A nagging feeling is chasing around the Washington Capitals. Could the retirement of the face of the franchise, Alex Ovechkin, be imminent? Ovi had fashioned much of his career around chasing Wayne Gretzky’s elusive record. With that being broken, there was enough room to believe that the Capitals captain could have peaked and had nothing to look forward to in the NHL anymore.
The Capitals are ranked fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 12 points, six wins, and three losses. After facing a 7-1 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, the Capitals are bracing themselves for a showdown at the American Airlines Center against the Dallas Stars. However, amid all the excitement, the feeling that Ovi could potentially part ways with the franchise soon is inescapable.
How is the Washington Capitals’ Boss Approaching the Alex Ovechkin Retirement Question?
Ovi has now played 1,500 regular-season NHL games and accumulated 1630 points. This rare feat surely brings unparalleled satisfaction. With numerous successful appearances and a broken Gretzky record, can Ovi really have anything more to achieve in the league? In other words, could the captain of the Capitals, who has spent more than two decades in the league, finally consider bidding farewell?
Capitals president Brian MacLellan recognizes Ovi’s mental fortitude and resilience, besides his infinite hockey wisdom. Even in the face of the harshest injuries, Ovechkin emerged superior. “His ability to handle things mentally is incredible. Even with the leg thing, he’s out on the ice way too early, but he’s just proving a point. It’s like, ‘You know, the bone has a minimum amount of time …,'” MacLellan stated, as the Athletic’s Sean Gentille reported.
There is no denying that the Capitals look up to Ovechkin, and his retirement will mark the end of an era for the franchise. Yes, Ovi’s five-year contract with Washington is up soon. Still, even then, alternate captain Tom Wilson refuses to overthink about a future that remains out of everyone’s reach and comprehension.
“You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Wilson said, “so you stop thinking about next year.” Moreover, the alternate captain believes that if Ovi had nurtured retirement plans, he would have shared them with the rest of the locker room. “If he knew it was his last year, he would’ve said it. That’s my thought.”
However, the truth remains that the decision lies solely with Ovechkin. The elite winger has already experienced the highest of the highs in the league and is now 40. Sooner or later, he will retire. MacLellan expressed that Ovi’s decision, whatever it is, will be respected.
“We want to give him room as an organization to do what he wants to do. And we’re going to be supportive of it. What he’s done, the amount of respect we can give him, we’re gonna give it to him,” MacLellan’s words display his admiration for the veteran winger.
Regardless of whether this is Ovechkin’s last season with the Capitals, if he were to make an unprecedented retirement announcement, he could do so, being sure of his unparalleled legacy.
