Though he just broke Gretzky’s record for the most career goals with 895, Alex Ovechkin’s most remarkable skill might actually be his loyalty. In the fast-paced world we live in, where contracts are held in higher regard than relationships, the fact that Alex Ovechkin has managed to stay with the same team for two whole decades is remarkable. Washington isn’t a team particularly known for retaining players over decades, with only three other players on the team who are almost at par with Ovi in terms of their staying power, i.e., Bäckström, Carlson, and Wilson. So one has to wonder, what is it that builds such unquestioning loyalty?

Though Alex Ovechkin joined the Capitals in 2005, he signed his 13-year contract in 2008, which, at the time, was the most expensive contract in NHL history and amounted to $124 million for 13 years. Interestingly, however, Ovi chose to do this sans agent and approached the commitment as if it were a personal relationship, even introducing his family to the team early on.

Capitals long-runners Bäckström and Wilson reflected deeply on how much a part of the locker room Ovi’s family had always been, especially in the wake of Mikhail Ovechkin’s heartbreaking passing in 2023. For Wilson, the bond ran far deeper than just teammates — it was something familial, something sacred. “They’ve always treated us in this room as family, and you know, we’ll be there; you know, as much time as it takes, we’ll try and pick up the slack.”

Bäckström, too, felt the loss intimately. He didn’t speak just as a teammate but as someone who had known Ovi’s father as part of his own everyday life: “We were hanging out a lot with his dad; I mean, we always brought him around, like basketball games,” he recalled warmly, the memories still vivid — a quiet nod to how Mikhail Ovechkin had never just been a spectator but truly one of them. This just goes to show how integrated Ovi’s family was with his team and how there wasn’t really a line there, making the consequent loyalty… clear and undeniable.

Over the years, there have been many rumors that the KHL  (Russia’s tax-free hockey empire) has been offering their star product, Alex Ovechkin, great, tax-free deals trying to steal him back from the NHL. These rumors were more prevalent than ever during the 2012 lockout, and while other NHL players seemed to consider overseas contracts during the drought, Ovechkin made it clear that his heart belonged to D.C. How?

Well, when his 2021 contract was about to end, he just re-signed with Washington for five years at $47.5 million. Ovechkin simply stated at the time, that his interest was in breaking Gretzky’s record and staying with his team, and getting the glory of the record break.

But what makes D.C. in particular so worth staying for? What makes it worth more than the tax cuts in Russia? And the obvious other deals that could have come through for the current highest career goals scorer of all time? Especially if he’d used an agent.

What makes D.C. special to Alex Ovechkin?

For Ovi, it’s love, at the end of the day, that’s what makes him the record-breaking legend that he is. “If you love, you love, you know?” he said in a recent speech. “It’s only one love. I love Dynamo, and I love Capitals.” It’s clear Ovi is driven by passion, and it is this and his loyalty that go hand in hand. It all makes sense now, the wins, the drive, the intensity of emotion during the ceremony that followed his 895th goal!

When reminiscing about his 20 years with the Capitals, Ovechkin added, “I don’t know if this sounds, like, stupid, but this is my second home. I grow up, like I spent 20 years here. I grew up like a man… like, I grew up here, you know?”

And it’s true, Alex Ovechkin and his family grew alongside this team when he first moved to America from Russia. His father, Mikhail Ovechkin, was a constant support in his journey and was seen often in the stands or in the locker room. And, like Ovi himself said, “It’s only one love,” making it clear why the lines between family and team were thin if even existent. Mikhail Ovechkin’s lasting imprint on the Washington Capitals is clear. NBC broadcaster Alan May remembered it best: “When Ovi started here, [Mikhail] was a constant presence at Kettler Iceplex… As soon as practice was over and his son was off the ice, bounding down the stairs would be Mikhail Ovechkin right into the Capitals locker room.”

So for Ovi, D.C. isn’t just his team; it’s also another connection he now shares with his late father, and maybe this is the real reason he’s stayed all these years.