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<\/p>\nBy Canadian Press on April 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
TORONTO \u2014 Alex Ovechkin sat on the bench joking with teammates as the Zamboni made a final few passes.<\/p>\n
The Washington Capitals captain then began to stretch by himself along the boards and had a long chat with head coach Spencer Carbery as they circled the Scotiabank Arena ice.<\/p>\n
Ovechkin, the NHL\u2019s all-time goal king at age 40, has demonstrated once again he can still compete in a league that continues to get younger and faster.<\/p>\n
He also won\u2019t be making a decision on the future until after his 21st campaign.<\/p>\n
Ovechkin announced Wednesday in a taped message he would wait until the off-season to make the call on continuing to play a sport he has dominated from a goal-scoring perspective for the last two decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just health-wise, talk to my family \u2026 we\u2019ll see,\u201d the Russian winger said following Washington\u2019s morning skate in Toronto ahead of a game against the Maple Leafs. \u201cIf I was 35 or 25, it\u2019s one thing. But when you\u2019re 40, you have to think for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky\u2019s mark of 894 goals a year ago Monday and currently sits at 928 for his career. The Russian with a lethal shot that\u2019s terrorized netminders since 2005 has a team-high 31 goals in 2025-26 \u2014 the 20th time he\u2019s bagged at least 30 \u2014 and also leads the Capitals with 61 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still enjoy it, I still have fun,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m still happy to be with the boys in the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Washington was set to play the Maple Leafs before a home-and-home with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a trip to face the Columbus Blue Jackets to wrap up the regular-season schedule. The Capitals have yet to be eliminated from playoff contention, but sat five points back of the Eastern Conference\u2019s second wild-card spot ahead of its game in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Carbery said Ovechkin, whose contract expires June 30, has the organization\u2019s full support.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s earned that right,\u201d said the coach. \u201cHe\u2019ll be welcomed with open arms \u2026 (or) if this is it, we\u2019ll support him that way, and I\u2019ll celebrate him and give him a big hug and have a cold beer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Capitals centre Dylan Strome said it\u2019s been an honour to play alongside Ovechkin.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cYou learn so much from a guy like that on a day-to-day basis \u2014 how he treats people, how he treats his teammates, how he has fun with the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ovechkin scored a career-high 65 times in 2007-08 and reached 50 in eight other seasons. He also had 48 goals in 68 games in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the North American sports world.<\/p>\n
\u201cA special player in this league for so long,\u201d Capitals netminder Logan Thompson said. \u201cEveryone in the room knows he can still play if he wants. But it\u2019s going to be a sad day whenever he decides to hang\u2019em up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The No. 1 overall pick at the 2004 draft has registered 1,684 points (928 goals, 756 assists) in 1,569 regular-season games. Ovechkin has added 147 points (77 goals, 70 assists) in 161 playoff contests, including the Capitals\u2019 only Stanley Cup victory in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game\u2019s changed almost every year,\u201d he said. \u201cMore faces come into the league, and you can see how fast they are, how skilled they are. And obviously you have to adjust yourself, your body, your mind \u2026 it\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ovechkin, who wouldn\u2019t say if suiting up in the Russian-based KHL is an option, entered Wednesday with 1,005 combined regular-season and playoff goals in the NHL, which is just 11 back of Gretzky.<\/p>\n
The chase of Gretzky\u2019s record last season resulted in rock star-like fanfare around the league each time the Capitals came to town.<\/p>\n
If this is indeed the end, Ovechkin is going about it his way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want the big sendoff,\u201d Strome said. \u201cYou\u2019re just trying to be there for him and enjoy the time to get to play with him. He never takes the game for granted and just loves every day in the NHL.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carbery said Ovechkin has proven people wrong since entering the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything that you don\u2019t think Alex Ovechkin can do, you\u2019re sorely mistaken,\u201d said the coach. \u201cYou think maybe the goals have dried up \u2026 all of a sudden, he scores nine goals in 12 games. Next thing you know, you look at the stat pack, and he\u2019s got 30 goals on the season, and he\u2019s 40 years old. You just shake your head.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard enough to score 10 goals in the National Hockey League, and Ovi at 40 has 30. He defies all logic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Father time, however, remains undefeated. A day is coming when Ovechkin and his wide grin \u2014 minus a front tooth \u2014 will no longer be in the NHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cHard to imagine,\u201d Strome said. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be weird, whenever that time may be, without Ovi.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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