Alexander Ovechkin announced that this season will be his last in the NHL

Brief retelling from RIA II

Alexander Ovechkin announced that this season will be his last in the NHL.

Ovechkin informed Spencer Carbery of his intention to retire from the NHL the day before the official announcement.

Carbery expressed gratitude for his relationship with Ovechkin and emphasized that their relationship will not end with the end of the player’s career.

MOSCOW, October 6 - RIA Novosti. Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said that team captain Alexander Ovechkin told him about his intention to retire from the National Hockey League (NHL) the day before the official announcement.

Ovechkin, 41, announced Monday that this season will be his last in the NHL.

"I found out about this yesterday. Ovi called me and we talked a little bit. He said that he wanted to address the team today, the staff and let everyone know what decision he and his family had made. So we talked about how he wanted to arrange it. I told the staff in the morning that Ovi would make an address to the team," Carbery said at a press conference, a video of which was published on the official Capitals website.

"That's kind of the feeling that I think a lot of players feel, especially guys like Willie (Tom Wilson - ed.), who's been around him for a long time. The feeling that you have inside when you hear him finally say, 'This will be my last year,' there's a lot of mixed emotions. There's kind of a lot of gratitude for our relationship and that I had the opportunity to come into the Caps organization and be a head coach, and him being the captain, accepting me with "With open arms, and our relationship - head coach and captain - was strengthened, then the pursuit of the record makes you think, and I think our relationship is amazing. Whether this is his last year or not, this will not end our relationship and the love and care that I have for him and his family. And I'm sure we will have many, many more wonderful moments together, even as a coach and a player," Carbery said.