Alex Ovechkin announces retirement after final NHL season with Capitals

Alex Ovechkin has announced that he will retire when the current NHL season ends, according to BBC Sport. The Washington Capitals forward, 41, is beginning his 22nd consecutive campaign in the league and holds its regular-season goals record. His announcement sets an endpoint for a Washington career that began in October 2005.

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In a statement reported by the BBC on October 5, Ovechkin explained that he wanted his decision to be public before Washington's first home game so he could thank those who had supported him and his family. He said his affection for hockey remained strong, but that he felt retirement was the right choice. He also expressed enthusiasm for the season ahead with his team-mates.

Ovechkin reached the top of the NHL's regular-season scoring list in April 2025, when his 895th goal moved him beyond Wayne Gretzky's total of 894. Gretzky had held the record for 31 years after overtaking Gordie Howe in 1994. The BBC puts Ovechkin's current regular-season tally at 929 goals, with another season available to extend that mark before he steps away.

His production for Washington also includes 759 assists, giving him 1,688 points across 1,575 appearances, according to the report. That points total ranks 10th in NHL history. The BBC says he needs another 11 goals to move ahead of Gretzky when regular-season and play-off goals are counted together. Within the Capitals' record books, four more assists would take him past Nicklas Backstrom's franchise mark of 762.

Washington chose Ovechkin with the first pick of the 2004 draft. He arrived in North America from Dynamo Moscow at 20 and immediately scored twice in his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets. His career with the Capitals later included their 2017-18 Stanley Cup championship, which remains the franchise's only title, the BBC reported.

Alongside those milestones, Ovechkin has recorded at least 40 goals in 14 of his 21 completed NHL seasons, a league record. In discussing his final campaign, he said he intended to enjoy time with his family, his sons and Washington's supporters. He also said the players would work to make the season special, leaving the coming months as both a final campaign and an opportunity to acknowledge the people behind his career.