Alex Ovechkin recently became the second player in NHL history to score 1,000 career goals, regular season and playoffs combined. He achieved the feat with a power-play one-timer against the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week.
After registering his 34th career hat trick on Thursday night, Ovechkin is now just 13 goals behind Wayne Gretzky (1,016) for the combined all-time lead. With likely just nine games remaining in the 2025-26 season for the Capitals, Ovechkin, whose contract expires in July, is set to need another season to top Gretzky on that leaderboard.
However, Ovechkin has not committed to playing another year in the NHL, consistently saying he needs to evaluate his options once the season ends. But one top figure in Ovechkin’s life, former Capitals teammate and long-time mentor Sergei Fedorov, believes tracking down one of Gretzky’s last goal-scoring records should fuel him to sign on for the 206-27 campaign.
“There aren’t many pros (to keep playing), aside from the record,” Fedorov told Match TV’s Pavel Lysenkov, per an @Uggg_uggg translation. “But I think Sasha is doing well in terms of family. His family supports him, especially his mom. And if he has the strength, he needs to finish this thing, because we’re talking about a record for the ages.”
While Ovechkin has been appreciative of the recognition for his latest achievement, he has downplayed its significance compared to his other records.
Fedorov has unique insight as he cut his NHL career short to return to Russia in 2009. After playing two seasons with the Capitals to wrap up the NHL portion of his career, he played three more seasons in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk before retiring at age 43.
“He’s right when he says: ‘We’ll see. I need to finish this season, and then we’ll see what I do next,'” Fedorov said. “Respected people and famous hockey players are advising Ovechkin on what he should do next. But I’ll support him no matter what. Sasha, you definitely have my support!
“Whatever you decide, to continue or not, it’s still magnificent. As I wrote to you, this is an achievement for the ages. I’m proud of you. Well done. Most importantly – stay injury-free. Health and happiness!”
Fedorov also spoke about what it was like to play with Ovechkin in DC for parts of two seasons, when the Great 8 was at his peak, winning both the 2008 and 2009 Hart Trophies as league MVP.
“He was a very powerful machine,” Fedorov said. “In practice, Ovechkin would go easy on his teammates, but in games, he was unstoppable. Nobody expected all his collisions and physical play. Nobody! It seems like Sasha isn’t skating that hard. But when that contact happens, people would fly left and right, backward and forward.”
After a few seasons away from hockey, Fedorov has recently been reintroduced into CSKA Moscow’s coaching staff for the team’s playoff run. Fedorov previously served as the club’s general manager for five seasons (2012-2017) and later head coach for three seasons (2021-2024), winning the Gagarin Cup in 2022 and 2023.
CSKA is currently up 2-0 over SKA Saint Petersburg in their first-round series. Fedorov is expected to travel with the team for the rest of the postseason.
