Even with the NHL on pause, Alex Ovechkin has kept his focus on the season ahead. Ovechkin opted to stay stateside as the league paused for the 4 Nations Face-Off, training with former NHL player Darius Kasparaitis in Miami, Florida.
The relatively local trip contrasts with how he spent the 2024 All-Star break and bye week, when Ovechkin travelled to Dubai before ending the season on a tear, scoring 22 goals in his last 35 games. After losing over a month of this season to a fractured fibula, however, Ovechkin wanted to make sure he stayed sharp. He had previously trained with Kasparaitis in 2020 during the pandemic and reached out again ahead of the 4 Nations break.
“I think especially when I get hurt, I don’t skate much during that break and it was hard to me, coming back on the ice,” he told reporters Wednesday after the Capitals’ first practice back. “I don’t want to lose that touch, lose that skating ability, so it was nice and thankful for him.”
Asked if he hoped to repeat his post-Dubai hot streak from last spring, Ovechkin quipped, “I hope so. Why not?”
Besides an opportunity to get extra training in, Ovechkin saw the break as a chance to reset and refocus before the final 27 games of the season. The Capitals have a record of 11-1-6 since January 1 and went into the break with a six-game point streak, something they’ll look to continue when play resumes Saturday.
“I think everybody was tired, lots of hockey, lots of practice and now restart your brain and get ready for the second half and most important, for playoffs.”
He further highlighted the importance of time away from the game, even as he kept up his training regimen. Ovechkin travelled with his wife, Nastya; mother, Tatyana; and sons, Sergei and Ilya. He also reunited with former teammate Dmitry Orlov on a speed boat, spotting a dolphin with his family while on the water.
“I think you have extra days to recover, don’t think about hockey,” he said. “Spend time with your family, parents. It was a vacation, it’s kind of nice.”
Ovechkin’s approach to the time off impressed head coach Spencer Carbery, who predicted ahead of the break that Ovechkin would get even better as he neared the end of the regular season. Carbery highlighted Ovechkin’s added training as an example of his dedication.
“It was purposeful, right?” he said Wednesday. “He could have vacationed and gone halfway across the world, but coming back from the injury and wanting to stay stateside and make sure that he was looking after himself and getting ready for this last final push…it just tells me in this situation that that O is really serious about putting himself in — not that he hasn’t been — but because of the injury, because of coming back, and because of where we are in the season, I think him utilizing his time was the number-one priority for him in this situation.”
Tom Wilson, too, praised Ovechkin’s work ethic, highlighting how well his teammate plays coming out of breaks.
“I probably should’ve learned from last year — I probably should’ve gone with him for the break,” he said. “We spent our break three or four years ago together, and he always seems to be flying. I think it just shows you how much this all means to him right now. Everyone’s on the beach and he’s putting in work in the gym, and he’s skating. He looked good today, so I know he’ll be flying. He’ll be leading the way.”
The extra training time came as Ovechkin sits on the brink of history, just 16 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. Even now, with the finish line in sight, Ovechkin told reporters the record chase rarely crosses his mind.
“No, not at all,” he said.
Instead, he said he wanted to “stay healthy, get ready for most important thing — obviously playoffs — and play the best hockey.” The Capitals currently sit a point behind the Winnipeg Jets for first in the standings and have a nine-point lead in the Eastern Conference, with Tankathon rating their remaining schedule as the fifth-easiest in the league. Ovechkin, however, isn’t taking any of that for granted as the Capitals prepare for the final third of the regular season.
“It’s still 20-something games left — we can’t look forward too far. We’re just going to take it game by game and it’s nice to be back and fresh. It was hard practice today. It is what it is.”
The Capitals will play their first game back against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 3 pm.
