Arabic version: أوفيتشكين يعتزل بعد موسم كابيتالز

According to BBC News, Alex Ovechkin will retire from the NHL at the end of the season, bringing his long Washington Capitals career toward its conclusion. The 41-year-old Russian is playing his 22nd consecutive NHL season and has been with the Capitals since making his league debut in October 2005.

Ovechkin became the NHL’s all-time leading regular-season goalscorer in April 2025, when his 895th career goal moved him beyond Wayne Gretzky’s total. He now has 929 regular-season goals, ahead of Gretzky’s 894, Gordie Howe’s 801, Jaromir Jagr’s 766 and Brett Hull’s 741.

In a statement, Ovechkin said he “loves this game so much” but knew “in my heart it’s the right decision”. He said he wanted to announce his retirement before the Capitals’ first home game so he could thank people who had helped him and his family through “good times and tough losses”.

He has recorded 1,688 career points, with 929 goals and 759 assists, in 1,575 games for Washington. That places him 10th in NHL history for points. Ovechkin is 11 goals from passing Gretzky for the most combined regular-season and play-off goals, and four assists from passing Nicklas Backstrom for the Capitals’ career assists record of 762.

Selected first overall by Washington in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ovechkin moved from Dynamo Moscow to North America at age 20 and scored twice on his debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He helped the Capitals win their only Stanley Cup in 2017-18 and has scored at least 40 goals in 14 of 21 NHL seasons, an NHL record. Washington host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday in Ovechkin’s first Western Conference home game of the new season.