- Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin and Mikhail Sergachev star in a new ad for Russia’s Match of the Year charity game
- He swaps a Wayne Gretzky air freshener for one of his own and plays up his undecided NHL future
- Read below for the commercial and details on the July 25 game in Saint Petersburg
Alex Ovechkin is having fun with the biggest question of his offseason.
The Match of the Year, a Russian charity game between NHL and KHL stars, rolled out a commercial this week with Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin and Mikhail Sergachev climbing into a car for the drive to the event. Before they pull away, Ovechkin yanks a Wayne Gretzky air freshener off the mirror and swaps in one of his own.
Watch the ad:
Ovechkin is a free agent after this season and still hasn’t said whether he’ll retire or run it back. Sergachev asks if he’s set to go, and Ovechkin deadpans:
“I haven’t made the official announcement yet.”
He has said the call is coming in July and that it’s not a secret. The 40-year-old seems happy to let the rumors marinate.
The air freshener bit is a nod to the record Ovechkin took from Gretzky last spring. He scored his 895th career goal on April 6, 2025, off a Tom Wilson feed past Ilya Sorokin, passing Gretzky’s 894 to become the NHL’s all-time leader.
Here’s goal No. 895:
This year’s game runs July 25 at SKA Arena in Saint Petersburg. The exhibition pulls Russian NHLers and KHL talent together for a one-night show, and the trio has leaned all the way into the promotion.
Ovechkin’s commercial dropped just as he left for his yearly month-long trip to Turkey. The hockey answer everyone actually wants lands in July.
