Ovechkin reveals his plan to play in Russia in 2026

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is just nine goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record.

Barring any sort of injury, it appears that Ovechkin will accomplish the feat this season, in year four of the five year contract that was set to close out his NHL career. With the Capitals at the top of the NHL though and with Ovechkin filling the net like he's still half his age, there have been rumblings that the Russian Machine could re-sign with the team for at least one or two more season. Not the case, says Ovechkin to Russian publication Championat, however.

From a one on one interview between Championat and Ovechkin (translated from Russian):

Question: A Washington fan told me the other day before entering the arena that he dreams of you breaking the record and scoring your 900th goal, signing a new contract with Washington and going for a thousand. Is that possible?
Ovechkin: I don’t think so.

Question: Do you already have a decision about what will happen after next season, when your current contract expires? Return to Dynamo?
Ovechkin: We’ll see. Most likely, yes, to Dynamo. If health allows. It’s hard to plan for such a long period now, – Sport-Express quotes Ovechkin as saying.

For the record, Ovechkin's contract ends in the 2026 offseason. If he were to break Gretzky's record and then sign a deal to finish his career with his hometown Dynamo Moscow in the KHL, I don't think anyone would hold it against him. Ovechkin proved himself to be the greatest goal scorer that the sport has ever known and he has dominated the NHL for over 20 years now. He has earned the right to personally write the final chapter of his professional hockey career.