Alex Ovechkin farewell tour: When he’ll play his final game in every NHL city

Alex Ovechkin is about to embark on a journey that previous reporting suggests he may have wanted to avoid.

Now that Ovechkin has officially announced that his 22nd NHL season will be his last, he will embark on a season-long farewell tour that could resemble Anze Kopitar’s in 2025-26. Ovechkin may receive gifts, video tributes, and handshake lines from opposing teams at each of his final stops at arenas across the NHL.

As Ovechkin prepares for his final home opener at Capital One Arena on Wednesday night, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery predicted that the Capitals captain will spend more time taking it all in this season.

“It’s only natural to… ‘Take a second here to look around and enjoy it,'” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “Whether it’s the home opener and just looking around a little bit. Whether it’s his kids, his family being involved. Whether it’s on the road. I just think once the finality of that, ‘Okay, this is it’, it’s only natural to just go, ‘This is my last home opener. Take a second here to look around and enjoy it.’ So I expect to see that throughout the year.

“Do I think it has any bearing on how he plays and his approach once the puck drops? No, but to enjoy as much as he can every little moment that an NHL season brings, I think is something that we’ll notice and he’ll probably talk about at some point.”

Ovechkin’s farewell tour will include several stops with special historical significance to his 22-year NHL career. On January 30, the Capitals will make their final trip of the season to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Ovechkin lifted the Stanley Cup for the first and only time after Washington defeated the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Before that, the Caps’ October 29 visit to Nashville will carry its own connection to Ovechkin’s championship season: the Predators will induct former Capitals head coach Barry Trotz into their Golden Hall during a pregame ceremony. Trotz remains the only head coach to lead Ovechkin to a Stanley Cup or past the second round of the playoffs.

Other dates loom later in the season. Ovechkin is scheduled to make his final regular-season visit to Pittsburgh — and potentially his final appearance at PPG Paints Arena opposite longtime rival Sidney Crosby — on March 13. Crosby and the Penguins will then come to Washington for the Capitals’ regular-season home finale on April 4, before Ovechkin’s final scheduled regular-season game arrives April 10 against another longtime Metropolitan Division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ovechkin’s first stop on the farewell tour will be at Lenovo Center on October 13, marking his final game in Raleigh against the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes.

The tour will feature 2 goodbyes in October, 2 in November, 6 in December, 6 in January, 3 in February, 9 in March, and 4 in April, including Capital One Arena.

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Alex Ovechkin’s final scheduled regular-season game in every NHL arena

Disclaimer: The table reflects Ovechkin’s final scheduled regular-season appearance in each arena and assumes he dresses for each game. Potential Stanley Cup playoff games could add more appearances.

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Alex Ovechkin Farewell Tour primer

Oct. 13, 2026 – Lenovo Center

Raleigh has seen a little bit of everything from Ovechkin. He scored career goal No. 400 there in 2013, later added a hat trick (Dec. 14, 2018), and then had that unforgettable fight with Andrei Svechnikov during the 2019 playoffs. Subtle venue, really.

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Oct. 29, 2026 – Bridgestone Arena

Capitals fans inside Bridgestone Arena chanted “We want Ovi” with Nashville’s net empty in January 2025. Ovechkin obliged with career goal No. 873, clinching his 20th consecutive 20-goal season.

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Nov. 17, 2026 – Benchmark International Arena

Game Seven. Sixty-two seconds. Ovi from the Ovi Spot. Ovechkin scored on his first shift of Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Final, kicking off a 4-0 win that sent Washington to the Stanley Cup Final.

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Nov. 28, 2026 – Enterprise Center

Ovechkin scored a hat trick here in April 2016 to reach 50 goals for the seventh time. Ovechkin can also say goodbye to goaltender Jordan Binnington, who tried to steal his milestone 900th goal puck.

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Dec. 3, 2026 – Rogers Place

One of Ovechkin’s sweetest Edmonton memories had nothing to do with the scoresheet. In 2016, he tossed his stick over the glass to an eight-year-old Capitals fan named Cash. Cash understandably lost his mind. Ovechkin also gave a homeless man his jacket and hat during a 2017 visit. While pursuing Wayne Gretzky’s goals record, he posed with Gretzky’s game-used equipment.

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Dec. 5, 2026 – Scotiabank Saddledome

Ovechkin scored goals No. 765 and 766 at the Saddledome in 2022, tying Jaromir Jagr for third all-time. Fittingly, Jagr scored the final NHL goal of his career in the same building.

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Dec. 7, 2026 – Rogers Arena

Vancouver is where Ovechkin became the NHL’s Road Goals King. He scored road goals No. 402 and 403 in November 2022, tying and then passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in league history.

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Dec. 10, 2026 – Climate Pledge Arena

Seattle got a front-row seat to the Gretzky chase when Ovechkin scored his 875th career goal in January 2025. The goal sealed a 3–0 Capitals win and moved him within 20 goals of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record as visiting fans serenaded him with “Ovi!” chants. Ovechkin has found success against former Capitals’ goaltender Philipp Grubauer in Seattle, recently beating him for career goal No. 919 at Climate Pledge Arena in January 2026.

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Dec. 12, 2026 – Ball Arena

Our headline for one Ovechkin goal in Denver was literally “Your Feeble Mind Cannot Comprehend Alex Ovechkin’s Game-Winning Goal.” He went one-on-three, danced through Colorado’s defense, retrieved his own rebound off the boards, and scored. We stand by the headline.

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Dec. 15, 2026 – American Airlines Center

Not every Ovechkin arena memory needs to involve a goal. After Sergei Zubov had his No. 56 retired in Dallas in 2022, Ovechkin secretly left one of his sticks behind for the Russian legend after learning it was the one piece missing from Zubov’s collection.

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Jan. 6, 2027 – Crypto.com Arena

During Anze Kopitar‘s farewell season, Ovechkin called him back to center ice and led the Capitals through a postgame handshake line in Los Angeles. One year later, the roles will be reversed.

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Jan. 8, 2027 – SAP Center at San Jose

Ovechkin had a two-for-one special in San Jose in December 2025, scoring career goals No. 910 and 911 on two different Sharks goaltenders. Why torment one goalie when you can torment both?

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Jan. 10, 2027 – Honda Center

This is where the hat-trick habit began. Ovechkin recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career against the then-Mighty Ducks on Jan. 13, 2006. Nearly two decades later, he helped Aliaksei Protas get his first at the same building, passing up an empty net during a March 2025 win so Protas could complete the hat trick. Tom Wilson also recorded his first career hat trick at Honda Center in 2023.

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Jan. 24, 2027 – Prudential Center

Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal on Mackenzie Blackwood at Prudential Center in February 2020, becoming just the eighth player in NHL history to reach the milestone. Devils fans rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation as the Capitals poured off the bench to celebrate. Seven hundred somehow feels quaint now.

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Jan. 29, 2027 – Delta Center

Ovechkin’s first trip to Utah ended with two goals — no. 867 and 868 — and a fractured fibula. His next one ended with a hat trick and the postgame quip, “Good thing I didn’t get hurt.” This venue also marks where Ovechkin’s favorite athlete, Michael Jordan, had his 1997 ‘Flu Game’ and made the championship-winning final shot as the Bulls beat the Jazz in 1998.

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Jan. 30, 2027 – T-Mobile Arena

Do we really need to explain this one? Ovechkin scored in Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final and then lifted the Stanley Cup on this ice. Whatever happens on his final visit, nothing is topping that.

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Feb. 3, 2027 – Amerant Bank Arena

Sunrise has twice been asked to clean hats off its ice because of Ovechkin. He recorded road hat tricks against the Panthers there in 2009 and 2013.

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Feb. 13, 2027 – Bell Centre

Bell Centre has long been one of Ovechkin’s favorite road arenas, and he added another memorable chapter there in November 2025. At age 40, Ovechkin scored his 33rd career hat trick in an 8–4 win over the Canadiens, tallying career goals No. 905, 906, and 907 while breaking another Wayne Gretzky record. This also happened at Capital One Arena, but it’s notable, and I’m linking to it anyway.

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Feb. 25, 2027 – TD Garden

Even Boston got swept up in the chase. Ovechkin scored career goal No. 891 at TD Garden in April 2025, moving within four of Gretzky as Bruins fans joined in the celebration.

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March 1, 2027 – UBS Arena

The goal. The belly flop. The record. Ovechkin scored No. 895 at UBS Arena on April 6, 2025, passing Wayne Gretzky and becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. This building is permanently part of hockey history.

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March 5, 2027 – Canada Life Centre

With the Gretzky chase nearing its conclusion, Ovechkin beat Connor Hellebuyck for career goal No. 889 in March 2025. It tied the game late and pulled Ovi within six of The Great One.

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March 7, 2027 – Grand Casino Arena

Minnesota has basically been Ovechkin’s personal shooting gallery. By March 2025, he had scored 15 goals in just 13 career visits to the building, including two hat tricks.

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March 10, 2027 – United Center

Chicago watched Ovechkin enter the 800 Club in style. He scored career goal No. 800 by completing a hat trick at United Center in December 2022. The home crowd responded by chanting his name.

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March 13, 2027 – PPG Paints Arena

PPG Paints Arena hosted Ovechkin’s 1,000th NHL game in April 2018. Five weeks later, Ovi assisted on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s overtime winner there as Washington finally slayed the Penguins. Not much neutral has happened in this building.

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March 18, 2027 – KeyBank Center

No one was there to cheer, but Ovechkin scored career goal No. 717 in Buffalo in March 2021, tying Phil Esposito for sixth place on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Another Hall of Famer, checked off.

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March 21, 2027 – Madison Square Garden

Ovechkin scored career goal No. 100 at Madison Square Garden way back in 2007. Eighteen years later, he scored No. 885 there, and Rangers fans started chanting “Ovi.” That’s one way to measure 21 years. Another way is with 24, as that’s how many goals Ovechkin scored on Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in his career.

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March 24, 2027 – Little Caesars Arena

Ovechkin’s strangest hat trick might have happened in Detroit. In 2019, he entered the final 95 seconds with one goal and finished with three, scoring twice into an empty net. A hat trick is a hat trick.

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March 28, 2027 – Scotiabank Arena

Career goal No. 300 came in Toronto in April 2011, when Ovechkin hammered home a five-on-three one-timer. He has also authored two road hat tricks in Toronto. The Leafs have contributed generously to the résumé. And how could we forget his powerful friendship with Alex Luey.

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April 4, 2027 – Capital One Arena

This is the whole scrapbook. Ovechkin scored his first two NHL goals in this building, tied Gretzky here with No. 894, became the first player ever to reach 900 goals here, and broke the NHL record for goals scored at a single venue here. Home, in every sense of the word.

Other milestones included his first playoff goal, his 500th goal, his 1,000th point, his 600th goal, goal No. 802 to pass Gordie Howe for second all-time, No. 888, and his 1,000th combined regular-season/playoff goal.

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April 6, 2027 – Nationwide Arena

Columbus already hosted one Ovechkin “farewell.” At the end of last season, Caps fans packed Nationwide Arena for what might have been his final NHL game, prompting Ovi to say, “I hope it’s not my last game.” It wasn’t. Consider that the dress rehearsal.

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April 8, 2027 – Canadian Tire Centre

Ottawa has given Ovechkin plenty. He scored four goals there in 2007, a hat trick in 2017, and in January 2025, career goal No. 874 made Leevi Merilainen the record 179th different goaltender he had beaten.

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April 10, 2027 – Xfinity Mobile Arena

Of course, the NHL is sending Ovechkin to Philadelphia for his final scheduled regular-season game. He put up two goals and an assist there during the infamous bracelet-throwing Game 3 of the 2016 playoffs, and in 2025 scored career goal No. 879 on the 180th different goaltender of his career. One last trip into enemy territory feels about right.

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Ovechkin’s biggest NHL milestones happened in these arenas

Note: Some of Ovechkin’s most famous career moments don’t appear in the “current 32 arenas” list. His iconic falling-down goal against Phoenix happened at the old Glendale Arena, while his rookie-season 50th goal came against Atlanta in a building that no longer hosts an NHL team.