Alex Ovechkin says he intends to keep playing for the Capitals, his 21st NHL season at age 40
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin said Saturday he intends to return to the Washington Capitals for his 21st NHL season after breaking Wayne Gretzky's career goal-scoring record earlier this spring.
Ovechkin joked about joining the minor league Hershey Bears for their playoff run and indicated the question wasn't whether he'd be back but rather if he had what it takes to earn a spot.
'First of all, (I have) to make a roster at 40 years old,' Ovechkin quipped on locker cleanout day, less than 48 hours after he and the Capitals were eliminated in the second round by Carolina.
Ovechkin, who turns 40 in September, has one season left on his five-year, $47.5 million contract he signed in 2021. He said he is approaching the summer like any other, planning to train the same way in the offseason and see where things go.
'I'm going to use those couple months (in the offseason) to rest, enjoy my life, then back to work,' Ovechkin said. 'Me and (trainer Pavel Burlachenko are) going do our job to get ready for the season and just do my best.'
Ovechkin is coming off a whirlwind of a season, where he overcame a broken leg to score 44 goals — the third most in the league — and pass Gretzky's mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable. The Russian superstar has 897.
'For him to come back this year and play the way that he did, chase down this record, the start that he had, breaking his leg, coming back from that, and just continuing to not only do things he did individually, statistically, but lead our team — that's part of the story that will be a minor part of it, but it's a big part of it,' coach Spencer Carbery said after the Game 5 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday night.
'He did what he came back this year to prove and show, and he did it in the playoffs as well. I tip my cap to 'O' and the season that he had and as our captain leading the way.'
Ovechkin led the team with five goals in 10 games this postseason, but had just one goal in the second round as he and the team fell short of the Eastern Conference final for the 15th time in 16 appearances during his career. The other time was their Stanley Cup run in 2018, when Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Going into next season, Ovechkin wants to work toward chasing a second championship.
'I'm looking forward for next year,' Ovechkin said. 'I'm going to try to do my best to play and my team is going to help me, too. ... I just want to come back next year and see the team who's capable of winning the Stanley Cup.'
Beyond that, he's not sure what the future holds when his contract comes to an end.
'I haven't thought about it yet, but we'll see what's going to happen,' Ovechkin said. 'I'm going to try to do my best to be able to do well next year, and we'll see.'
Longtime teammate Tom Wilson, guesses '900 and beyond' on the goal counter is coming next for Ovechkin.
'At no point am I thinking in my head that there's ever going to be a day without Ovi on the Caps,' Wilson said. 'He's still flying out there. He had an incredible season. I think he probably exceeded expectations and beyond. You can never count that guy out. He's such a tremendous leader. I'm sure he's going to keep buzzing.'
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
Lyon agree deal to sign USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner from Nottingham Forest
Lyon have agreed a deal to sign USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner from Nottingham Forest. The two clubs have agreed a fee of €8million (£6.74m) for the 30-year-old, who spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Crystal Palace and was part of the squad that lifted the FA Cup in May, the first major trophy in the club's history. Advertisement Turner made his professional debut in 2017 for the United Soccer League's (USL) Richmond Kickers while on loan from the New England Revolution. He became New England's first-choice goalkeeper in 2018 and made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut that season. He made 111 appearances for the club in total, keeping 24 clean sheets. In June 2022, Turner signed for Arsenal and spent the 2022-23 campaign as the back-up goalkeeper behind Aaron Ramsdale, featuring in seven games. Upon the arrival of David Raya at the club in the summer of 2023, Turner moved to Nottingham Forest, signing a four year deal. He went on to make 21 appearances for Forest as the side finished 17th in the table, escaping relegation to the Championship. Turner made four appearances last season serving as second-choice behind Dean Henderson. He has been capped 51 times by the U.S. and started all four of the team's games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Brazilian Lucas Perri was Lyon's No. 1 goalkeeper last season, starting all but one of the club's Ligue 1 games as the side finished sixth. In November, Lyon were provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 and handed a transfer ban after a French audit demanded that they improve their financial situation. Club president John Textor pushed back strongly at the time against any suggestion that Lyon could be banned from Europe and is confident the club's finances are in order. Additional reporting: Paul Tenorio, Paul Taylor ()


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Florida Panthers dominate Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final as frustrations boil over for the Edmonton Oilers
Brad Marchand is making NHL history at the ripe old age of 37 in the Stanley Cup Final, and his Florida Panthers look well on their way to a second consecutive championship after a dominant 6-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers that was marred by a wild brawl late in the game. The Panthers now lead the best-of-seven series two games to one. Less than a minute into Game 3 Monday night, Marchand dented the scoreboard again to get the scoring started for the Panthers. The 16-year NHL veteran has scored four goals through three games so far in the series. Marchand also put his name in the record books by becoming the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a Stanley Cup Final. Marchand has scored eight goals this postseason and has 17 total points. Carter Verhaeghe scored a power play goal for Florida late in the first period to double the Panthers' lead to 2-0 before the first intermission. Edmonton quickly cut into Florida's lead as Corey Perry scored just 1:40 after play restarted. But the Panthers answered with a pair of goals from Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett to extend their lead as the second period ended with Florida ahead 4-1. Bennett now has a league-leading 14 goals this postseason and equaled his teammate Marchand with his fourth goal of the finals and tallies in all three games. The Panthers kept piling on in the third period with another power play goal, this time from Aaron Ekblad. With the game out of reach, the Oilers' frustrations boiled over. Several Edmonton players took shots at Bennett before Edmonton's Trent Frederic was penalized for breaking his stick across the center's ribs. The gloves came off after that, with everyone except the goalies mixing it up in a brawl in the neutral zone that lasted several minutes. By the time all the players could be separated, the officials had handed out 80 minutes of penalty time for the melee. The chippy play from the Oilers continued as Evander Kane was issued a 10-minute misconduct a few minutes later for slashing Verhaeghe while he was down on the ice. In the ensuing Panthers' power play, the Canadian squad turned its attention to Matthew Tkachuk as a pair of Oilers ganged up on the winger behind the Edmonton net, touching off another round of pushing and shoving. On the ensuing Panthers power play, Florida added another goal, this time from Evan Rodrigues. The Panthers' power play has been exceptional this series, with the team scoring five times with an advantage so far in the finals. As the final horn sounded and plastic rats rained down from the crowd at Amerant Bank Arena, there was yet another skirmish between the two teams that have built up plenty of bad blood despite being separated by more than 2,500 miles. The two sides met in an epic seven-game championship series last year in which the Panthers emerged victorious. As Florida seizes a 2-1 lead in this year's series, it's déjà vu all over again for the Oilers, who have yet to find the formula for defeating the Panthers. Marchand, who was a trade deadline acquisition for Florida after spending his first 15-plus NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins, has been central to the Panthers' push for back-to-back championships. Although Marchand was injured at the time of the trade, the Panthers were still willing to send a future first-round draft pick to Boston in exchange for the prospect of having Marchand's veteran leadership coming off the bench in the playoffs. Florida's strategic patience appears to be paying off with Marchand's flurry of goals against the Oilers in the series. Marchand, whose contract expires at the end of this season, will hope to enter free agency with a second Stanley Cup in his trophy case to go along with the championship he won with the Bruins in the 2011. The Panthers, who are appearing in the Final for the third straight season, will have the chance to inch closer to lifting the Stanley Cup once again when they meet the Oilers for Game 4 on Thursday in Sunrise, Florida.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
🚨 A reimagined classic! Man City unveil Club World Cup kit 📸
Manchester City have unveiled a special edition kit for this summer's Club World Cup. And fans will notice that it has a familiar feel, with the Cityzens adopting the look of some popular former away kits when they take to the field in the USA this month. Advertisement The two-tone red and black sash is set against hand-painted graphics which are inspired by fans' famous Poznan celebration and the style of kit was first released by the club in the 1970s. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments! 📸 Catherine Ivill - 2023 Getty Images