Alex Ovechkin has put a finish line on his NHL career, confirming Monday that this season will be his last with the Washington Capitals. The Capitals captain leaves the League as its all-time regular-season goal leader, with 929 entering the final stretch of a career that changed the ceiling for scorers in the modern game.
What comes after Washington remains open. Ovechkin could continue playing in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League or step away to spend more time with his wife, Nastya, and their two sons, Sergei, 7, and Ilya, 5.
Quick facts
- Ovechkin debuted for Washington against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005.
- He has played 1,575 NHL regular-season games and 161 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
- His 895th career goal passed Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 on April 6, 2025, against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
- Ovechkin led the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup in 2018 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
- Washington eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the 2018 Final.
For years, Gretzky’s mark looked untouchable. Gretzky scored No. 894 against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden on March 29, 1999, and even Ovechkin once doubted anyone could reach it.
Before recording his 1,000th NHL point against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 11, 2017, Ovechkin said he had discussed the major records with Gretzky and did not believe they could be surpassed. By late in the 2018-19 season, though, he had begun to see a path.
“I’m going to try to do it,” Ovechkin said near the Capitals’ locker room at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. That became the public starting point for the pursuit later branded the Gr8 Chase.
He drew level with Gretzky by scoring twice against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4, 2025. Two days later on Long Island, Ovechkin scored the record-breaker, then launched into a belly-first slide across the ice as the celebration took over UBS Arena.
Afterward, Ovechkin said the scale of becoming the NHL’s No. 1 goal scorer might take days or weeks to fully sink in. He said he was proud of himself, his family, teammates and coaches, calling the achievement huge and unbelievable.
The only hockey moment that ranked higher for Ovechkin was Washington’s 2018 championship. The Capitals had endured repeated playoff exits to Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017, with Pittsburgh winning the Cup after each of those series.
Ovechkin and Washington finally broke through in 2018, beating Pittsburgh in six games in the second round. He carried the Capitals through the playoff run and took home postseason MVP honors after the six-game victory over Vegas.
The celebration did not end with the on-ice handshake line. Ovechkin’s Cup summer included Las Vegas nightlife, a stop in a Georgetown fountain and two days with the trophy in Moscow, where an unannounced appearance in Red Square quickly drew a huge crowd.
With no personal security detail in place, Cup keepers Howie Borrow and Mario Della-Savia, Capitals communications executive Sergey Kocharov and agent David Abrutyn helped move Ovechkin through the gathering. When he stopped for a photo with the Cup in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral, the crowd gave him room after he asked.
Late in his career, Ovechkin found another daily reason to enjoy the rink. Sergei and Ilya became regular parts of the Capitals scene, receiving glove taps through the glass after goals and joining their father on the ice following practices.
His work away from the scoring race also included a longstanding connection with American Special Hockey Association players, children facing cancer and Make-A-Wish families. One of the most personal relationships was with Alex Luey, a young player from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Luey lost his right leg to osteosarcoma and died on Dec. 22, 2019, at age 15 after a three-year fight with bone cancer. Ovechkin first met him in 2017 and was struck by the teenager’s positivity.
When Ovechkin invited Luey to a Capitals game in Toronto on Nov. 25, 2017, he promised to score for him. He delivered a hat trick in Washington’s 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs, then scored in two other games Luey attended that season.
Ovechkin later brought Luey and his family to Washington’s Stanley Cup parade. Away from cameras, he also called on Luey’s birthdays and before surgeries to offer support.
Luey’s mother, Cat, said in 2020 that what first appeared to be a routine public appearance quickly proved to be more meaningful. She said Ovechkin’s concern for her son was genuine.
That mix of thunderous goals, unfiltered celebrations and personal connections has defined Ovechkin’s Washington run. The final home dates and road stops will carry the weight of a farewell tour, but the number on the banner is already clear: 929 goals, and the record belongs to Ovechkin.
