Washington Capitals Deliver Crushing Update on Alexander Ovechkin: The League Will Miss Him
After a red-hot start to the season, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin recently went down with an injury, with the team now confirming that he'll miss time.
Last season, Alex Ovechkin scored less than a goal for every two games for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign for the Washington Capitals, and even with Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record within reach, many doubted him.
However, the 39-year-old has found new life this season, posting an incredible 15 goals in just 18 games played, giving him the overall lead in the NHL with his team sitting at 13-4-1 and being a strong contender for the Stanley Cup.
Unfortunately, during their last game against the Utah Hockey Club, Ovechkin collided with Jack McBain, after which he would leave the ice with all NHL fans collectively holding their breath over his status.
While there was little worry about a season-ending ACL injury, there were still fears that Ovechkin could miss some game time.
The team today confirmed that he will be week-to-week moving forward, meaning that he will potentially miss several games.
Thankfully it wasn't the worst-case scenario of an ACL tear, but given how great he was early in the season, it's a devastating outcome for Washington, having to place their captain on the IR.
As a result of the move to the IR, Ovechkin will miss at least a week of action.
This will severely impact his chase for Wayne Gretzky's record and will need to be back to his torrid early season pace in order to catch him this season.
In the meantime, Washington called up Ivan Miroshnichenko in his absence.
He has been having a solid season with Hershey and does bring 6 points in 21 NHL games as Washington hopes he can bring the offensive punch like Ovechkin.
After 15 goals this season, Ovechkin is now just 26 back of the incredible 894 scored by Wayne Gretzky throughout his career.
He needs to finish the season with at least 42 goals to hit that mark, and we can hope the knee injury doesn't slow him down too much.
He was on track to break that record easily this season, and this is the latest setback in his chase for history that includes several missed seasons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2004-05 lockout season.
Even if in the best case Ovechkin only misses a week of action, an injury to his knee at his age could hold him back significantly when he returns.
After he and the team created so much momentum, that has now been put in jeopardy as a result of his injury.
Through 18 games, this season looked like a historic one for not only Ovi but the Capitals as well.
While they may be able to wrestle back that momentum, this is a major roadblock for both parties, and all NHL fans will be hoping that he can find a way to get back to 100% very soon.
