Alex Ovechkin Reacts to 'One More Year' Chants from Capitals Fans on Video amid Retirement Buzz

Washington Capitals' fans chanted "one more year" as Alex Ovechkin gave his postgame interview on Sunday following a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While speaking to reporters after the contest, Ovechkin left open the possibility of returning for the 2026-27 season, albeit with a grin on his face:

The 40-year-old Ovechkin hasn't officially announced his future plans, though the expectation was that the 2025-26 season would be his last, especially when the Capitals appeared to fall out of the playoff hunt.

But nobody told Ovechkin. In his last 16 games he has eight goals and five assists and the surging Capitals are just one game behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the final automatic playoff berth out of the Metropolitan Division (though the Flyers have a game in hand).

That included an assist on Sunday in yet another battle against Sidney Crosby:

"He's taken it to another level," Washington coach Spencer Carbery told reporters on Friday. "You've noticed an uptick in his game. The thing that I watch for is the physicality. He's getting way more involved, two or three big hits a game where he's running through people and he's scoring a little bit, this is kind of his time of the year where he feels like, 'All right, it's playoff time.'"

All Ovechkin has done in his legendary NHL career is win a title, earn 12 All-Star Game nods, win three Hart Memorial Trophies as the league MVP and set the NHL's all-time goals record (929). There isn't anything left for Ovechkin left to accomplish.

But never underestimate the love for the game.

"I still have game. I still have passion," he said in October. "You just enjoy it because you never know when you're going to get hurt—or when you're going to be retired."

Maybe that will be this offseason. But maybe not.