Alexander Ovechkin says he wants to play for one more team before retirement

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Liam McCormick
August 11, 2024 (6:31 PM)

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Alexander Ovechkin has been reluctant to discuss his retirement in recent years, but has recently opened up and revealed he wants to end his career with one more KHL season.

According to a new report from the RMNB Blog, Ovechkin said in a recent Russian interview that he intends to finish the last two years of his contract with the Washington Capitals, then wants to play his last game with the KHL's Dynamo Moscow.

»I don't look that far ahead. I still have two years left on my NHL contract. Of course, I want to play my last game for Dynamo, where I started my career. But there's no point in raising this topic right now.»
- Alexander Ovechkin

Ovechkin began his professional hockey career with 4 seasons with Moscow Dynamo, before heading over to the Washington Capitals. During the 2012 NHL lockout, Ovechkin returned to the team to play 31 games. Being his hometown team in his home country, the team has plenty of meaning to him, and it would be a special career send off to play one more year with Moscow.

Of course, all eyes in the NHL will be on Ovechkin this year to surpass Wayne Gretzky's career goal record. Wayne Gretzkys record is 894, and Ovechkin isn't far behind currently with a career total of 853. Last season was the first time Ovechkin's game took a noticeable decline, and he still was able to score 31 goals. If he keeps up his current pace for the rest of his career, he'll easily pass Gretzky's record.

The next two seasons, NHL fans should take an extra minute to appreciate the greatness of Alexander Ovechkin in his final years. He's been one of the most dominant goal scorers in the NHL for nearly two decades, and at his peak was an electric threat as a power forward with the ability to score 60 goals. He finally won his elusive Stanley Cup in 2018, and when retired, will be remembered as one of the best players in NHL history.

Source: RMNB

Alex Ovechkin wants to play the final game of his professional career with the KHL's Dynamo Moscow