Ovechkin told his teammates about his decision in the locker room.
"It's important to me and my family that you find out first," he says in a video clip the club published on social media.
He urges everyone - especially the young players - to enjoy their NHL careers because time goes by quickly.
Close ties to Putin
It feels like it was yesterday that I did my first year, and now this is my 22nd year, says the 41-year-old.
Before the season, Ovechkin signed for another season in Washington, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2017-2018 and where he has played his entire NHL career.
In the spring of 2025, the Russian became the NHL's all-time leading scorer when he passed Wayne Gretzky (894 goals). Before this season, he was listed with 929 regular-season goals.
Ovechkin doesn't say anything in his speech to his teammates about his hockey career being completely over.
He has been criticized for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin - not least after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ovechkin recently appeared in a commercial for Putin's United Russia party, where he is seen standing behind the country's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“Supporting my country”
"I am Russian and I support my country," Ovechkin said when asked about his participation.
I stand for peace and love, and I hope that in the world it doesn't matter who you are. I hope everyone understands that everyone wants peace, and everyone hopes that everything will be okay in the world.
He didn't hesitate to appear in the commercial.
"They asked me to do it. I said yes," he said.
Washington general manager Chris Patrick said it's a "difficult situation" and that he understands people are upset.
