Record-breaker Ovechkin says it is his last NHL season

NHL all-time scoring leader Alex Ovechkin on Monday said that the current season would be his last in NHL.

The Russian superstar left wing is in his 22nd season with the Washington Capitals, the team he has represented ever since arriving in the US in 2005.

Ovechkin, 41, shared the decision first with his teammates in the locker room in a video shared by the Capitals on Monday.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin lifts the Stanley Cup after they defeated the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in Las Vegas on June 7, 2018.

Photo: AP

“This is going [to be] my last year... It’s very important [for] guys to know first, and yeah, it’s sad, but you know, it is what it is,” captain Ovechkin said.

In a statement, he said he and his family had decided over the summer that it was time to call time on his NHL career at the end of this season.

“I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said. “It was important for me to make this announcement before our first home game, so I have the chance to thank all the people around the game, everyone who has been so important to me and my family and helped me through good times and tough losses.”

Ovechkin captained the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

His 929 goals and 141 game-winning goals rank first in NHL history. Ovechkin has also recorded 759 assists.

He is closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s combined tally of 1,016 regular season plus playoff goals, needing to score just 11 more to overtake the great Canadian.

Ovechkin sparked controversy this past off-season by appearing in a political video backing Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of elections, but later told reporters he had no hesitation in making the video for the United Russia Party.

“They asked me to do that. I said yes. So, simple as that,” Ovechkin said. “I’m Russian. I support my country.”

Ovechkin’s appearance in the video drew harsh criticism from some, with US Representative Joe Wilson calling on the NHL to review Ovechkin’s involvement in the clip.

“The thing about video, I’m Russian,” Ovechkin said. “As soon as I’m done playing hockey, I’m probably going to stay there. I’m going to live there. My kids are going to live there. Family.”

“I’m for peace and love, and I hope everything is going to be okay. My home is Russia and [Washington] DC is my second home,” he said.