Alex Ovechkin will be back in the Washington, DC area early next month.
“He plans to go to Washington in early September,” Ovechkin’s agent Gleb Chistyakov told TASS, as translated by Google Translate. Washington Capitals training camp typically starts during the third week of September.
Ovechkin spent the first part of his summer on vacation at a resort in Turkey before returning home to Russia and participating in various charity and promotional games, surprising fans at a bar, and accidentally wandering into a newlywed photoshoot. He also made a short stop in the US for Fanatics Fest and to attend the 2026 World Cup Final.
The 2026-27 campaign will be Ovechkin’s 22nd in the NHL with the Capitals. The league’s all-time leading goal scorer signed a one-year contract with the Caps in early July, postponing his retirement for at least one more season.
Ovechkin led the Capitals in scoring as a 40-year-old last season, recording 64 points (32g, 32a) in 82 games. He will rejoin a Caps team that was significantly reshaped by general manager Chris Patrick with a series of trades and free-agent signings this summer, with names like Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, Vincent Desharnais, and Boone Jenner joining the roster.
During his final media availability of the 2025-26 season in April, Ovechkin told reporters that the Capitals’ ability to compete for a championship next season was the most important factor in his decision between returning for another year or retiring. Ovechkin expressed his happiness about the club’s offseason moves in a conversation with head coach Spencer Carbery before re-signing.
Ovechkin will head into the season just 10 goals shy of overtaking Wayne Gretzky’s combined goals record, which includes tallies scored in both the regular season and playoffs. Ovechkin finished last season with 1,006 career combined goals — he scored his 1,000th against the Colorado Avalanche on March 22 — while Gretzky owns the record with 1,016.
With another 60-point season, Ovechkin would also pass Mario Lemieux for sole possession of ninth on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. Once he gets into 17 more contests for the Capitals, Ovechkin will also become only the 14th player in league history to play in 1,600 career games.
