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Alex Ovechkin's Wife Confirms His Retirement Fate After Media Firestorm Yesterday

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 30, 2025 12:09 PM ET

The Washington Capitals denied the truth of Alex Ovechkin's retirement on Thursday, but now, his wife has confirmed that 2025/26 will be his last in the NHL.

On Thursday, it appeared as though an email was sent to Washington Capitals season ticket holders indicating that 2025/26 would be the final ride for long-time captain Alex Ovechkin.

After that was leaked, the organization denied any validity, stating that no decision had officially been made on Ovechkin's future at this current time, but with next year being the final season of his contract with Washington, many expected it to be his final year regardless.

Now however, the story has taken another twist, with his partner Anastasia seemingly confirming his retirement and their desire to move back to Moscow after next season.

'Alexander still has a contract for a year. So we will play the next season, and then fly back to live in Moscow, to our homeland. We will stay in Russia, yes.'

While nothing is likely to be official until it comes from Ovechkin or the Capitals themselves, this is a very strong indicator that Ovi is headed back to Russia in 2026, with the potential that he could play in the KHL in the final years of his hockey career.

Given that he'll be 40-years old with over 1,600 NHL games under his belt by the time next season begins, if it wasn't his final year, it would have been his second last, and while he had a fantastic season in 2024/25 with 44 goals, it's clear that he's slowing down significantly.

Ultimately, given all of the talk around this situation, it makes the most sense for the team or Ovi himself to come out officially and say something on the future in the next few days, but for now, all signs are pointing to retirement for Ovechkin.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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