While most of the NHL’s top players are competing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, some of the league’s top Russian players like Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin are getting a nice mid-season break. Without any games for the Capitals or Team Russia, Ovechkin took his time away from the rink as an opportunity to stay in shape as he continues to chase down one of the NHL’s “unbreakable records.”
Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 26 goals on the season, but more importantly, he is 16 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894. At 39 years old, Ovechkin has shown no signs of slowing down, and his current training sessions during the break have shown his commitment to the game.
Ovechkin has been working out with former NHL star Darius Kasparaitis, who spoke with RG about the workouts and how relaxed Ovechkin is, despite chasing down an iconic record.
“He is in a good mood. He does not think about any records, he just plays hockey,” Kasparaitis said to RG. “It seems that he does not feel any pressure from the need to break Gretzky's record, he just plays as he has played his whole life.”
Being so calm is a perfect situation not only for Ovechkin, but for the Capitals as a whole. The Capitals are surprising the NHL as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a 36-11-8 record, and Ovechkin has been a big reason for their success.
26 goals highlights Ovechkin’s 43 points in 39 games played. A lower-body injury sidelined Ovechkin for a little over a month, but he never missed a beat. Since returning from his injury, Ovechkin has scored 11 goals in 21 games.
“He knows how to work and how to relax,” Kasparaitis said. “This is not the Ovechkin of 20 years ago. He will calmly score the necessary goals and break the record. There is no doubt about it.”
There is little doubt that Ovechkin will soon break Gretzky’s record. It’ll be more than a milestone accomplishment for the sport, but a huge nod towards Ovechkin’s work ethic and unrelenting passion for the sport.
“He’s just a machine,” Kaspariaitis noted.
