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Alex Ovechkin announces retirement to Capitals teammates to start 22nd season

Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin has officially announced his retirement after 22 seasons in the NHL, with the 2026–27 campaign marking his final year. The 41-year-old forward shared the news with his teammates in the locker room before the season’s first home game, emphasizing the importance of breaking the news to his Washington colleagues first.

Ovechkin has already appeared in two games this season, contributing an assist in a 4–3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and logging nearly 14 minutes of ice time in a 5–4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning the following night. His career milestone continues to grow, as he surpassed Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record last season, now sitting at 929 goals—the only player in NHL history to reach the 900-goal mark.

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