21 Years Later, Alex Ovechkin Still A Kid At Heart Who Just Loves Hockey: 'You Never Know When It's Gonna Be The End'

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Time doesn't seem to faze Alex Ovechkin.

It's been 21 years since he made his NHL debut, but the 40-year-old is still going, going, going … all the time.

On game days, he follows the exact same routine that has carried him through his Hall of Fame career, always with the same gap-toothed grin splashed across his bearded face. An hour before stepping on the ice, you'll find Ovechkin on the arena's loading dock, dressed in a pair of Nike shorts, a hoodie that reads "Well, I'm Not Michael Jordan" and a Caps toque covering his salt-and-pepper hair. 

When he's knocked out of the game, Ovechkin doesn't take a second to relax. Instead, he will migrate over to a mini trampoline and hop up-and-down until it's finally time to get in his gear and take the ice.

For the Capitals, that's all the proof you need when the question's raised: is Ovechkin still enjoying the ride?

"Nobody has more fun than Alex Ovechkin," coach Spencer Carbery said.

With no records left to chase, having replaced Wayne Gretzky as the league's all-time goals leader last April and — more recently — joining Gretzky again by scoring his 1,000th goal that combines both the regular season and the playoffs, there's not much else for Ovechkin left to prove. He's done it all and won it all, having hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2018.

But the records has never mattered to him. What matters is that he still loves the game the same way he did when he entered the league back in 2005.

"Since Day 1 when I came here, I loved being around the boys, locker room, obviously games," a smiling Ovechkin said the other day while untying his trademark yellow laces. "Yeah, I have fun. I'm always enjoy it.

"You never know when it's gonna be the end. It doesn't matter if you're a first-year player or final-year player. You just have to enjoy the moment, because you never know what's going to happen."

Ovechkin's contract is set to expire at the end of this season, but  he said he hasn't contemplated what's next for him. What he does know is that he's still loving every second of being on the ice and around the rink.

That's why, even with no unfinished business left to accomplish, Ovechkin hasn't changed a thing, and is just enjoying the vibes of this season rather than worrying about what's next.

"(Knowing him), you get even more of an appreciation for how much of a legend he really is," Dylan Strome said.

"There's no doubt he's still at heart just a big kid still enjoying playing the game," Jakob Chychrun added. "I think he loves being at the rink as much as anybody. He's always got a smile on his face and just always loves to be here. It's obviously a huge, huge part of his life to come to the rink every day."

On the ice, he's still his usual self, firing one-timers from his "Office" and throwing big hits — despite the wear on the body —  to pull his team into the fight. Off the ice, Ovechkin doesn't take any part of the NHL lifestyle for granted. He still takes on road trips with the same zest he did back in his rookie days.

He usually arrives to the airport for road trips with Subway sub and a pack of Flamin' Hot Cheetos in hand. During flights, he enjoys playing cards with Chychrun, while sharing laughs and memories with his teammates, whether they're veterans or new to the league.

Last season, after Ryan Leonard signed his entry-level contract, the Capitals were on the road in Boston, so Ovechkin led his teammates into a local bar to get to know the new kid. Days later, after breaking Gretzky's record, Ovechkin cracked open some beers with his teammates on the trip back home, rattling off every player who's assisted on one of his goals along the way.

"He just goes about his own business," Strome said. "He loves his country, loves where he's from, loves his family, loves hockey, and when you blend all those together, you make a pretty good hockey player, a pretty good teammate and a really good captain."

As he enters the twilight of his career, Ovechkin has come to know the value of making the most of each day at the rink. Now that he's a father, he's made sure to share every moment with his young sons, seven-year-old Sergei and five-year-old Ilya, along the way — tough they haven't quite captured the magnitude of their father's legacy just yet.

"They know how many goals I have," Ovechkin said of his two boys. "They know all the players on our team and all the players around the league. They just love hockey. I hope they'll be professional athletes and professional hockey players so I can share my experience with them."

As Ovechkin said, it's important to just take each day in stride, because he doesn't know when it'll be his last.

"Why change anything now?" Ovechkin grinned.