📈 Ovechkin's retirement announcement sparks major ticket price hike
Alex Ovechkin tells Capitals teammates this will be his last season (1:27)
ESPN staffOct 6, 2026, 05:36 PM ET
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Everyone wants to see Alex Ovechkin's final NHL season -- even if it means paying a pretty penny to do so.
On Monday, Ovechkin announced that this season would be his last in the NHL, bringing an end to an illustrious career for the superstar winger and the league's all-time top goal scorer. Ever since, ticket prices to Washington Capitals games have been soaring -- and not just for home games in Washington D.C.
Unsurprisingly, of course, the hottest ticket on Washington's schedule is now its final regular-season home game on April 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which could be Ovechkin's final time playing in front of home fans at Capital One Arena. The cost to attend that contest is a heavy one, according to VividSeats -- the get-in price for Penguins/Capitals had climbed to $725 as of Monday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. CT.
This marks a 90.3% increase from last week's cost of $381. As of Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. CT, the most expensive single ticket available on VividSeats' marketplace will set a buyer back $7,279.
It's more than just Ovechkin's potential final home game that's seeing a rise in prices. Ticket prices for the Capitals' road games jumped as well, with contests against the Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators all reportedly seeing the largest cost jumps.
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