Ovechkin Retirement: His Final Season and Last Games in Canada

Alex Ovechkin announced his retirement on Monday: 2026-27, his 22nd NHL season, will be his last. The Capitals captain broke the news in the dressing room. He did it before practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on 5 October, 21 years to the day after his NHL debut, a 3-2 win over Columbus in which he scored twice.

For fans in Canada, that leaves nine chances to see the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer in person, in all seven Canadian NHL cities. The farewell starts in Ottawa on 10 November and ends there on 8 April. In between, a five-day western swing takes him through Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, and Toronto gets him twice.

The Ovechkin retirement announcement

Ovechkin, 41, said it mattered to him and his family that his teammates heard it from him first, and he asked them to enjoy the year with him, starting with a push for the playoffs. “It’s hard, but let’s enjoy it and let’s do some special things this year,” he said, in NHL.com’s account of the meeting. Tom Wilson was the first to cross the room and hug him.

The reaction around the league came fast. In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby took questions only about Ovechkin after Monday’s morning skate. Evgeni Malkin, who never speaks after morning skates, made an exception to praise him, and wondered aloud whether this might be his own last season too. Crosby and Ovechkin both debuted in 2005-06, the first season after the lockout. Malkin, drafted one pick after Ovechkin in 2004, followed a year later.

Ovechkin’s last games in Canada

Calgary is the date with the most meaning. The 5 December game falls in the Saddledome’s final season, so it is his last game in a building where he first played in 2006. If he plays every game until then, it will also be his 1,600th in the NHL. Our Saddledome farewell piece has the story of the Flames’ last year there.

Toronto is the city to circle twice. The 21 December game is a Monday matinee at 2 p.m. ET, and the 28 March visit is his last there. No Canadian rink has seen more of his goals: 25 of them have come in Toronto. Montréal gets a Saturday matinee on 13 February, and Winnipeg’s only chance is on 5 March. Start times are the NHL’s and can change, and our how to watch NHL in Canada guide covers the broadcasters.

All seven Canadian clubs also visit Capital One Arena, and the Canadiens come twice, starting on 14 October. Our Washington Capitals page carries the full schedule.

Ovechkin against Canada’s teams

Canadian clubs have been good to him. Ovechkin has 209 regular-season goals in 312 games against the seven Canadian teams, and 98 of them came in Canadian rinks. The Maple Leafs have seen the most: 45 goals in 64 games.

Winnipeg’s numbers start in 2011-12, when the Jets returned. He scored another 30 against the Atlanta Thrashers, the franchise that moved north that summer, in his first six seasons.

What he has left to chase

The big record is already his. Goal No. 895, against the Islanders on 6 April 2025, took him past Wayne Gretzky’s 894, and he has 929. He also holds the NHL records for power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141) and overtime goals (27), two clear of Crosby in that last one.

One count is still open. With 77 playoff goals, his total stands at 1,006, ten short of Gretzky’s 1,016 with the playoffs included. Our Ovechkin goals tracker follows that chase game by game. He is also 12 points from 1,700 in the regular season.

The trophy case is full. He won the Calder in 2006 and the Art Ross in 2008, the Hart three times, the Ted Lindsay three times and the Rocket Richard a record nine times. In 2018 he lifted the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe. Washington’s only championship sits on our Stanley Cup winners page.

His final games

Unless Washington reach the playoffs, the last home game is against Pittsburgh on Sunday, 4 April, and the regular season ends at Philadelphia on Saturday, 10 April, at 12:30 p.m. ET. He wants more than that. His message to the room was about making the playoffs, and the Capitals are 1-1-0 after two games.

For bettors, a farewell season adds a storyline but rarely moves a futures price on its own. Washington’s price sits on our Stanley Cup odds page. Odds may change. 19+ (18+ in AB/MB/QC). Please play responsibly.

Ovechkin retirement FAQs

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