Ovechkin is well-deserving of a farewell tour

It’s going to be a strange year in the U.S. Capital.

It was announced that the 2026-27 season will be Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin’s final season in the NHL. The GR8 first revealed to his teammates that he plans to retire at the conclusion of the season, capping off one of the greatest careers in the league’s history. The Russian superstar has been the quintessential scoring threat for over two decades, having scored over 20 goals in each of his first 21 years with the Caps and has scored an NHL-record 929 goals.

There will never be a player like Ovi, and with the news coming so soon into the new campaign, there’s a great opportunity for fans and teams across the league to celebrate his amazing career with a proper farewell tour.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, TSN analyst and former NHLer Cameron Gaunce joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to discuss Ovechkin’s eventual departure from the game, and why a farewell tour makes sense.

Cameron Gaunce: I’m thrilled that he’s doing this. I don’t think these types of tours should be for everyone, but he’s the type of guy that deserves it. He has changed the game, how it’s played, how it’s viewed, how it’s entertained. So, I think he deserves everything he’s going to get. I can’t wait to see the “presents” he gets when you go around the league…. I can’t wait to see what they give Ovi. Maybe it’s a bunch of ice packs from all the guys that have blocked his shots over the years, but whatever it is, I’m thrilled he decided to do that so he could get the flowers he deserves.

Carter Hutton: The retirement tour kind of gets exhausting, I think, at times. But for a player like this, a generational talent, the biggest goal scorer in the history of hockey, he deserves everything, and it’s pretty impressive what he did. You’d have to think that the way that he’s played the game the last few years, with the lack of defensive side of the puck and everything that’s gone into it, the writing was a bit on the wall. So, it’s going to be sad to see, but at least we get one more. At least we know it won’t be looming over our heads. Like it’s out there in the open. So I think, in general, the fans and people will appreciate that.

Tyler Yaremchuk: These retirement tour things are a little bit…they’re like eye rollish. But when you’re a player of Ovi’s stature, it’s 1,000% deserved. I think every road fan base wants a chance to wave and give him a proper send off and all that. Then, for Capitals fans, knowing that, ‘Hey, you want to see Ovi? It’s kind of like your last chance to do it.’

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…