Alex Ovechkin announced last week that he’s coming back for the 2026-27 NHL season, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready for a farewell tour.
The Capitals captain spoke to the media on Monday for the first time since signing a one-year, bonus-laden contract with the Washington Capitals. When discussing his decision-making process, Ovechkin, using his wife as a proxy, left the door open to keep playing yet another year.
“I was talking to my family, my wife, first of all. And she’s like, ‘Okay, let’s play one more year, or maybe two years. I don’t know.’ And, yeah, I called (Capitals general manager) Chris (Patrick) and said, ‘Okay, let’s talk about contract,’ because I know I still can play and bring energy to the locker room, energy on the ice, and give the result what I can give.”
Asked to follow up on the potential of playing two more seasons, Ovechkin turned the conversation to what he wants to do this fall.
“I don’t know,” Ovechkin said. “We’ll see. Right now I’m focusing [on] coming back to DC and show that I’m still a good player and I still can help the team to win.”
The 2026-27 season will mark the 22nd of Ovechkin’s legendary NHL career, giving him more opportunity to add to his statistical milestones and NHL records. Already the all-time NHL goals leader after lighting the lamp 929 times, Ovechkin can eclipse Wayne Gretzky’s combined goals record of 1,016 (regular-season and playoff goals) with 11 more tallies.
Several of Ovechkin’s contemporaries, including Anze Kopitar and Marc-André Fleury, announced their retirements ahead of time and went on a farewell tour, but Ovechkin has largely eschewed that sort of pomp and circumstance. Asked about the possibility on Monday, he deferred to Capitals ownership.
“I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes,” Ovechkin said. “You can ask Ted about it.”
As he debated his return this summer, Ovechkin’s two children, Sergei and Ilya, were very intent on his return to the NHL, according to the Capitals captain, while his wife Nastya saw how much he was being badgered and pressured by everyone around him.
“I think in our lives [my wife] saw the kids every day,” Ovechkin said. “They asked me, ‘Are you coming back? Are you coming back?’ Then she saw me. I’m kind of, every time, like thinking about that, coming back to the Caps, and she’s like, ‘Okay.’ My mom, as well, and her family. Everybody, obviously everybody asking me, ‘Are you coming back? Are you coming back?’ That kind of situation when you can see it, we have that type of team to win one more time, Stanley Cup, it’s one of the big reasons. But yeah, my wife tell me, ‘Let’s go. One more.'”
In the meantime, Ovechkin revealed that he was already training hard while on his month-long vacation in Turkey and would soon get back on the ice in Moscow.
“My trainer gave me the workout and I’m at the gym almost every every day,” Ovechkin said. “I’m playing volleyball. Tomorrow I’m coming back to Moscow and then we start skating and we start to do some workouts. It was going to be different in the summer for me. Different reasons, but yeah.”
Now with this decision behind him, Ovechkin is looking forward to what could be a very special year.
“I feel great, obviously, and I’m really excited,” Ovechkin said. “I can’t wait to come back to DC to see all the boys. And I can’t wait for the season.”
