ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin will be back for a 21st NHL season with the Washington Capitals to add to his League-record goal total and chase the Stanley Cup again, but he doesn’t know if it will be his last.
Looking ahead to the final season of the five-year, $47.5 million contract (average annual value $9.5 million) he signed with Washington on July 27, 2021, the 39-year-old forward said he hasn’t decided if he’ll play in NHL beyond that.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t thought about it yet, but we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Ovechkin said Saturday. “Obviously, I’m going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year and we’ll see.”
A history-making Capitals’ season, during which Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record by scoring his 895th on April 6 against the New York Islanders, ended with a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Thursday. Ovechkin had six points (five goals, one assist) in 10 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but had only one goal in the five games against Carolina.
Otherwise, Ovechkin defied his age again by tying for third in the NHL during the regular season with 44 goals, despite missing 16 games with a fractured left fibula, to increase his career total to 897. The 44 goals tied Gordie Howe (44 goals in 1968-69 when he was 40) for the most in a season by a player 39 or older.
With Ovechkin set to turn 40 on Sept. 17, it’s natural to wonder what he’ll be able to accomplish next season, regardless of whether it’s final one in the NHL. (Ovechkin has said in the past he would like to play at least one more season in his native Russia after he retires from the NHL.)
“What’s next, 900 and beyond?” Capitals forward Tom Wilson asked. “… But at no point am I thinking in my head that there’s ever going to be a day without ‘Ovi’ on the Caps. He’s still flying out there. He had an incredible season. I think he probably exceeded expectations and beyond. You can never count that guy out.
“He’s such a tremendous leader and I’m sure he’s going to keep buzzing.”
Ovechkin was a big part of Washington’s success during a surprising season in which it jumped from slipping into the playoffs as the second wild card from the Eastern Conference last season to finishing first in the conference with 111 points (51-22-9). The Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the first round — their first playoff series victory since they won the Stanley Cup in 2018 — before they struggled to score against the Hurricanes, scoring seven goals in the five games.
Though still disappointed about not being able to add a second Stanley Cup championship to the one he helped Washington win in 2018, Ovechkin was able to appreciate, after a few days, all that he and his team were able to achieve this season.
“Obviously, it’s been a great year for myself, for the organization and for the team and for you guys as well because it was a fun moment,” he said. “Obviously, it [stinks] when you lose in the playoffs, but I think that the experience that we have this year is going to help us to grow and to be better next year.”
In the moments after breaking Gretzky’s record, Ovechkin told his teammates, “It’s not, ‘I did it.’ It’s, ‘We did it.’” And, though it’s his name in the NHL record book, he considers it a team accomplishment.
“I think that whole process what we’ve been through family-wise, team-wise, even you guys, it’s been like a Stanley Cup,” he said. “Every game was like a Stanley Cup Game 7. It was attention, it was media, it was so many people cheering, and they wanted to see that kind of moment. So, yeah, it was a special moment.”
After Ovechkin dropped from 42 goals in 2022-23 to 31 last season, it was unclear whether he would be able to score the 42 goals he needed to surpass Gretzky this season. He started the season strong, though, with 15 goals in his first 18 games before fracturing his fibula against the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 18.
He scored his 16th goal of the season, and 869th of his career, in his return against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 28, beginning his inexorable final march toward the record.
“You never think how many goals you’re going to score because you never know what’s going to happen on the ice,” Ovechkin said. “I was lucky enough this year to be able to score the goals to break the record, obviously, and I’m looking forward for next year. I’m going to be 40 and I’m going to try to do my best to play and my team is going to help me, too.”
Ovechkin said he plans to take some time away from the game to spend with his family and recover mentally and physically before beginning to prepare for next season with his personal trainer Pavel Burlachenko.
“I think the most important thing is to do smart things when I got back to my home,” he said. “Obviously, relax, don’t think about hockey and then you have to start doing it again. That’s the hardest part after the summer. So, me and Pavel are going to do our job to get ready for the season and just do my best.”
What will Ovechkin’s best look like at 40 after he scored 44 goals at 39?
“I think you go for 50,” Washington defenseman John Carlson said.
A 50-goal season would be the 10th of Ovechkin’s career, breaking the NHL record of nine he shares with Gretzky and Mike Bossy. That would seem unlikely at his age, but after 20 seasons, the Capitals know not to underestimate him.
“You just can’t put a cap on anything this guy does,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes out and has a similar start next year and we’re like, ‘What is happening at 40 years old?’ and he’s now into the 900s and scoring at a clip like he was this year. … I don’t put anything past him, even being 40 years old.
“So as (former NFL wide receiver) Terrell Owens once said, ‘I would get your popcorn ready.’”
