The NHL's all-time goals leader is returning to the Washington Capitals for a 22nd season because he still believes he can compete among the best athletes in the world.

After signing a one-year, $4.25-million contract extension, 40-year-old Alex Ovechkin pointed to two other aging icons, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as examples of how greatness doesn't always come with an expiration date.

"If you look at Messi and Ronaldo, those players show examples that if you're able to continue to show the level that you have, the skill, it's tremendous," Ovechkin said in a press conference on Monday.

"We watch Messi and Ronaldo almost every time, and I'm very impressed."

Much like Messi with Argentina and Ronaldo with Portugal on the FIFA World Cup stage, Ovechkin isn't just looking to prove he can still play.

He's looking to show that his decades of experience and elite talent can push the boundaries of what sustained excellence looks like.

Coming off a 32-goal, 64-point campaign in the 2025-26 season would be a fine sendoff for one of hockey's greats, but Ovechkin is willing to overlook the questions of his age and ability to continue to pursue greatness.

"I'm going to be 41 years old; I've had lots of pressure on my shoulders throughout the years," Ovechkin said. "I'm not going to think about it. I'm going to focus on the game and helping my team to win."

Pressure is nothing new to Ovechkin, who has been under the spotlight of the hockey world throughout his career.

However, the pressure of breaking into the NHL is much different than maintaining a role within it at his age.

"It's a totally different thing," Ovechkin said. "When you're 22 or 23, you take every pressure in a different way. I know how to handle it. I'm not worried about what people are going to say, what people are going to write, because I know myself, and I'm going to handle it on a high level."

Ovechkin's youthful spirit also comes from the injection of talent built through the Capitals' prospect pipeline over the past few seasons. Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson are just a few of the standout youngsters who have helped accelerate the team's competitive timeline.

They've also kept Ovechkin motivated to keep coming to the rink.

"When you're in the locker room, you can feel the energy," Ovechkin said. "The soccer games, the practices, the routines that we have, it gives you so much energy. Then you come to the ice, and you feel that the team is just flying around. I have to do the same thing.

"The young guys like (Hutson), (Leonard), obviously they're going to have great careers, but I have to take that moment, take that energy back to me."

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