Capitals star Alex Ovechkin explains intriguing move after Penguins game

The Washington Capitals played their final home game of the season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It may have also been the last time Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby shared the ice.

After the game, Crosby got the team lined up to shake hands with the Capitals’ captain, but he waived them off. Now, Ovi is sharing why he did just that, according to Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

Ovi seemingly didn’t want to do a postgame handshake with the Penguins and waved them off

Maybe because he might be playing them in the playoffs or because he’s playing one more year? pic.twitter.com/Sz6yjGm2Qm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 12, 2026

“I don’t decide yet. Thanks to them to wait out there,” Ovechkin said, also speaking of his future. He also noted he would go see Crosby and Evgeni Malkin after the game.

Ovechkin revealed last week that he was still mulling over the retirement decision, and it will be a summertime discussion.

“We’re going to make a decision in the summer. I have to talk to my family, with Ted, with KP, and Mac. I have to make a decision in the summer,” he said.

The game was filled with tributes to the long rivalry between Ovi and Crosby, Malkin, and the Pens. Chants of “one more year!” also rang throughout the arena. While it was a nice gesture to try to honor Ovi, head coach Spencer Carbery was not surprised by the waive-off.

“It’s kind of in [Ovechkin] fashion. He’s like, ‘I’m not retired, so leave me alone. I don’t want to shake anybody’s hand,'” Carbery said. “And honestly, I’m like, ‘We might be seeing them in a week.'”

Ovechkin still has at least one more game in his NHL career. The Capitals are 42-30-9 on the season, sitting in fourth in the Metropolitan Division. They are just one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Flyers lose Monday night to the Carolina Hurricanes and Tuesday night to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Capitals will clinch a playoff series with the Penguins with a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

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