Ovechkin announced his retirement in the NHL after the current season

Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin has officially announced that the current season in the NHL will be his last in his career. It's from sb.by.

The captain of the team “Washington” first reported this decision to his teammates, being in the locker room. Ovechkin said that he wanted to share this news with his teammates before everyone else, after which he urged the team to devote this season to something unique and meaningful:

- This season will be my last. I thought it was important to me and my family that you be the first to know. Let's go to the playoffs and appreciate the moment - time flies. Yesterday was my first season and now it’s 22nd. Everything flies by in an instant.

The 41-year-old striker later posted a message to fans on Washington's official social media account:

- I love this game, but deep down I know it’s the right decision. It was important for me to announce this before the first home game of the season so I could have the opportunity to thank everyone involved in hockey who was so important to me and my family and helped me through good times and heavy losses. I couldn’t have done everything in my life without them.

It is reported that the cost of tickets for the last home match of Ovechkin in the regular championship of the NHL exceeded $ 6.1 thousand. It will take place on April 4, 2027 against Pittsburgh. There are now over a thousand tickets on sale.

Ovechkin has played for Washington since 2005. As part of the team, he won the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Russian also broke Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in the regular NHL championships. Now Alexander has 11 goals left to beat the Canadian and the total number of goals in the NHL (regular championship + playoffs).

Ovechkin signed a new contract with the hockey club “Washington Capitals”