Too Russian for the NHL? The tensions behind Ovechkin’s farewell

Political backlash and a coach’s rebuilding plans cast a shadow over the Capitals legend’s final chapter in Washington

There will be no doubt as to where the tomb of Alexander the Great II will be, or where he will see out the twilight of his career. But has one of the greatest modern Russian hockey stars been forced from the heady heights of the National Hockey League too soon?

When Alexander Ovechkin appeared in an election promo video for the United Russia party, I questioned his reasoning. I wasn’t alone. An NHL beat reporter posted in a WhatsApp group chat “Ovi’s about to quit Caps.” Of the other 30+ North American sports reporters in there with me, all speculated as to his next move, while also worrying about the backlash. There wasn’t long to wait.

The Ukraine troll farms ignited the fire that burned all the way into US media and Russophobic elements, and reached Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. Leonsis, who also owns the Washington Wizards NBA franchise, refused to buckle to pressure from the US sports press corps, backing his star man to the hilt.

The Greek-origin billionaire has always been protective of Ovechkin and his other Russian players. In 2018, he told a popular English-language sports radio show in Moscow, called Capital Sports, that “we need to judge athletes on their performance and behavior, not color, country and so on.” However, the same cannot be said of the Capitals’ head coach, Spencer Carbery, who appears to have used the furor for his own ends.

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“Spence wants a rebuild and he can’t do it with [Ovechkin] on board. He can’t blow up the team while [Ovechkin] is still on the roster,” a Capitals’ source told me on Tuesday morning. In the pre-season, Carbery said that he would play Ovechkin less and was, privately, against extending his contract.

When I questioned whether the political party video played any role in his ‘retirement’, the source said “definitely, but not from the club’s side. But there was a fallout with the coach.”

Igor Nazarenko, of St. Petersburg-based sports outlet Sport Day by Day warned of Ovechkin’s displacement in June after Washington signed American Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres on an eight-year, $86 million contract. The sharpshooting winger’s arrival heralded, Nazarenko predicted, the replacement of the Russian as the on-ice leader.

Additionally, Carbery has focused on youth development, and has spoken about giving talents like Russia’s Ivan Miroshnichenko (22), Belarus’ Ilya Protas (20), and the US’ Ryan Leonard (21) more game time.

Scott MacPherson, former General Manager of Kunlun (now Shanghai) Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and personal friend of Alexander Ovechkin predicted this would happen last year.

In early-2025, he told Capital Sports that Ovechkin wouldn’t “linger” in the NHL and instead return to his roots in Russia. “Ovi’s got nothing to prove [in the NHL], but he wants to be back in the KHL.”

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I asked why. He made his debut at the top of Russian hockey aged 16; now at 41, why bother?

“He’s Russian. He loves his country and he wants to give back to fans. One, two years more in the KHL and it will be memorable.”

Russian sports media is already speculating about who will land him. Dynamo Moscow, his original Russian club, are favorites, while the other two big Moscow clubs, Spartak and CSKA, are already ruled out. SKA St. Petersburg has been mooted as his retirement vehicle, though that has been ruled out by the local media.

A couple of years in the KHL, followed by a career in politics, or sports administration, or even coaching, lies ahead of Ovi. His exit from the NHL was not as simple as stepping aside to let youth have its fling. Neither was it only because he made a video that riled up the anti-Russian trolls, as hockey fans see past politics and want to watch the best perform for them.

Yet it cannot be ruled out that the offer made by his current NHL team, according to MacPherson, of $1.5 million for one-year extension until 2027-28, was beyond insulting. If Russian sports media is to be believed, for two last-hurrah seasons with Dynamo Moscow, he will earn ten times that per year, and put the KHL front and center on the global stage.

In any case, Alexander the Great II is coming home to where his heart is.