. “I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision.”
He is 41 and started his 22nd season last week. That run makes him the longest-tenured athlete in Washington history, ahead of Walter Johnson. So far this year he has one assist through two games.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
What he leaves behind
The numbers are almost unreasonable. Ovechkin owns the NHL record with 929 regular-season goals, a mark he took from Wayne Gretzky (894) on April 6, 2025. He has 1,688 career points in 1,575 games, all with Washington, which ranks 10th in league history.
The list of records goes on. He holds the all-time marks for power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141) and overtime goals (27). He has scored 40 or more goals in 14 seasons and reached 50 in nine of them, tying the league record there too.
The 2018 Stanley Cup is the line he came for. Ovechkin captained the Capitals to the franchise’s only championship that spring.
What comes next
The farewell tour starts almost immediately. Washington plays its home opener on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that night becomes Ovechkin’s last season-opening game at home. Every road trip from here carries the same weight, with arenas around the league getting one final look at him.
For the Capitals, the timeline is now fixed. They have one season to build around a scorer who is still dangerous on the power play, and to send off the face of the franchise properly.
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