Alex Ovechkin may have just given the biggest sign yet that his mind is not truly made up about whether he is ending his NHL career after this season.
After an emotional final Washington Capitals home game of the 2025-26 regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ovechkin waved off his rival combatants as they lingered on the ice at Capital One Arena for a handshake line.
The entire Penguins lineup, including captain Sidney Crosby, had stuck around after falling 3-0 to the Capitals, but quickly made their way back to the away dressing room after Ovechkin’s gesture.
Ovechkin was asked about the moment during his postgame media availability and explained why he isn’t quite ready to put a cap on one of hockey’s greatest rivalries
“Because I don’t decided yet,” Ovechkin said. “I don’t know. Thanks for them to wait out there, but I’m going to see Sid right now after interview and Geno. We’ll talk.”
Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and head coach Spencer Carbery also weren’t surprised that he sent the Penguins home without any parting words.
“No, because we don’t really know what’s going on,” Thompson said. “So, I mean, I don’t think he wants to do the handshakes if he’s coming back. So, no, I wasn’t surprised. No one really knows what he’s going to do next year.”
“It’s kind of in O fashion,” Carbery said. “He’s like, ‘I’m not retired, so no, leave me alone. I don’t want to shake anybody’s hand.’ And honestly, we might be seeing them in a week. I think O is truly, and you guys have heard all the things in the media, but it’s the same thing when I’m talking to him face-to-face, and one-on-one, he’s going to take some time to make his decision.
“Even though he’s very appreciative because it potentially is [the end], welcoming to all these things that are important to do because if it is the end, we need to have been able to say goodbye and appreciate it and the fans and all the attention, but he also looks at it from, ‘I haven’t decided yet, so I don’t want to shake the whole Penguins team’s hands,’ and so I get it.”
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Crosby organized the handshake line. As Ovechkin stated, the two met up off the ice after the game and exchanged sticks and jerseys.
Sunday’s contest was the 100th all-time, regular season and playoffs combined, featuring Ovechkin and Crosby playing for the Capitals and Penguins. The Caps captain outdid his long-time enemy turned friend, recording an assist on Connor McMichael’s game-sealing empty-net goal.
Ovechkin had already participated in some pregame niceties with the Penguins, taking a photo with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang during warmups. Dylan Strome then got himself kicked out of the game’s opening faceoff so that Ovechkin could take the draw against Crosby.
The 40-year-old winger has repeated that he is undecided as to whether he will return in the fall for another season, saying earlier this week that he will make that decision in the summer. After a day of near constant cheering from his home fans, Ovechkin was asked specifically about the several “One more year” chants that sprang up around the arena.
“I will think about it,” Ovechkin said, smiling.
