NHL legend Ovechkin will retire at end of season
National Hockey League all-time leading goalscorer Alex Ovechkin says he will retire at the end of the season.
Alex Ovechkin, the all-time leading goalscorer in NHL history, announced he will retire at the end of the 2024-25 season. The 41-year-old Russian, who plays for the Washington Capitals, reached the milestone on April 2025 when he scored his 895th career goal, surpassing Wayne Gretzky's NHL regular season record. Ovechkin expressed his love for the game but acknowledged it was the right decision for him.
He thanked everyone who has been important to him and his family during his hockey career. Ovechkin is currently 11 goals away from overtaking Gretzky for the most total goals in NHL history and four assists away from Nicklas Backstrom's franchise career assists record. He will play his first home game of the new season on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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