It's Monday. Let's. Get. It. Done.

📺 What's on the tube: D.C. pro teams are off. If you need a game:

• 🏈 Falcons at Saints, 8:15pm, ESPN — New Orleans celebrates the 20th anniversary of the team's post-Katrina Domecoming game.

Today's newsletter is 899 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Alexander Ovechkin is calling it a career when this — his 22nd NHL season — is done.

Why it matters: The NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer has been the face of the Washington Capitals for more than two decades, transforming them from an afterthought into one of D.C.'s most consistently relevant teams.

• He delivered the franchise its first Stanley Cup in 2018, rewrote the NHL record book and became one of the most recognizable athletes in Washington sports history.

Driving the news: This morning, coach Spencer Carbery called up Ovechkin to address the team in the locker room.

• Ovechkin gave Carbery a hug and got right to the point.

What he's saying: "This is going to be my last year," Ovechkin said, keeping his comments to just a minute or so. "It's hard, but let's enjoy it and let's do some special things this year."

Catch up quick: After Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's goals record in April 2025, many assumed the 2025-26 season would be his last.

• He had accomplished the statistical feat he'd spent years chasing.
• His contract was about to be up.
• And, oh yeah, the Caps had mistakenly sent an email to season-ticket holders indicating it would be his last hurrah.

By the numbers: He's sitting on 929 goals — 37 more than Gretzky and 274 ahead of the next-highest active player, Sidney Crosby.

State of play: The Capitals came into this season with big expectations and impressed in their opener Friday, a 5-2 win at the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes.

• On Saturday, the Caps lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1.

Yes, but: Ovechkin's role already looks different.

• Throughout his career, he has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. Through the first two games this season, he's been at about 13 minutes a night.
• His 12:46 in the opener was the lowest of his career aside from games in which he was ejected or injured, according to Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

What's next: Ovechkin and the Caps play their home opener Wednesday against Crosby and the Penguins.

• That's fitting since Ovechkin and Crosby were No. 1 picks in back-to-back drafts but entered the NHL together in 2005 after a season-long lockout.

Read more about Ovi's last season

If you slept in Sunday and forgot the Commanders were playing on British Summer Time, you might have turned on your TV to see … who playing quarterback?

• That would be Athan Kaliakmanis, Washington's seventh-round rookie and third-string QB.

Why it matters: The season is less than a month old. The Commanders are 1-3. And three quarterbacks have already played the bulk of a game.

Driving the news: Kaliakmanis entered in the first quarter of an eventual loss to the Colts after Marcus Mariota injured his knee. Mariota, of course, was starting because Jayden Daniels dislocated his elbow in Week 2.

Washington could add another veteran this week, and Daniels could be nearing a return. But given the franchise QB's recent injury history, you might as well get to know Kaliakmanis.

The résumé: Kaliakmanis played at Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers, making 42 college starts and going 20-22.

• His college numbers were unremarkable, and The Athletic's Dane Brugler ranked him the No. 13 quarterback in the 2026 draft class.
• But in a thin QB class, Washington made Kaliakmanis the seventh quarterback selected, taking him in the seventh round.
• A strong preseason helped him beat out handsome-vibes guy Sam Hartman for the No. 3 job. Hartman cleared waivers and landed on the practice squad.

Get to know him: Kaliakmanis became something of a preseason darling for interviews filled with the sort of wholesome enthusiasm that might remind you of another backup-turned-starter: Kirk Cousins.

And, yes: Kaliakmanis is Greek.

• His name is pronounced AY-thin KAL-ee-ACK-man-is.
• He grew up in Illinois and proudly embraces his Greek heritage, including Greek words and iconography in a tattoo sleeve on his left arm.

After he completed a deep pass to Dyami Brown on Sunday, the Commanders' social team called him the "Baklava Bomber."

What we learned: The Baklava Bomber isn't afraid to let it fly.

• Kaliakmanis also connected with Treylon Burks for a 47-yard touchdown.
• But the aggression came with some mistakes: He threw a questionable interception and finished just 15-of-33 passing.

By the numbers: That 45.5% completion rate is the lowest of the 42 NFL quarterbacks who have played so far in 2026.

Find out more about Kaliakmanis

⚜️ "The People's House" — D.C.'s interactive White House exhibit — has updated its Oval Office replica to match President Trump's current decor. That means a whole lotta gold, complete with shiny wall appliqués, picture frames and knickknacks galore. (AP)

🇪🇹 Dukem is closing: The landmark U Street Ethiopian restaurant will close Nov. 7 after nearly 30 years, its owners announced. The family decided to close their business following the passing of founder Tefera Zewdie, whose restaurant grew from a small carryout and market into a longtime hub for D.C.'s Ethiopian community.

Editor's note: This item has been updated to correct the name of the interactive exhibit "The People's House: A White House Experience."

🐶 Mark is looking forward to walking his dog in this weather.

This newsletter was edited by Mike Szvetitz.