Alex Ovechkin’s Wife Made the Call on His 22nd Season. Here’s What She Said.

Alex Ovechkin is coming back for a 22nd season with the Washington Capitals, and he wants everyone to know it wasn’t really his call.

The Great 8 signed a one-year extension after the Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. And according to Ovechkin, the deciding factor came from home. His wife, Nastya, told him to go for it.

“Everybody was asking me, ‘Are you coming back? Are you coming back?’ Then, that situation when you can see we have that type of team that we have, to win one more time, the Stanley Cup, it’s one of the big reasons (I’m returning),” Ovechkin said. “My wife told me it was cool. One more.”

Why Ovechkin believes this Capitals team is different

Washington had a busy summer. The front office added Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues and Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres. Those moves, along with some younger pieces, have Ovechkin thinking this roster can make a real run.

“What management did signing new players, trading for new guys, you can see how (Patrick) said for ‘Carbs’ (coach Spencer Carbery), it’s going to be lots of work, lots of thinking of what line combinations are going to be,” Ovechkin said. “We have lots of depth in our lineup, so yeah, I’m very excited.”

Last season Ovechkin put up 32 goals and 32 assists. Not bad for a guy pushing 39. But he’s chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, and another year gives him more runway.

The Caps drafted Ovechkin first overall in 2004. He’s already the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Now he gets one more shot at a second Stanley Cup, with his wife’s blessing and a retooled roster around him.