Alex Ovechkin committed to at least one more NHL season this summer, signing a one-year extension with the Washington Capitals as he prepares for what will be his 22nd campaign in the league.
Although Ovechkin’s focus will surely remain on trying to win another Stanley Cup in Washington, questions have already shifted toward what will happen after next season is over, and mostly, what Ovechkin will do after his NHL career eventually ends.
Ovechkin’s future was addressed this week by his mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, who shared where she hopes her son will finish his playing career — and it’s not with the Capitals.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Speaking with RIA Novosti, Ovechkina said she would like to see the Capitals captain leave America and join his childhood club Dynamo Moscow in Russia, where he began his professional hockey career.
“It’s up to him,” Ovechkina said. “I’d like to see him in a Dynamo jersey, but that’s a matter of time. He’ll make his own decision.”
The comments align with Ovechkin’s own previously stated plans. As recently as July 18, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer said his final hockey game would come with him playing for Dynamo Moscow, the organization whose youth system he joined as a 10-year-old before making his senior debut at age 16.
“My last game in hockey will be for Dynamo Moscow,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin spent four seasons with Dynamo before leaving for the Capitals after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. He later returned during the 2012-13 NHL lockout, producing 40 points in 31 games before heading back to Washington when the lockout ended.
For now, however, Ovechkina made clear she’s happy her son chose to continue his NHL career with the Capitals.
“Of course, I’m glad that Sasha signed a new contract with Washington,” she said. “He will play another season at the highest level. He did the right thing by consulting with his family. Sasha has a wonderful wife and wonderful children. They all supported Sasha, and he decided to spend another season in the NHL.”
While Ovechkin’s eventual return to Dynamo Moscow remains in the future, his mother’s comments suggest she hopes his hockey story ends exactly where it began.
