**The Captain Stays for Another Year** “His greatness continues,” is the phrase with which the Washington Capitals announced the extension of Alexander Ovechkin's contract. There is a clever play on words here: “His gr8ness continues,” where the number associated with the Russian sniper worldwide, the number eight, is used in the word “greatness.” Despite entering free agency, the 40-year-old Russian forward remained loyal to the club he has played for since the beginning of his overseas career. Ovechkin himself emphasized his return with the words “I’m back.” **Washington Used a Clever Trick** Ovechkin's new agreement includes a base salary of $1 million, a signing bonus of $3.25 million, and a bonus of $4.75 million that activates after 10 games played. The management of Washington and the general manager utilized a special clause in the NHL collective bargaining agreement for players over 35 years old — the so-called 35+ contracts. Thanks to this structure, the conditional bonus for 10 games — $4.75 million — will effectively be pushed under the salary cap only for the 2027/2028 season. This decision allowed the club to retain free funds right now to sign other strong players and strengthen the roster for Ovechkin's final Cup run. **A Living Monument to Hockey** In the recently concluded NHL regular season of 2025/2026, Alexander Ovechkin scored 64 points, demonstrating ironclad consistency and playing every game without breaks. The captain of the Washington Capitals, at 40 years old, set several historical records and solidified his status as the league's top scorer. Alexander Ovechkin holds the title of the all-time leading scorer in NHL regular seasons, officially breaking Wayne Gretzky's “eternal” record of 894 goals and raising the bar to 929 goals by the end of the 2025/2026 season. The Russian became the founder and sole member of the unique “900 Club” in the history of the league. **Gretzky's Eternal Record Is at Risk** Ovi is the only player in history to score 200+ goals in three different decades: the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. The Russian sniper scored at least 30 goals in almost every season of his 21-year career, except for the shortened one due to the pandemic. In 14 seasons, Ovi scored more than 40 goals, while Wayne Gretzky had only 12 such seasons. Ovechkin has been the top scorer in the NHL regular season more than anyone else in history — nine times. In March 2026, Alexander Ovechkin scored his 1000th goal in the NHL, including regular season and playoff games. Currently, his total stands at 1005 goals: 929 in the regular season and 76 in the Stanley Cup. In this regard, he is second, trailing Gretzky by just 11 goals — 1016.