00:00Do you believe this is Alex Ovechkin's final game as a Washington Capital?
00:05He played this past weekend at Capital One Arena.
00:08There were some breadcrumbs that you couldn't maybe read into what happened during that game.
00:14At the end, after the Caps won the game, the Penguins were hanging out on the ice.
00:19They wanted to say their goodbyes to Alex Ovechkin.
00:21He came out and he waved them off.
00:23He said, nope, not interested in doing that tonight.
00:25He shushed them away.
00:26He shushed them away.
00:27Before the game, he also took a picture with Sidney Crosby, Kenny Malkin, Chris Letang,
00:34where they all had their sticks down on the ice before a lot of the people were in the building.
00:38So that makes you think, well...
00:39He took the opening face-off.
00:40He took the opening face-off when Dylan Strome got chased out.
00:45I think the ref might have been behind that.
00:47I think he did it on purpose.
00:49Yeah, the ref suggested it, though.
00:50So, which side do you come down on?
00:52Do you think this is Alex Ovechkin's last game as a Washington Capital,
00:56or is he going to give it one more run after he gets together with his wife and his family
01:00and his advisors and the team later in the summer?
01:04Which side do you come down on?
01:06Does Ovechkin return?
01:08Or is tonight his final game as a Capital, 800-636-1067?
01:14I've done a total 180.
01:16I think he's coming back.
01:18I'm convinced he's coming back now.
01:20I waffled a little bit, but I think he's coming back.
01:22I don't think you're likely to shake off guys.
01:26I think deep down he likes to play.
01:27And he wants to play, and he's still productive.
01:30He's the leading scorer on the team.
01:32He's the leading points guy on the team.
01:34He leads the team in shots.
01:37I get it.
01:38There are some assets in the game.
01:39We talked to Joe Beninati about this yesterday.
01:41There are some aspects of his game that maybe aren't the best.
01:46They don't put him in defensive draw situations.
01:50He's slowed down, but he certainly can still produce on the power play.
01:55And he's still scoring.
01:57So I would think they would want him back.
02:01As a fan, I would think that you would want him back.
02:06And I think he hears that, and he knows he can still play,
02:10and he knows he can still make money.
02:11Not that he needs it.
02:13But I think he comes back for one more season.
02:15And I think if he does return, and I'm starting to think that he is going to return.
02:21I was in the camp of he's done.
02:23He's at the age of 40.
02:24There's nothing really left for him to accomplish.
02:26He's won a Stanley Cup.
02:27He caught Wayne Gretzky for the individual record.
02:30Obviously did that late last season.
02:32And there's nothing more that he has to prove to himself or to the NHL critics
02:39that killed him for so many years for not winning a Stanley Cup.
02:42But I think he's intrigued by the young pieces that this team has added.
02:48Guys like Sordiff and Ryan Leonard, who scored 20 goals this season.
02:52Cole Hudson.
02:52I think he sees that young talent coming into the locker room.
02:56And I think he still wants to be a part of it and help mentor those young guys along
03:02and still be hanging out with the boys.
03:05And he's still productive.
03:07It's not like he's limping around scoring 8 or 10 goals.
03:10He's pumping in 30 goals like he always does.
03:13And let's look at it.
03:14LeBron is 41.
03:15He's still playing.
03:16Tom Brady played until like 45.
03:19If you're one of the best and you're still producing, you're never going to get it back.
03:24Once you walk away, you're never going to get that feeling of being in the locker room.
03:27And that guy has a blast.
03:28I mean, we see all these videos of their pre-game antics.
03:33He's having as much fun as anybody.
03:35He's not this old guy going, what are these young guys doing with these goofy high fives?
03:39He's in the mix.
03:40Oh, yeah.
03:41He's the ringleader.
03:43He's the main character.
03:45And I think he thrives on that and loves it.
03:47And he just loves the game.
03:50I mean, we all saw the video of him hanging out with Malkin at his house.
03:53And when he's not playing hockey, he's reveling in his kids playing hockey
04:00and doing the same thing that he did when he was a kid.
04:03So I think he's coming back.
04:06I think he's going to take a month, month and a half, whatever it is.
04:10And then I think he's going to announce that he is coming back to run it back for one more
04:15year.
04:15The biggest thing could be, the biggest tell beyond the point production, he didn't miss a game.
04:22I know.
04:23He's still able to take the ice for every game.
04:25In other words, his body was able to withstand it at his age.
04:28Right.
04:29Which is remarkable.
04:29All the punishment is remarkable.
04:31I mean, he's always been a tough guy.
04:32But there's been a few things here and there over the last few years that have sidelined him at times.
04:37He's played all 82 games, so his body can still handle it.
04:40Yeah, he's the only guy on the roster that is going to be able to say he's played in all
04:4582 games after tonight's game.
04:47Right.
04:47Jacob Chikrin and Strom are going to come close.
04:50They're both going to hit 80.
04:51Willie's going to hit 72.
04:52But Ovi, the oldest guy on the team, is the only player.
04:56Well, I see Cakes.
04:57I see Duhaime and Bavillier.
05:00I don't have the column sorted the way I should.
05:03Yeah, yeah.
05:03But for him to do that at this age is remarkable.
05:07Gordie Howell played until he was 52.
05:09Chris Chelios, 48.
05:11Yarmir Yager played until he was 45.
05:14The X factor is the desire to go back home.
05:19And, you know, I think he has that desire.
05:22I think his wife has that desire.
05:23He's got family there.
05:25He'll be a god over there.
05:28My understanding is he'll play and he's going to own a team.
05:33So it's just when do you start that transition?
05:35Yeah, but like when he's sitting down and talking with everybody, the calculus should be,
05:39well, I can live there for 50 years.
05:41I can only play here with Washington for basically one or however many more seasons he wants to do it.
05:48However long he wants to continue the grind that goes into being able to play 82 games at the age
05:54of 40.
05:55And now 41 if he comes back.
05:59So I think he's going to take a month or so off, get away from the game, go on vacation
06:04with his family,
06:05probably wind up like in Dubai riding camels like he did a few years ago, whatever.
06:10And I think he's coming back.
06:12I think he's running it back.
06:13I mean, I'm looking at this list.
06:15He's relatively young in terms of a lot of good players who continue to play on well into their 40s.
06:23Mark Messier is another one I didn't mention before.
06:25Played until he was 43.
06:27Here's the main difference.
06:28Joe Thornton, 42.
06:29Like, I think this has been thrust on him because it was the end of his five-year contract, right?
06:35And everybody just made the assumption, yeah, end of his contract, he'll be 40, he's going to want to walk
06:40away.
06:41And then you make an assumption that he's going to want to play in Russia.
06:43I don't know.
06:44I haven't heard him say that.
06:46There's so many of these hockey players that played well into their 40s.
06:50Why wouldn't he keep playing?
06:51He's producing.
06:52Because he does want to play in the KHL.
06:55So you want to make sure you have some meaningful time.
06:57Here's why he might not be able to last as long as some of those other guys you mentioned.
07:02He's third all time in hits in the NHL.
07:06And that takes a toll on your body.
07:07Like, it's taking a toll on the guys you're hitting, but it also is going to take a toll on
07:11your body as well.
07:13You don't think Bobby Hall had a bunch of hits?
07:15He played until he was 41.
07:17Bobby Hall?
07:18Let me see.
07:19I don't see him anywhere near the top 10 in all-time hits.
07:24Our guy Adam Oates played until he was almost 42 years old.
07:28I'm just putting that out there as a reason why he might not be able to make it to 45.
07:32I'm not saying 40 is young, but it is not uncommon for players to play into their 40s in hockey.
07:39It's not.
07:40I agree with you.
07:41But I think the biggest factor is also that he just stayed healthy for all these games.
07:47He's probably thinking, you know, as I get older, it's harder and harder to get up each day.
07:52And I'm sure it was.
07:53But he was able to do it 81 times, coming up on 82 times.
07:56So why not run it back?
07:581-800-636-1067.
08:00I think he's going to do it.
08:01Do you think he returns?
08:02Or do you think tonight's last game?
08:05Valdez, you want to chime in?
08:06No, I just thought that when you said that, it made me think.
08:10The last thing you want is to kind of limp out, not on your terms, and just have a nagging
08:16injury be with you for the entire year.
08:19So that's why I maybe, I think he might be.
08:22Be a counter to it?
08:22Yeah.
08:23Yeah.
08:24Like, he's not going out where he's basically in a wheelchair.
08:28I don't think that's the last thing that you would regret.
08:31I think the last thing you would regret would be retiring too soon and missing the guys.
08:35And that's why you see in sports, often guys will retire, and then they come back.
08:40Right.
08:41Well, I also think, do you want to leave bullets in the chamber?
08:43I don't think he wants to go out missing the playoffs on a random Tuesday night in Columbus.
08:51That's just not, it's not the right, it's not the right setting for him to go out, in my opinion.
08:56I just think two months from now.
08:57He needs one last run at the playoffs.
08:59I think two months from now, after he does vacation and all that, he's going to, I want to play.
09:03Right.
09:04He's a player.
09:05Players like to play.
09:05So are we unanimous on this side of the glass that he's coming back?
09:09We're all saying he's coming back.
09:12Yeah, if I had to bet, I mean, I'm not, I wouldn't, I wouldn't bet my life on it.
09:15Now, this is the one wet blanket so far saying he's going to hang it up.
09:20I mean, I understand why you think that based off of his, his antics last game and how productive he
09:28was.
09:29But I just think that I don't know.
09:32I don't know what there's more to accomplish for Ovi besides racking up more goals and making the record.
09:38But you could have said the same thing about Tom Brady, right?
09:40There was nothing really more for him to accomplish.
09:43And then he went to Tampa and won another Super Bowl.
09:46I think the biggest factor is that he just loves it.
09:48Right.
09:48He loves it all.
09:49What is there more to accomplish for LeBron James?
09:53Nothing really, but he's going to come back and play again next year.
09:56For Ovi, the one, another thing to accomplish is another cup run.
10:00Well, sure.
10:00If he could end it with a cup run, that would be an amazing, you know, end to your career.
10:05I don't know, man, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm looking at recent players who were great players and Tom Brady came
10:15back for several seasons with Tampa.
10:19LeBron James continues to do it and is producing and nobody's thinking that this is LeBron James's last run.
10:27And he's 41.
10:29People assume he's coming back next year.
10:31The question is, is he going to be with the Lakers or is he going to go back to Cleveland
10:35or play somewhere else?
10:36Mike Marr, you want to chime in?
10:38You want to be on the record here?
10:40Let's go hard.
10:41One way or the other.
10:421,000% he's coming back.
10:43No doubt in my mind.
10:45This is my guy.
10:46Now, I was originally leaning towards he was going to retire.
10:48You know, a couple people boots on the ground out and about in Arlington.
10:51I'd heard a couple of things that he was hanging up the, the skates, but when he shoot off the
10:56penguins, that right there told me he's coming back.
10:58That was a sign.
10:59I thought it was a big sign too, to be honest with you.
11:02All right.
11:02We'll get to your calls next.
11:03800-636-1067.
11:05Let's go on the record, people.
11:07Is tonight's Ovi's final game?
11:09Yes or no.
11:10Does he return as a Washington capitol for a final season in 26 and 27?
11:16800-636-1067.
11:19Does Ovi stay or does Ovi go?
11:22We'll take your calls on that next here on The Fan.
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