The Washington Capitals received brutal news regarding Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday. Ovechkin, the NHL’s leading goal scorer at the time of his injury, is week-to-week with a lower leg injury. The Capitals star left Monday night’s game with the Utah Hockey Club following a knee-on-knee collision with Utah forward Jack McBain.
The Capitals are trying to move one without their franchise icon. They recognize moving on is easier said than done. But they know injuries are apart of the game, and they know he can find his way back. Forward Tom Wilson echoed a similar sentiment on Wednesday when speaking to the media.
“He’s chasing something bigger than hockey,” Wilson said via NHL.com, alluding to Ovechkin’s chase of the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record. “I think everyone in the hockey world just feels that bit of letdown, that emotion that you’re just pulling for him and he’s putting everything he has into it. He feels all that pressure and the whole world of hockey is just rooting him on.
“So, to come in [the locker room] and see that he was hurt, it hurt a little bit as a teammate. But at the end of the day, that’s hockey. It’s part of the gig, stuff happens, and guys bounce back from injuries, and he’s going do the same.”
Capitals aren’t the only ones saddened by Alex Ovechkin injury
The Capitals are headed for a matchup with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. It marks the first game Washington will play without Alex Ovechkin since the injury. As much as this news saddens the Capitals, it has had an effect outside the organization, as well.
“When I was growing up, I was a big fan of him and Sid [Crosby], obviously, with the big rivalry,” said Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, via NHL.com. “So, I definitely still feel like I’m a fan of him in lot of ways and watching him dominate. He’s not just limping into this record, he was dominating, and he was going for a Rocket (Richard Trophy). So, it [stinks] he’s out for a few weeks, but hopefully he can get back quicker than they say and keep on chasing it. But it [stinks] we’re not playing him tomorrow night, for sure.”
MacKinnon, like Ovechkin, is one of the most exciting players in the league. In fact, he leads the NHL in points entering play Wednesday with 34. A matchup between these players certainly would have been must-see hockey for fans everywhere.
In any event, the Capitals will skate without their captain. Washington is tasked with cooling down an Avalanche team that has won four of its last five games. The Capitals are one of the best offensive teams in the NHL, though. It will certainly be interesting to see how they perform without Ovechkin on the ice.
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