We Don’t Know When Alex Ovechkin Will Retire, So Let’s Enjoy His Greatness Now

Alongside Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, he is chiefly responsible for ushering in an exciting era that lifted the gloom following the entire 2004-05 season being cancelled due to a lockout.

No one knows exactly when Ovechkin will hang up his skates. The 39-year-old will turn 40 on Sept. 17.

In late May, a select group of Capitals season ticket holders received an e-mail announcing that the 2025-26 season would be Ovechkin’s last. The e-mail turned out to be sent out mistakenly by the team’s corporate sales department.

Ovechkin has made several public statements that have kept reporters guessing about his future. In the past, he has spoken about his desire to finish his career with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. He poured cold water on the rumor that the 2025-26 season would be his final NHL campaign when he spoke to SportsExpress.ru.

“This is nonsense that you guys start twisting around, putting us in an uncomfortable position. We’ll see,” Ovechkin said. “Could I stay in the NHL for another season? Anything is possible.”

Thankfully for Caps fans and coast-to-coast NHL diehards, talk of Ovechkin retiring has been shelved for now. We can all relax and fully soak up all of his 2025-26 season highlights.

Last season, Ovechkin showed little evidence of slowing down. He recorded one of his finest statistical performances despite nearing age 40. The Washington captain tallied 44 goals and 29 assists in 65 regular season games. His 3.8 points per 60 minutes in all situations was the second highest of his career, only trailing his 4.1 PTS/60 of 2009-10.

“The Great 8” passed “The Great One” when he eclipsed Wayne Gretzky ’s previous NHL record of 894 NHL goals. On Apr. 6, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal on the power play past New York Islanders goaltender and fellow countryman Ilya Sorokin to conquer what was once thought to be an unbreakable record.

Ovechkin enters his 21st season with 897 goals, 726 assists and 1,623 lifetime points through 1,491 regular season NHL games. He’s been one of the most charismatic, colorful and entertaining players ever to lace up a pair of skates. When he decides to call it a day, nothing about it will be ordinary – because his career has been anything but ordinary.