Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin explained why he will retire from the National Hockey League following this season.
The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer will retire after the 2026-27 season, when he hopes to lead the Capitals to a second Stanley Cup before officially hanging up his skates.
Though he is 41, Ovechkin is still playing at an extremely high level, having scored 32 goals and 64 points last year for Washington.
Still, his mind is made up, and now we have a bit more insight into why he’s made the decision that he has.
Alex Ovechkin Explains NHL Retirement
Speaking to the NHL on TNT crew, Ovechkin delved into the reasons why he is retiring from the NHL, admitting that he originally planned on stepping away from the league ahead of this season before changing his mind due to the win-now moves the Capitals’ front office made during the offseason.
“This summer, obviously. But as soon as I saw the moves that we made, the roster, it kind of gave me and my family, like, okay, one more time, and we’re going to fight for a cup,” Ovechkin said.
Alex Ovechkin Will Miss the NHL
Although Ovechkin may continue to play professional hockey for the KHL in his native Russia, his time in the NHL will be done following this coming season.
Given that it’s been his job for the past 22 years, it’s understandable that Ovechkin is going to greatly miss it all.
“You dream to play in the NHL, and right now, if you think about, okay, like this is your last season, but you still want to be around the team and the group of guys because right now we are talking about in the locker room about what I’m going to miss most, it’s probably the locker room. It’s the atmosphere, the jokes, all the stuff. But we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Ovechkin said.
Though his time in the NHL is soon coming to an end, hockey fans will still have another 80+ regular-season games and potentially the playoffs to cheer on “The Great 8” one more time before he retires.
Alex Ovechkin Explains Capitals Retirement Decision