Ovechkin says he's not retiring, will return for final year of contract with Capitals
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As Alex Ovechkin closes out his 20th year in the National Hockey League, the Washington Capitals' captain confirmed on Thursday that he will not be retiring later this summer and will see out the last season on his contract.
Ovechkin, 39, will be heading into the last season of a five-year, $47.50M contract at the start of the 2025-26 campaign. His deal carries an annual average value of $9.5 million and was signed in the summer of 2021.
The Russian winger told NHL.com's Wes Crosby that he was "not retiring" when he was asked about potentially playing in his last game against longtime rival, Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby.
The Capitals close out their regular season with a matchup against Crosby and the Penguins on Thursday in what could have been the final chapter in the rivalry between two of the all-time great players in NHL history.
After almost two decades of battling atop the Eastern Conference, four playoff series that all went at least six games, and four Stanley Cups between the two, the rivalry will continue for at least one more season.
Both players recently just broke records held by Wayne Gretzky, with Ovechkin taking over as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer with No. 895, and Crosby surpassing the Great One's record with his 20th consecutive point-per-game season.
Ovechkin is a veteran of 1,489 regular season games across 20 seasons, all spent with the Capitals. He has led the team in scoring in every year of his career, and owns the franchise record for most goals in a single-season with 65 set back in 2007-08.
The first overall pick of the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Ovechkin helped deliver a Stanley Cup to the franchise in 2018, also winning the Conn Smythe in the process.
Washington has clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference and will take on the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.