Alex Ovechkin says his sons, Sergei, 7, and Ilya, 5, have the same question as everyone else in the hockey world. “Daddy, are you staying or not?” Ovechkin, who completed his 21st NHL season with the Washington Capitals in a 2-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday,

Alex Ovechkin hasn’t yet closed the door on returning.

There are moments in sports that feel bigger than the game itself—and Alexander Ovechkin gave hockey fans one of those moments as his 2025–2026 season came to a close. As Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals skated off the ice for his final time this season—and possibly his career—the crowd rose to its feet and

Boone Jenner opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets early in the second period of what might be his last game with the Blue Jackets and Anthony Beauvillier tied it for the Capitals on a breakaway later in the period.

Nobody knows if we have seen the last of Alex Ovechkin in the NHL, but it seems like this season was it. He hasn’t announced his retirement yet, but it feels like the Washington Capitals are ready to transition to the next generation,