- Alex Ovechkin says the 2026-27 season will be his last in the NHL
- The Capitals captain told his teammates first before Monday’s practice
- Read below for the locker room video and Sidney Crosby’s reaction
Alex Ovechkin’s 22nd NHL season will be his last.
The Capitals captain broke the news to his teammates before practice Monday morning, 21 years to the day after his NHL debut. Washington made it official right after, posting video of the speech.
Ovechkin stood in the middle of the room and explained why the players had to hear it from him first.
“This is going to be my last year, I’m pretty sure,” Ovechkin said. “It’s for me, for my family, it’s very important for you guys to know first. It’s sad, but it is what it is.”
Watch Ovechkin’s speech to the room:
He also had a message for the young guys in the room, telling them to soak it in.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” he said. “82 games left. Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because time flies. It seems like yesterday I was here my first year and right now this is my 22nd year.”
The room gave him a standing ovation. Tom Wilson was the first one over to hug him.
Speaking with reporters afterward, he said his family and his health drove the call.
“It’s a hard decision for me, but how I say, I have to look in the future,” he said. “I have to be able to play with the kids and be healthy and do little things.”
Read the wording closely, though. Ovechkin said this is his final year “in the NHL,” and his team statement used the same phrasing. He’s talked for years about wanting to finish where he started, and Dynamo Moscow has made it clear it would build around him if he comes home.
Sidney Crosby was asked about it in Pittsburgh a couple of hours later. He talked about how the two of them got pitted against each other before they ever shared the ice.
“It’s tough, you come into the league at 18 years old, and before we even met, we were built up against each other,” Crosby said. “Over the years, obviously, I’ve developed a friendship with him and have a ton of respect for him.”
Check out Crosby’s full answer:
Washington’s captain has 929 goals and 1,688 points in 1,575 games, all with Washington. He’s 11 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s 1,016 combined regular-season and playoff goals, and four assists shy of Nicklas Backstrom’s franchise record of 762.
Getting to 1,000 NHL goals would take 71 this season. He scored 32 last year, so the math on 1,000 goals was always going to be a long shot.
His farewell tour starts at home Wednesday night, and fittingly, Crosby and the Penguins are the first team through Capital One Arena.
