The NHL’s all-time goals leader still isn’t ready to hang up the skates.
Capitals icon Alex Ovechkin agreed to a one-year contract extension for a 22nd NHL season that includes a $1 million base salary, a $3.25 million signing bonus, and a subsequent $4.75 million bonus if he plays in at least 10 games next season.
Ovechkin, who turns 41 in September and is the first in NHL history with 929 goals, had been contemplating retirement. Despite that uncertainty, he also was a prime figure in the league’s free-agent market that formally opened Wednesday, though any return almost certainty would not have included a team other than the Capitals.
“I’m back,” Ovechkin said in a statement. “I’m healthy. I love playing hockey and competing to win. I’m excited to come back and join my teammates.”
With the 22nd season, Ovechkin will also become the longest-tenured athlete in Washington, D.C., pro sports history, passing Baseball Hall of Famer Walter Johnson of the original MLB Senators.
