ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — When Alex Ovechkin was asked what he is most looking forward to on opening night this season, his answer was a subtle reminder that the 40-year-old version of the star forward is different than the player who entered the NHL two decades ago.
“Warmups,” he said with a grin. “I hope my kids are going to make it for warmups.”
Ovechkin begins season No. 21 with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night when they host the Boston Bruins. It's hard to imagine 2025-26 being more eventful than 2024-25, when he broke Wayne Gretzky's record and become the league's career leader in goals, but if last season was filled with anticipation — and ultimately celebration — this one may be more about appreciation.
It could be Ovechkin's last in the NHL. He is entering the final season of his contract and hasn't said whether he intends to retire — or even how soon he expects to make a decision.
“I just take day by day,” he said Tuesday. "You have to have fun, you have to enjoy yourself, and try to do it best as you can.”
After passing Gretzky with goal No. 895 late last season, Ovechkin enters 2025-26 with 897.
“He's already looking at 900 — like hopefully that happens (Wednesday) night,” coach Spencer Carbery said before chuckling at the possibility of an opening-night hat trick.
That 900th goal could be the last big milestone for a while. Ovechkin already holds NHL records for power-play goals, 40-goal seasons and 30-goal seasons. Although his game has slowed in some respects, his ability to put the puck in the net remained elite last season, when he scored 44 goals in 65 games.
He became the second-oldest player to produce a 40-goal season. Gordie Howe scored 44 in 1968-69, the season after he turned 40.
“I’m 31 and it’s hard,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “It takes a toll on the body. All of us, we just play as long as we can. He’s the GOAT. He can just keep playing and scoring goals.”
As consistent as Ovechkin has been, his production should not be taken for granted. In many ways, 2024-25 felt like a charmed season for both the Capitals and their Russian star. Washington rose all the way to the top of the Metropolitan Division, and Ovechkin scored on a career-high 18.6% of his shots.
There's plenty of chatter that both team and player might now regress, and with the record chase out of the way, it will be up to the Capitals to keep the intensity level high.
“I think the goal chase was good last year. It energized our team. I think it helped us get through the dog days a bit. It was such a cool moment for the whole organization,” general manager Chris Patrick said. "But I think Alex has always been team first and I think the way he’s handling this season just shows that he’s a team-first guy.”
Ovechkin already had to deal with an injury last month, although the severity was nothing like the broken leg he had in the middle of last season. Carbery says he has noticed no difference in his star's enthusiasm.
When Ovechkin is on one of his scoring binges, it sometimes feels like he could play until he's 50, but nobody is immune to the effects of age. Capitals fans would be wise to savor this season, which could be their final chance to watch the greatest player in franchise history.
“It’s pretty darn impressive, just his mentality and his physical perseverance to keep going and doing what he’s doing, there’s really no words to describe it,” Wilson said. "I don’t think anybody in that room will be talking about playing when they are 40, let alone scoring 44 goals and the broken leg and all that stuff last year. He’s a machine.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) warms up before an NHL preseason hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Thursday, October. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates during the second period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Thursday, October. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, FIle)
FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on during a break in the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Thursday, October. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday as tensions remained high with the United States over Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
The closure ran for over four hours, according to pilot guidance issued by Iran, which lies on a key East-West flight route. International carriers diverted north and south around Iran, but after one extension, the closure appeared to have expired and several domestic flights were in the air just after 7 a.m.
Iran previously shut its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel in June and when it exchanged fire with Israel during the Israel-Hamas war. However, there were no signs of current hostilities though the closure immediately rippled through global aviation because Iran is located on a key East-West route for airlines.
“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said the website SafeAirspace, which provides information on conflict areas and air travel. “The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”
Iran in the past has misidentified a commercial aircraft as a hostile target. In 2020, Iranian air defense shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 with two surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people on board. Iran for days adamantly dismissed allegations of downing the plane as Western propaganda before finally acknowledging it.
The airspace closure came as some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” going to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Iran at the request of the United States on Thursday afternoon.
U.S. President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements Wednesday that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran.
In comments to reporters, Trump said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also sought to tone down the rhetoric, urging the U.S. to find a solution through negotiation.
Asked by Fox News what he would say to Trump, Araghchi said: “My message is: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way, although we don’t have any positive experience from the United States. But still diplomacy is much better than war.”
The change in tone by the U.S. and Iran came hours after the chief of the Iranian judiciary said the government must act quickly to punish the thousands who have been detained.
Activists warned that hangings of detainees could come soon. The security forces’ crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A woman mourns next to the flag-draped coffins of a group of security forces, who were killed during anti-government protests, during their funeral ceremony, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A man hands out posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral ceremony for a group of security forces, who were killed during anti-government protests, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
People take part in a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, Berlin Germany, Wednesday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Policemen protect the British Embassy during a protest by hardline supporters of the Iranian government, as people ride on their motorbike in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
