Alex Ovechkin has announced the 2026-27 NHL season will be his last.
The Washington Capitals captain — and the league’s all-time goal-scoring leader — shared the news with teammates Monday morning. Ovechkin is slated to play nine more times in Canada before retiring as part of his 22nd and final campaign, bookending that run with a pair of contests in Ottawa.
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The Senators host the Capitals on Nov. 10 in Ovechkin’s first game on Canadian soil since April. Ottawa then visits Washington on Jan. 2 before welcoming the 41-year-old winger and his teammates back for his final regular-season game north of the border April 8.
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The Capitals will make a swing through Western Canada with games against the Oilers on Dec. 3, Flames on Dec. 5 and Canucks on Dec. 7. Vancouver is at Washington on Dec. 1, before trips to the U.S. capital from Edmonton on Dec. 28 and Calgary on March 9.
Toronto fans will get two cracks at seeing Ovechkin’s final season Dec. 21 and March 28. The Maple Leafs travel to face the Capitals on Jan. 4.
Montreal welcomes Washington on Feb. 13 after visiting the Capitals this Wednesday and again on Jan. 19.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press