The Russian Machine isn’t ready to shut it down just yet.
Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, gave a peek into his mindset at the end of his 21st NHL season as rumors swirl around potential retirement for the Capitals winger.
“To be honest with you, I’m pretty sure it’s not my last game. I hope it’s not my last game, against Columbus,” he said after Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Blue Jackets, the team’s season finale.
“I have to make a decision to see where we’re at. The team, family. The kids are already asking me, ‘Dad, are you staying or no?’ And I tell them, ‘We’ll see.’ They want me to come back. They love the city, they love the team, they love the boys.”
Ovechkin, 40, completed the final season of a five-year, $47.5 million extension, and proved he can still contribute. While he may no longer be the consistent 50-goal scorer of earlier in his career, he posted 32 goals and 64 points over 82 games for the Caps (43-30-9) as they finished three points shy of the second wild card spot in the East.
The Russian superstar, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, broke Wayne Gretzky’s record of 895 goals against the Islanders on Apr. 6, 2025, and currently stands alone atop of the NHL’s leaderboard with 929 of his own in 1,572 games.
He brought a Stanley Cup to the Capitals — and followed it with an epic summer-long party — and if he calls it a day stateside, would retire with 12 All-Star nods, three Hart Trophies and three Pearson trophies as league MVP, nine Rocket Richard trophies as the NHL’s leading goal scorer, one Art Ross as the top point-getter and Rookie of the Year honors for 2005-06.
As for his other options, Ovechkin made it clear the Capitals would be his only North American team — a possibility he said he’ll have to discuss with Washington GM Chris Patrick — or potentially return home to play in Russia’s KHL.
The in-and-out grind will be a determining factor.
“In the summer, you have to work your ass off to get better and be in shape,” he said. “When you’re 20, it’s no big thing. When you’re 40, it’s harder and harder.”
Teams hedged their bets down the stretch, with players and fans attempting to say goodbye in what might’ve been their last glimpse of the man known as “Ovi.”
In what was a potentially telling sign, when longtime rival Sidney Crosby had his Penguins teammates ready to give him a handshake line sendoff, Ovechkin simply waved them off.
“Because I don’t decided yet,” he said . “I don’t know. Thanks for them to wait out there, but I’m going to see Sid right now after interview and [Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin]. We’ll talk.”
