If Alex Ovechkin needed approval from his mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, to play another season in the NHL, he’s got it.
The Washington Capitals have just six games remaining in the 2025-26 season, and Ovechkin, the team’s 40-year-old captain, has not committed to signing on for another year. He has previously said that he plans to play out the entire season before determining his future.
Ovechkina, back in her native Russia, recently shared her opinion with TASS on whether her son should play another season in the NHL.
“If he has the desire, the health, and the ability, then why not continue playing?” Ovechkina said, per a translation by Google Translate. “Let him play. But whether he has the strength for another NHL season – that’s something you’ll have to ask him.”
Ovechkina’s words come shortly after Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that Ovechkin is not interested in a farewell tour and liked how Wayne Gretzky announced his retirement ahead of his final regular-season game.
Ovechkin’s health after the season remains the most talked-about factor in discussions about his potential to extend his career with the Capitals. The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer recently told former Caps teammate TJ Oshie, in an interview spot for ESPN, that how his body feels once the year ends will ultimately determine his future.
Ovechkin has not missed a single game for the Capitals so far this season, and he is slated to play a full 82-game schedule for the first time since he was 32 years old (2017-18). In his 21st career season, Ovechkin remains the Capitals’ most productive player, leading the team in scoring with 59 points (31g, 28a) in 76 games.
Ovechkina is just the latest important person close to Ovechkin to give their figurative “go-ahead” for him to continue playing after longtime mentor and former teammate Sergei Fedorov did something similar last week.
“I think Ovechkin loves, even adores, the idea of continuing to play,” Fedorov said. “No matter where, no matter how long.”
Fedorov’s statement centered on the idea that Ovechkin would need to score another 11 goals to ensure he finishes with more combined regular-season and playoff goals than Wayne Gretzky (1,016), but it is another example of Ovechkin’s homeland supporting him, no matter how long he wants to play in the NHL.
