Alex Ovechkin has put a finish line on his NHL career, and it comes after the 2026-27 season.
The Washington Capitals star said today that next season will be his last in the league, ending the uncertainty that had lingered since he was previously reported to be weighing retirement this past summer before deciding to return to Washington.
In a statement released as part of the announcement, Ovechkin said:
My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision.
It was important for me to make this announcement before our first home game, so I have the chance to thank all the people around the game, everyone who has been so important to me and my family and helped me through good times and tough losses. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve everything I have in my life without them.
I am excited about this season with my teammates, and we will do everything we can to make this year special. I am going to enjoy every moment with my family, my boys, our fans and everyone who has been part of my hockey career.
See you Wednesday, babes!
That gives the NHL one of its defining scorers a clear exit ramp, even if the exact date of his final game remains unknown. Ovechkin could still go out with a Stanley Cup, or an injury could change the timing, but one thing is now certain: by the time Capitals training camp opens next fall, Washington’s most familiar face of the last two decades will no longer be skating in the NHL.
For the Capitals, there’s no separating the franchise from Ovechkin. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft, passed Wayne Gretzky to become the league’s all-time leading goal scorer, and is the only player in NHL history to reach 900 goals.
He won’t get to 1000 goals unless he somehow scores a career-high 71 at age 41, but even without that number, he’s already set a standard in finishing that few players in the sport can even approach.
His impact goes well beyond the box score. Ovechkin has been the face of the most successful stretch in Capitals history, with Washington a regular playoff team throughout his run and only five missed postseasons.
For years, though, the story around him kept circling back to what the Capitals could not finish. The team was a strong regular-season presence, especially after Barry Trotz became head coach, but the playoff results kept coming up short. The second-round losses to Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins loomed especially large.
That changed in 2018. Ovechkin and the Capitals finally got past the Penguins in the second round, then knocked off a strong Tampa Bay Lightning team in the Eastern Conference Final before beating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win the Stanley Cup.
Capitals fans still remember the emotion that came pouring out when Ovechkin finally held the Cup. Now the organization gets a long runway to prepare for the next goodbye, because he has given them advance notice that the 2026-27 season will serve as a farewell tour for the greatest player in franchise history.
There is one final wrinkle: Ovechkin announced the end of his NHL career, not the end of playing altogether. Nothing is confirmed, but his wording leaves the door open to the possibility that his career could continue in the KHL.
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