“Russian machine by no means breaks.” That is what a younger Washington Capitals ahead named Alex Ovechkin told reporters after a 2006 game wherein he left and didn’t return after struggling a foot damage.
Properly, 18 years later the Russian machine is cracked.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain is anticipated to overlook 4 to 6 weeks with a fractured left fibula, per a statement from the team.
Ovechkin went down within the third interval of Washington’s 6-2 win over the Utah Hockey Membership on Monday after colliding legs with Jack McBain, needing help off the ice and all the way down to the locker room.
The workforce placed Ovechkin on injured reserve Wednesday, recalling ahead Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey and selling Hendrix Lapierre into the lineup for Thursday’s recreation in opposition to the Colorado Avalanche.
Ovechkin, in his twentieth season, was on one of many hottest streaks of his profession earlier than the unlucky damage episode.
He led the league in goals (15) having scored in every of his earlier 5 intervals performed, growing his profession whole to 868.
Ovechkin’s season is now paused with him simply 27 targets from passing Hockey Corridor of Famer Wayne Gretzky for many all-time (894).
An optimistic restoration would see him return to the ice in early January however his taking part in kind will seemingly be under the white scorching tempo he was taking part in at in November.
Nonetheless, all hope is just not misplaced for “The Nice Eight” to nonetheless break Gretzky’s file this season.
After a sluggish begin to the 2023-24 campaign wherein he solely scored seven occasions earlier than January, Ovechkin tallied 34 over the course of the ultimate 4 months of the season.
Whereas a leg fracture and a sluggish begin are two very completely different circumstances to get well from, historical past signifies Ovechkin is able to issues no bizarre participant can produce.
If he had been to decelerate considerably after returning or expertise an damage setback, he nonetheless has one other yr beneath contract with Washington.
Passing Gretzky in 2025-26 continues to be very a lot on the desk if not going given Ovechkin’s unimaginable 0.83 goals-per-game tempo to begin this yr.
