Alex Ovechkin shared his perspective on extension after his contract ends (image credit: IMAGN)

Alex Ovechkin needs nine more goals to break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record of 894. He scored his 886th in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena on Sunday.

The Capitals start a three-game road trip in California on Tuesday. They will face the Anaheim Ducks, LA Kings, and San Jose Sharks. These games will be special because of Ovechkin’s “GR8 Chase.”

The Washington star has 18 games left in the 2024-25 season to reach that mark. If not, he still has one more year on his five-year $47,500,000 contract.

Many fans may be wondering if Ovechkin will sign another deal with the team after next season. In an interview with Sport-Express’s Igor Rabiner, he made his thoughts clear about potentially playing for 1,000 career goals

“I don’t think so,” Ovechkin said on Sunday.

Ovechkin turns 40 in September and has thought about his future for years. He has said before that he wants to finish his career with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL.

“We’ll see. Most likely, yes, to Dynamo,” Ovechkin said. “If health allows. It’s hard to plan for such a long term now.”

While an extension with Washington is unlikely, Ovechkin has a farewell idea. He hopes the Capitals and Dynamo Moscow can play a special game when he retires. For now, Ovechkin is focused on making history by passing Gretzky to become the league’s leading scorer.

Alex Ovechkin is building his stick collection while chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goal record

Alex Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals and has saved many game-used sticks. He also kept pucks from goals over the past four seasons. He plans to display them in a museum in Moscow, Russia.

“Just for history, for memories,” Ovechkin said on Wednesday, via NHL.com. “Obviously, my kids love hockey and when they’re going to be growing up, they’re going to understand more who I am, and they’re going to share those memories with their friends and family. It’s pretty cool.”

The Washington Capitals winger owns over 300 signed sticks from famous players. These include Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull and Jaromir Jagr. He also has sticks from Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.

“I have a Crosby first-year stick, McDavid first-year, MacKinnon, all those top players,” Ovechkin said.

Ovechkin got a Gretzky game-used stick after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. His collection started in his rookie year with a Mario Lemieux stick. He stores his collection in custom racks at his home in Virginia.