Alex Ovechkin makes his goals clear for next season after shutting down retirement rumors

Alex Ovechkin says he is not retiring yet, months after finishing his 20th NHL season. He spoke to Mash on Sport after a friendly game. The talk came after his OviCup youth hockey tournament in the Moscow region. CSKA won the event, beating Ak Bars in the final.

Speaking in the locker room after the gala game, Alex Ovechkin said he had a good rest in the off-season.

"The goal for the season is to play well and try to win the Stanley Cup" Ovechkin said.

When asked about his retirement plans, Ovi replied:

"We'll see."

Ovechkin will return for the 2025–26 season with the Washington Capitals. It will be his 21st NHL season. This is also the last year of his five-year contract. In May, Ovechkin was uncertain about his future.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t thought about it yet, but we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Ovechkin said, via NHL.com. “Obviously, I’m going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year, and we’ll see.”

Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record last season. He scored his 895th goal on April 6 against the NY Islanders. He finished the season with 44 goals in 66 games. He now has 897 career goals and is going to be the first player to touch the 900 mark next season.

Alex Ovechkin was not happy with 2025 playoff loss

The Capitals had a strong season in 2024–25. They finished first in the Eastern Conference with 111 points. They defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. The team lost to Carolina in the second round.

The Capitals lost to the Hurricanes because of several problems. Washington struggled to score goals when it had chances. They managed only seven goals in five games.

Ovechkin admitted that losing in the playoffs was disappointing.

"Obviously, it’s been a great year for myself, for the organization and for the team and for you guys as well because it was a fun moment," Ovi said, via NHL.com. "Obviously, it [stinks] when you lose in the playoffs, but I think that the experience that we have this year is going to help us to grow and to be better next year."

Alex Ovechkin had six points in ten playoff games.

Goaltending was another factor, along with special teams. Additionally, Carolina’s depth was stronger than Washington’s. But Ovechkin believes the experience will help the team improve, and they will try to win the Stanley Cup again.