Alex Ovechkin Updates Retirement Rumours Ahead of Possible Final NHL Season

   

2024/25 was a historic season for Alex Ovechkin, and after passing Wayne Gretzky, he has revealed his retirement plans for after the 2025/26 NHL campaign.

Alex Ovechkin sets another goal-scoring record on the march to breaking  Wayne Gretzky's tally

The past 18 months have been an absolute whirlwind for long-time Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, but at the end of the day it was all worth it, as he has now become the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer after passing the iconic Wayne Gretzky in 2025.

When the 2025/26 regular season begins, Ovechkin will be 40-years of age, and with this being the final year of his current contract, it's safe to say that speculation around his future and potential retirement have been running rampant.

Now, he's officially addressed the speculation, and unfortunately, he hasn't given too much away, noting that he'll give it his all this season and see where he is come this time in 2026.

'To be honest with you, I haven't thought about it yet, but we'll see what's going to happen. Obviously, I'm going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year and, how I said, we'll see.'

This season will be the 21st in the long, illustrious career of the former No. 1 overall draft pick, and unlike last summer when all we saw was pictures of him looking in less than ideal shape, he's back in the gym and preparing for another huge season.

 

This past year, Ovechkin put up a mightily impressive 44 goals in his chase for history, and while he's still got plenty left in the tank as a goal scorer, as an all-round player, he's not what he once was.

Ovechkin giving nothing away about his future is very true to form for the Capitals long-time captain, and while many have been eager to hear an announcement one way or another, it appears as though we'll now all have to wait until next summer to get our answer.