NHL all-time top scorer Alex Ovechkin says he will retire after this season
Version 2: A third outlet, Seoul Shinmun, has now reported the retirement, emphasising Ovechkin's comment that this is the right time to retire and the rise in ticket prices; no new facts about the announcement itself have emerged.
In short
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, 41, said he will retire at the end of this season, his 22nd in the NHL, according to AP via Yonhap. Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky's regular-season goals record of 894 in April 2025 and had 929 career goals before this season began. He said he wants to stay healthy enough to play hockey, soccer and basketball with his growing children, and plans to return to his native Russia; ticket prices for Washington's final home game rose to at least $825.
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Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals forward who holds the NHL's all-time regular-season goals record, will retire at the end of this season, his 22nd in the league, according to AP as reported by Yonhap. Newsis and Seoul Shinmun also reported the retirement, with Seoul Shinmun quoting him saying this is the right time to go. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Ovechkin, who turned 41 last month, said in a statement that he loves the sport sincerely but that he knows in his heart this is the right moment to retire. He said he wants to play hockey, soccer and basketball with his growing children and to stay healthy enough to do so, according to Yonhap. [ 1 ]
Yonhap reported that Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's NHL regular-season career goals record of 894 in April 2025, and that he had 929 career goals before this season began. Drafted first overall in 2004 and debuting in 2005, he has worn only the Washington jersey for more than 20 years, the report said. He won nine regular-season scoring titles, was named MVP three times and in 2018 led Washington to its first Stanley Cup, earning playoff MVP honors, according to the report. [ 1 ]
Yonhap reported that Ovechkin played all 82 regular-season games last season and scored 32 goals, and that he plans to return to his home country, Russia, after retiring. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 2005 debut classmate and long-time rival, said he respects Ovechkin greatly and that a friendship grew out of their years of competition, according to the report. [ 1 ]
After the retirement announcement, ticket prices for Washington's final home game of the regular season, on April 4, rose to at least $825, Yonhap reported; Seoul Shinmun's headline likewise referred to a surge in ticket prices. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Ovechkin holds the NHL's all-time regular-season goals record and has spent more than 20 years with a single club, so his announced exit closes one of the league's longest-running individual storylines. Yonhap and Seoul Shinmun both reported that ticket prices rose for Washington's final home game of the regular season, indicating the commercial weight of his farewell. Because he plans to return to Russia, his post-retirement whereabouts are also of interest beyond North America.
Key facts
- Alex Ovechkin, 41, announced he will retire at the end of this season, his 22nd in the NHL, according to AP via Yonhap; Newsis and Seoul Shinmun also reported the retirement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He broke Wayne Gretzky's NHL regular-season career goals record of 894 in April 2025 and had 929 career goals before this season started. [ 1 ]
- He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft, debuted in 2005 and has played more than 20 years for Washington. [ 1 ]
- He won nine regular-season scoring titles, was named MVP three times and led Washington to its first Stanley Cup in 2018, taking playoff MVP honors. [ 1 ]
- Ovechkin said in a statement he loves the sport but knows this is the right time to retire, and that he wants to be healthy enough to play hockey, soccer and basketball with his children. [ 1 ]
- He plans to return to his native Russia after retiring. [ 1 ]
- Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, his long-time rival and 2005 debut classmate, said he respects him greatly and that a friendship grew from years of competition. [ 1 ]
- After the announcement, tickets for Washington's last home game of the regular season on April 4 were priced from at least $825. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Where and when Ovechkin made the announcement, and whether it came in a written statement or another format. Yonhap says he announced it and cited a statement, but gives no location or timing beyond the report date.
- Details of the second outlet's coverage beyond its headline. Newsis's feed headline matches the retirement story, but the article text carried by the document deals with an unrelated National Assembly audit of the Supreme Court, so no additional details can be drawn from it.
- What Seoul Shinmun reported beyond its headline. Seoul Shinmun's document carries only a headline with no summary or article text, so no further specifics can be drawn from it.
- Ovechkin's post-retirement plans beyond returning to Russia. Yonhap states only that he plans to go back to his home country.