Alex Ovechkin has earned the second-most total money of any NHL player in league history, but because of taxes, he’s not as rich as you may think he is.
Per Spotrac, the Great Eight’s career earnings, based solely on his NHL contracts and no other brand deals/partnerships, sit at $150.7 million. He recently discussed his current financial situation during a Russian-language interview with his friend and blogger Amiran Sardarov.
“I don’t even know [how much money and assets I have],” Ovechkin said per a transcription by sports.ru and a translation by Google Translate.
When asked by Sardarov if he had over $100 million, Ovechkin replied, “Of course not. How? There are taxes. If I had 100 million, I would be relaxing and drinking beer right now.”
Ovechkin has two more years remaining on the five-year extension he signed with the Washington Capitals in 2021. He will get paid an additional $20 million split over those two years.
Top 10 NHL career earnings
| Player | Career Earnings (USD) |
|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | $152.9M |
| Alex Ovechkin | $150.7M |
| Evgeni Malkin | $141.3M |
| Jaromir Jagr | $135.4M |
| Shea Weber | $130.8M |
| Anze Kopitar | $129.3M |
| Vincent Lecavalier | $128.1M |
| Patrick Kane | $118.4M |
| Ryan Suter | $117.6M |
| Steven Stamkos | $116.7M |
Ovechkin, who revealed in the same interview that he plans to move back to Russia when his career is over, has invested some of his earnings into real estate. He owns properties both in the US and in his native country.
“Yes, [I invest in real estate],” Ovechkin said. “[In Russia], of course. We bought an apartment in Miami four years ago. I have a house in Washington. If I had planned to live there, I would have invested and bought there. And, in Russia, both for myself and for investments.”
Ovechkin has also secured major endorsements with some of the world’s top companies including Nike, Coca-Cola, Fanatics, Hublot, Papa John’s, Gillette, Energizer, MassMutual, Electronic Arts, CCM, and Bauer among others. He is also partnered with several Russian-based companies like PSB Bank, Fonbet, Bank Otkrytie, and SPORTCONCEPT.
The Capitals’ captain has also had some pretty expensive hobbies in the past, including his collecting of very expensive sports cars when he was younger. At one point he amassed a stable of seven vehicles, including a Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG, a Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, a BMW M6, and a Porsche Cayenne GTS.
Ovechkin said during another Russian-language interview in 2013 that collecting cars was his “main hobby, my dream, and there is nothing I can do about it.”
