WASHINGTON - After weeks of negotiating, the Washington Capitals and Russian star winger Alexander Ovechkin have agreed to a 13-year extension. The contract with the franchise player is worth a record 124 million dollars - an average of $9.5m per year.

“I love my teammates, the coaches, management and owners, and I love being a Washington Capital,” says Ovechkin, “the fans here have been great to me. I want to win, and I want to bring the Stanley Cup to Washington.”

The contract will expire in 2021 when Ovechkin will be 35 years old. The Russian is leading the Capitals with 32 goals and 52 points. Currently, he is 9th in scoring in the league. The Muscovite had totally 130 goals and 120 assists in 206 NHL games. He was drafted as number one by the Capitals in 2004 and joined the team 2005 after having been hockey pro for Dynamo Moscow.

On international level, Ovechkin won twice World Championship bronze (2005, 2007). In 2006, he was also in the All-Star Team of the Olympics and the World Championship. Ovechkin won his only gold medal at the 2003 IIHF World U20 Championship.