Now with a Cup win, what are the chances Ovechkin retires early?

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

He would be way close if not for all those 30ish goal seasons. Did there ever endup being an explaination for all that?

At least one of those years, he was injured pretty well the whole year. Another year was Hunter hockey.

You can also thank Buttman for costing Ovie probably 25 goals with the lockout.

 

[DFC]

He has a not probable, but definitely plausible, shot at breaking the all time goal record. If he plays until he's 40, he could at least come within spitting distance of it, even if he slows down.

I think he still has a lot to play for in the NHL. Wouldn't be shocked to see him leave for a year when the Olympics come around again though.

 

[Fallschirmyager]

Probably, but most of the all time greats didn't leave the NHL until they were pretty much done in the NHL.
Kovalchuk is the biggest exception.

If Ovechkin walks away at 35 that would be unusual.

Lest we forget, he's also rumored to be attempting to come back to the NHL. How much influence would he have on Ovy if he says it's better to stay here? I'm not saying he would but Kovalchuk not staying in the KHL speaks volumes by itself.

but how do we know that's important to him?

Unless it's late in a blow out game he celebrates each goal like it's his first. I'm thinking he'll continue doing that as long as he can reasonably be among the best at it.

 

[mrv52]

I am serious. If Ov plays in the K he will buy his own Gulfstream and go that way. Russian aviation is about as bad as there is in this world. Really. Disasters there are regular.

Ovie does not have the cash to buy a gulfstream.

 

[txpd]

Ovie does not have the cash to buy a gulfstream.

Lease is what I should have said.

 

[HabsQC]

I'm pretty sure he likes playing in the NHL because he's a competitive guy who loves testing himself against the best in the world. Winning one cup won't be enough for him

Deep inside I'm sure he wants to catch up on Crosby for cups.

 

[Zine]

Lest we forget, he's also rumored to be attempting to come back to the NHL. How much influence would he have on Ovy if he says it's better to stay here? I'm not saying he would but Kovalchuk not staying in the KHL speaks volumes by itself.

What Kovalchuk does is irrelevant, Ovechkin knows exactly what it’s like to play in the KHL.

Like someone said earlier in this thread, Oveckin, like almost all Russians, will end his career in the KHL, full circle. And when he does it will certainly be with Dynamo, he’s exceedingly dedicated to them.
Whether it will be sooner or later is the unknown question.

 

[gtrower]

More importantly, hopefully getting this cup means he’ll retire a Capital.

 

[Portable Mink]

I hope he retires in a long long time.

He is a special player not only on the ice, but also off it in a market which before him, had often believed that Russians didnt have what it takes and were soft outside players.

He has changed that perception.

 

[DEVILS130]

Ovi loves the game. I can see him being like Jagr

 

[justafan22]

I don't think he leaves the NHL until he passes Jagr on the all time scoring list at 766 which isn't impossible. That's his next goal

 

[sdf]

Lol. His mom is not cool with him playing past this contract. So he won't.

Bahaha 'his mom', that's f***ing hilarious

 

[pezpunk]

Bahaha 'his mom', that's ****ing hilarious

You clearly know nothing about his mother, OR his relationship with her.

She’s an Olympic champion who has also acted as his agent, trainer, and coach. To say they are extremely close is an understatement. There’s no one on the planet with more influence over him.

 

[ChickenBurrito]

He just saw Kovalchuk leave and now want to return to the NHL. He knows the KHL sucks.

 

[Voight]

I doubt it.

Now that hes got his cup, and a Smythe to boot his mind & heart is set on the goals record. Sure, he'd like to win another cup or two but he can focus more on breaking records now that hes collected every trophy possible.

 

[StevenB]

Ovechkin is clearly a really competitive guy and likely won’t stop until he’s done it all. He’s probably going to play until his body gives out and given his freakishly athletic nature I wouldn’t be surprised if he lasts until he’s 40-42

 

[Voight]

There is contradictory information out there. I read recently putin saying ovechkin told him he wants to go home after contract is up. On the other hand when he scored 600 goals or 1000 points his parents wrote a letter for him which was made public. In that letter they expressed the desire to see him catch gretzky. I personally think it all depends on his performance the next 3 years. If he is healthy and still scoring at high pace i can see his inner cricle talking him into staying and trying
To carch the goal record. But if he starts falling off i can see him calling it quits in nhl once the contract is over. Another thing to note, he will have a kid soon. I would bet he wants his kid to have a russian upbringing like he had. Also depends on how much his wifey likes it here. That alone could be the deciding factor. Either way i really dont want to think about this right now and just enjoying this moment!!!!

Maybe, but at the same time, the kid would have a higher quality of life in the USA. Ovy clearly loves living in the country and he can still teach his kid the Russian language and traditions.

The Olympics are in China. The NHL will go.

They are courting the Chinese market big time.

Exhibitions games there next season. There are too many dollars there to ignore.

Not only this but I can almost guarantee the players will opt out of the CBA in 2020 in order to secure Olympic participation (as they had it in the 2005 CBA). They are super pissed the NHL wouldn't let them go.

 

[Sweetpotato]

I think he leaves for a year for the Olympics and comes back. But due to his physical nature he'll have a long career if he wants it. Id like to see him break Gretzkys goals record but I have a feeling as competitive as he is he'll go home before it.

 

[Barrie22]

Maybe, but at the same time, the kid would have a higher quality of life in the USA. Ovy clearly loves living in the country and he can still teach his kid the Russian language and traditions.



Not only this but I can almost guarantee the players will opt out of the CBA in 2020 in order to secure Olympic participation (as they had it in the 2005 CBA). They are super pissed the NHL wouldn't let them go.

So we better get ready for a full season of lost hockey because the players are to stupid to die on the olympic hill issue and not lose out any other perks they enjoy now.

If the players push the olympics. They can probably expect there 50% piece of the pie to be going down a little bit.

 

[613Leafer]

I think he cares a decent amount about his legacy and will want to get as high as he can on the most goals of all time, most scoring titles, more Cups if possible, etc.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

He's the kind of player who could play in the NHL until he's somewhere in his forties.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

I think he will retire at such a point as he can no longer score at least 30 goals. If he finished a season with like 18 goals or something. I think he would retire.

 

[Acallabeth]

Six more seasons averaging ~32 goals would make him the #1 all-time goal scorer. This is an attainable goal and one I think he would care about if he's still in a position to do it in ~3 years. He also needs one more Rocket Richard to become #1 all-time for seasons leading the NHL in goals, and could realistically get more than one in his remaining seasons.

If it was that easy, people would consider AO #1 already.
607 +32*6 = 799.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

I think he has even more motivation to play in the NHL now. He loves it in DC, he wants more cups, and has records to chase. Ovi seems like the kind of guy that will play until he has absolutely nothing left.

 

[22FUTON9]

Really a shame to think about how many goals he would have if it weren't for stupid lockouts and if he was born just a few days earlier. I'll be somewhat pessimistic and say he'd probably have 60 more goals if it weren't for the lockouts and probably be over 700 if he was drafted a year earlier. What could have been. Oh well, I hope he stays for a long time and hits 800