Probably the worst thing that could happen at an informal skate for the Washington Capitals came true on Monday — Alex Ovechkin leaving the ice early with a potential injury.
The 38-year-old left the skate just minutes after it started, reported The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber.
“Ovechkin had just finished stretching and warming up and was taking part in the team’s first drill of the session when suddenly, he pulled up and winced in apparent discomfort,” wrote Silber. “After that, he stopped and made his way to the bench, getting a pat on the back before heading to the locker room.”
Silber confirmed that Ovechkin did not return to the ice in Arlington, Virginia for the duration of the skate, which is certainly not ideal. Washington’s training camp is set to officially open on Thursday. The Capitals are slated to have physicals the day before.
Fans will be holding their breath that The Great Eight leaving the ice was just a precaution — with a new-look roster, the Capitals are going to need him in 2024-25.
Capitals need Alex Ovechkin healthy as he chases Wayne Gretzky’s record
After just squeaking into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals were swept by the New York Rangers in Round 1. It was the worst postseason of Ovechkin’s career, and he’ll be looking for a better showing with a revamped roster this season.
Caps new GM Chris Patrick and current president of hockey ops Brian MacLellan had a great offseason, bringing in Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Matt Roy and Logan Thompson, among others.
The goal is to keep the team competitive in the twilight of Ovechkin’s career, especially as he continues chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record.
Ovi currently has 853 career goals, 41 behind The Great One. He recorded 31 goals and 34 assists in 79 regular-season games in 2023-24, but didn’t manage a single point against the Blueshirts.
He’ll turn 39 on Tuesday. It’s unclear if No. 8 is dealing with a serious injury, and whether or not it will impact his attendance for the opening day of training camp later this week.
It’ll be interesting to see if Ovechkin is back on the ice on Tuesday morning, and whether him not returning to the skate on Monday was simply precautionary or injury-related.
The Capitals open their regular-season against the New Jersey Devils on October 12.
