Washington, D.C. (106.7 The Fan/WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Washington Capitals issued a statement Thursday saying an email that told Season Ticket holders that the 2025-26 season would be Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL season was erroneous.
But did they really just jump the gun?
According to Alex’s own wife, it’s possible.
Nastya Ovechkina did an interview with Russian outlet aif.ru’s Olga Shablinskya last week, and translation seems to indicate she said Ovechkin will play next season, and then head home to the Motherland for good.
“Alexander still has a contract for a year, so we will play the next season, and then fly back to live in Moscow, to our homeland. We will stay in Russia, yes,” Nastya said, according to Hockey News Hub on X via Google translate.
Of course, this broke barely 24 hours after the Capitals had to make a statement saying nothing has been determined about Ovechkin’s future. That statement comes hours after an email campaign to Season Ticket holders touted that the 2025-26 season would be his swan song.
Ovechkin is under contract for one more season with the Capitals, and there was some speculation that once he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record this season, he might retire early if the Capitals won the Stanley Cup. Or that he would go home to Russia for one final season (or more) in the Kontinental Hockey League with Dynamo Moscow, the team he is an advisor for and came up through the junior ranks with.
He did put some of that to rest at the Capitals’ locker room cleanout day, saying, “Obviously, I’m going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year, and we’ll see.”
Mrs. Ovechkin, however, added in that Russian interview that this past season and the "Gr8 Chase" were hard on Alex, especially as the Capitals also chased down a Stanley Cup in an Eastern Conference-leading season.
“He didn’t show it, but I understood how hard it was for him,” Nastya said. “So, I repeat, I waited for Sasha to score faster. And relax. He has his last season next year. And I want him to simply enjoy what he loves, to simply enjoy this last season.”
Ovechkin is set to turn 40-years-old by the start of next season.