Alex Ovechkin isn’t walking away. Not yet. Not after creating history and inching closer to 1000 goals. Not while a dream still breathes. And that’s a relief to many of his fans, but not quite the same for his longtime rivals. But what if those rivals become teammates? It sounds impossible, but suddenly, it feels thinkable, even if only in theory. So let’s pause and imagine this for a second: Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, not throwing hits in playoff wars but wearing the same jersey, chasing one last Stanley Cup together. Sounds like a dream, right? But maybe, just maybe, it’s not as far-fetched as it used to be. But how?

Ovechkin and Crosby are like the Russian sniper against the Canadian playmaker. Washington vs Pittsburgh. Fire versus ice. We have witnessed them going against each other in the playoffs, and we have watched them fight over 71 regular-season games. But this is the thing about these long-term rivalries: they are vulnerable to change.

Well, on July 13th in an interview with Match TV, Ovi was asked what would happen if the Capitals managed to get Sidney Crosby or Crosby’s fellow Penguin Evgeni Malkin. Ovechkin just responded to the question by simply saying, “If this happens it would be wonderful. If not we will fight on our own.” But, Sidney Crosby is not going anywhere, at least not formally. His current contract with the Penguins expires in the year 2027, and all the rumors of trades that were circulating had to be nixed by his agent and the front office in Pittsburgh, who have been saying it is simply “baseless rumors”.

Crosby himself is reportedly tired of the speculation. And Malkin? He’s in the last year of his deal and won’t be re-signed, but he’s more likely to retire or return to Russia than hop on a division rival’s roster. No one of the two guys has muttered a word that they would be coming to Washington, and the Capitals do not have a move up their sleeves about them. Well, no, this is not a rumor of trade. It was just a hypothetical question asked to Ovi.

Nonetheless, while Crosby’s trade to Capitals isn’t happening anytime soon, it seems like Ovi’s retirement speculations got heated, and the Great Eight has just the right answer for it.

Alex Ovechkin breaks silence after wife’s comment sparks chaos

For Alex Ovechkin, retirement isn’t something he’s ready to embrace, despite what the headlines, or even his wife’s comments, might suggest. As his wife said, “Alexander still has a contract for a year… So we will play the next season, and then fly back to live in Moscow, to our homeland. We will stay in Russia, yes.” As the Washington Capitals captain enters the final season of his deal, speculation about his future has begun to snowball. A mistaken email from the team’s sales department labeled next season as his “last,” and a casual remark from his wife, Nastya, was quickly spun into fact. Ovechkin didn’t appreciate it.

Well, just recently, he called the retirement talk “pure nonsense.” He added, “Of course [there is no date set for his retirement]… You [media] guys are starting to turn over and put Nastya in such a position. We’ll see.” For someone who’s never taken a shortcut to greatness, it was a rare moment of public frustration. Certainly, if and when Ovechkin walks away, it’ll be on his own terms. For now, he’s doing what he always does: preparing. Ovechkin is back training with longtime coach Pavel Burlachenko, eyeing the next milestone: goal number 900.

One more Stanley Cup. Maybe even the impossible 1,000 goals. And if it isn’t with Washington, he’s leaving that door open too. “Anything is possible,” Alex Ovechkin said when asked about playing beyond this contract. A return to Dynamo Moscow, where his professional career began in 2001, could be on the table. But retirement? Not today. Not yet. Not while there’s still something left to chase.