Alex Ovechkin's wife Anastasia clears the air around Capitals star's retirement and future plans following email drama

On May 29, Alex Ovechkin's wife, Anastasia Shubskaya, attended the premiere of Buratino and the Golden Key in Moscow. The show was created by singer Jasmine, composer Alexei Rybnikov, and the charity foundation “Family Help.” Jasmine and Anastasia have been close friends for over 13 years. Their families are also close. Jasmine recently attended Ilya Ovechkin’s birthday. He is Anastasia and Alexander’s youngest son.

In a new interview with aif.ru, Anastasia addressed rumours about Ovechkin’s NHL retirement. A Washington Capitals email said next season would be Ovechkin’s last. The team later explained the message was sent by mistake. It was not an official statement. This caused confusion among fans and media.

Anastasia shared the real plan.

“We will play the next season, and then fly back to live in Moscow, to our homeland. We will stay in Russia, yes,” she said.

Alex Ovechkin will complete his contract and return home with his family.

She also talked about the stress her husband faced before breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

“To be honest, I wanted him to score that goal sooner,” Anastasia said. “...He has his last season next year. And I want him to simply enjoy what he loves, to simply enjoy this last season.”

When the family recently travelled from the US to Russia, people noticed their many suitcases. Anastasia explained,

“These are our things and children's clothes... And, of course, souvenirs.”

They brought gifts for friends and clothes for their two sons, Sergei and Ilya. Sergei is named after Alexander's late brother, who inspired him to play hockey.

Anastasia said they missed being in Russia.

“We want to see everyone. We miss everyone.”

The family had not visited in nine months.

Alex Ovechkin and his wife celebrated their son Ilya’s 5th birthday

Alex Ovechkin and his wife, Nastasiya, held a birthday party for their younger son, Ilya, on May 27. He turned five. The party had a Washington Capitals hockey theme. Decorations included a cartoon cutout of Ilya in a Capitals jersey and a big red number five.

There was also a mini hockey rink with a scoreboard that said “Илюша” (Ilya) and showed a 5–0 score. A larger NHL-themed scoreboard matched the design. Balloons and team banners were added to the setup. A sign read

“OVECHKIN TEAM.”

Nastasiya posted photos and videos on Instagram. One picture showed a baby photo of Ilya with the message,

“Happy birthday, my beloved son.”

Another photo showed the whole family—Alex, Nastasiya, Sergei, and Ilya—smiling in front of the display.