(Update 6:45 p.m. EST: The Capitals have released a statement regarding the interview below: "The Washington Capitals dispute the validity of this report.")

Injured Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was watching Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers with Mike Green (also injured) in one of the rooms of the Verizon Center the press box.

He later met with some young fans outside of the locker room to sign some autographs. That's when I got the chance to ask him a few questions about his "upper body injury" and his journey back from it.

Keep in mind Ovechkin didn't indicate if the following "diagnosis" was from team doctors or his own evaluation.

Q. You're in good mood. Are you getting better?

OVECHKIN: I am better. But I will miss 4-5 weeks.

Are you serious?

I actually plan on starting practice on the ice next week.

I know that you did skate already.

Yes, but after I did that the doctors told me not to do that yet. And not to have a stick in my hands.

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No. 1 Star: Evgeni Nabokov(notes), San Jose Sharks

The Sharks netminder was solid against the defending champions making 27 saves for his 49th career NHL shutout during a 5-0 San Jose victory. After facing just three shots in the first period, the Penguins tested Nabokov with 24 shots in the final two periods. Having taken a 4-0 lead early in the second period, Nabokov fought off a desperate Penguins team trying to break the shutout.

No. 2 star: Antero Niittymaki(notes), Tampa Bay Lightning

Another game, another solid effort by Niittymaki. His 36 saves silenced the Montreal crowd as the Lightning ended a four-game road trip with a 3-1 win. Niittymaki has now won two of his last three starts and lowered his goals-against average to 1.90 and improved his league-best save-percentage to .940.

No. 3 star: Mike Knuble(notes), Washington Capitals

No Alex Ovechkin(notes) or Mike Green(notes) didn't stop the Capitals offense from exploding for seven goals in a victory over the Florida Panthers with the 37-year old Knuble popping in two goals and adding two assists. Knuble's multi-goal game was the seventh time a Washington player has reached the feat so far this season. 

Honorable mention: Behind Dan Ellis'(notes) 27 saves and Cody Franson's(notes) second goal in the NHL, Nashville downed Los Angeles 3-1 ... Flyers rookie Mika Pyorala(notes) may not have scored his first goal of his young NHL career, but his tally in the shootout was enough to give Philadelphia a 2-1 win over St. Louis ... Jonas Gustavsson(notes) came up big in his third straight start by stopping 35 shots while Phil Kessel(notes) added his first goal in a Toronto jersey along with an assist as the Maple Leafs routed the Detroit Red Wings ... Along with Knuble's pair, Tomas Fleischmann(notes) fourth and fifth goals of the season ... Nigel Dawes(notes) had a hand in all three Calgary goals as the Flames upended the Rangers 3-1 ... In his first game since early October, Joe Pavelski(notes) potted his first goal of the season during San Jose's win over Pittsburgh ... Miikka Kiprusoff's(notes) 32 saves paced Calgary pasted the Rangers ... Despite two goals by Loui Eriksson(notes), Marek Zidlicky's(notes) goal near the end of the second period was the eventual game-winner as Minnesota got by Dallas 3-2 ... New Jersey extended their league-best road record to 8-0-0 ... Milestones on the night: Tim Connolly(notes) and Francois Bouillon playing in their 500th NHL games while Henrik Tallinder(notes) appeared in his 400th. Capitals rookie Mathieu Perreault(notes) scored his first career NHL goal. 

Did you know?: Craig Conroy(notes) is the only Calgary Flames forward without a goal through the team's first 15 games. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Buffalo Sabres goaltender Jhonas Enroth(notes) didn't have a memory NHL debut allowing a goal on the first shot he saw and losing to Boston 4-2 ... Powerless power-play's tonight included Buffalo (0-for-7) and Detroit (0-for-5) ... Carolina extended their power-play drought to 0-for-30, while the Penguins are now 0-for-21 in their last four games ... Ottawa penalty-kill could have used an extra hand allowing all three goals on the in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey ... Finally, the struggling Carolina Hurricanes took another blow tonight when they lost goaltender Cam Ward(notes) after his thigh was lacerated by Rick Nash's(notes) skate:

Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Really interesting analysis being done by the MSM and the blogs on the Colorado Avalanche's attendance woes, as the first-place team had a record-low crowd earlier this week. Adrian Dater asked for, and received, a ton of feedback from fans about why they do or do not attend games. [All Things Avs]

• Jibblescribbits, meanwhile, has two posts on the issue that put the blame squarely on the Avalanche's poor marketing, both of their players and of their ticket affordability: "The casual Denver sports fan right now has no clue how good the Avs are, and they have no idea that there are some great ticket specials." [Jibblescribbits]

• Twenty-one-year-old Robert Hughes, a center for the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers, was arrested on charges of a first-degree criminal sexual act and a third-degree criminal sexual act after a game in Bridgeport. [AP]

• Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Dustin Byfuglien are called out as the Chicago Blackhawks struggle offensively. Toews and Hossa will probably help. You know, a little. [Between the Circles]

• The Vancouver Canucks are seriously looking at Peter Forsberg. Because after October, consistent injuries are sort of the norm over there. [Globe & Mail]

• Bringing Jaromir Jagr to the Edmonton Oilers remains something on associate coach Tom Renney's mind, but is that a good thing? [Illegal Curve]

• Josh Sacco, a.k.a. Lil' Herb Brooks, will do the "Let's Play Hockey" intro at the Minnesota Wild's game against the New York Islanders on Nov. 20. Better yet: He's going to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics. That. Is. Awesome. [Tennessean]

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Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: Phoenix Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. In September, claiming that this matchup would be the game of the night on Nov. 4 may have been grounds for institutionalization. Yet here we are, with the Yotes fifth in the West at 18 points and the Avalanche still first in the conference with 22. Colorado is 4-0-0 at home. Peter Budaj gets the start after the battle with swine flu. Watch The Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y!

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Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m. EST. Former Mighty Duck of Anaheim Dan Bylsma and former Anaheim Duck Chris Kunitz go back to Cali as Stanley Cup champions. Good news for Anaheim? Pittsburgh is 1-11-3 with a tie since Jan. 16, 1999 in the Golden State, via the AP. The bad news? The Ducks are on a 1-4-1 skid. Rules the Sports Judge: "This is a fragile and confused team right now, trying to steer themselves out of a wet paper bag." Watch The Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y!

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Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Phil Kessel prepares to make his debut tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Glad to see Tomas Kaberle is keeping expectations in check by saying Kessel's proven he can be a 50-goal scorer in the NHL. [Globe & Mail]

• In praise of Kessel's ability to handle the pressures of being a "savior" and the intensity of the Toronto media spotlight before Phil Kessel actually feels the pressures of being a "savior" and the intensity of the Toronto media spotlight. [Toronto Sun]

• Admittedly, we haven't spent much time thinking about Jacob Jake Voracek of the Columbus Blue Jackets. That might have to change now that we know he's grown his hair to vintage Jagr proportions and bugs the hell out of his teammates by singing "Bette Davis Eyes." [Disptach, via Puck Update]

• Damien Cox still believes Phoenix Coyotes fans were buying tickets to watch Wayne Gretzky make angry faces. [The Spin]

• From Dead Man Walking to Future Colour Guy, the Kurtenblog's hilarious guide to backup goalies. [KB]

• Alex Ovechkin speaks to a massive media gathering in DC after the Washington Capitals announced he was "week to week" with an upper body injury. On traveling with the team: "Get some nachos, coke and enjoy the game." Here's video of AO's presser. [Capitals Insider] 

• Ted Leonsis on life without Alex Ovechkin for the Washington Capitals: "The players will all rally around the coach and the jerseys that they wear. This is a team. They play for each other and for our passionate fans. The players will want to thank Alex for his MVP talents and we hope to NOT miss a beat. We will test our mettle now." [Ted's Take]

• Pavel Bure either has the worst or sexiest hockey card ever. One of the two. Or both. [Rock The Red]

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Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Phoenix Coyotes, 9 p.m. EST. Second place in the Pacific Division is up for grabs between two of the League's most surprising teams. The Kings' special teams have been aces in two previous meetings (1-1) against the Yotes. Of course, none of that matters now that the NHL owns Phoenix and will fix all its games and stuff.

Preview: Edmonton Oilers at New York Islanders, 7 p.m. EST. If this were 1983, we'd watch this instead of watching the World Series. Aw, who are we kidding: We're still watching this instead of watching the World Series. The Isles are 4-1-2 in their last seven. Wonder if the Tambellini's have a friendly father/son wager.

Evening Reading

• Elliotte Friedman offers more analysis on that brutal hit on Ben Fanelli. [CBC Sports, and the hit is here.]

• From the Washington Capitals: "Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin suffered an upper-body strain in Sunday evening's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and his status is week-to-week, the team determined Monday. ... He was examined and treated by the team's medical staff and underwent an MRI exam on Monday. The two-time reigning most valuable player will travel with the Capitals this week to continue to receive medical treatment." Week-to-week is a very strange term. Is that a gentleman's way of saying "month"?

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In the NHL, humility is paramount. No player is supposed to be bigger than his team, no team bigger than the League. It's the logo on the front, not the name on the back, right? Except, of course, when your name is a brand name -- on a global scale.

IMG Worldwide, one of the most powerful sports and entertainment marketing agencies on the planet, believes its newest client Alex Ovechkin's celebrity has transcended the sport of hockey.

"Correct," said David Abrutyn, IMG's senior vice president and managing director of global consulting. "We believe that given the performance on the ice, and given his personality and general demeanor, that he's really broken through. There are going to be some significant opportunities from a marketing standpoint to raise his profile to that of other superstars in other sports."

So if there's a commercial with Kobe and Tiger promoting a car or an energy drink or an iPod, does Alex Ovechkin get to join them on the Mount Rushmore of sports celebrity?

"That's a great aspirational standpoint," said Abrutyn.

"We'd like to see him in more national advertising campaigns and national promotion -- from Canadian perspective because of the passion for hockey in that country; from a U.S. perspective, because of his ability to [break] through; and when you get into the global hockey markets, we'd like to see Alex marketed in the same way that other global superstars are."

To some, the news that Ovechkin has signed with IMG will be a blip on the radar, a brief note in the business section. To hockey fans, it should mean something much, much more significant: It's a premier marketing company indicating that the NHL has potentially produced its first global crossover superstar since former IMG client Wayne Gretzky.

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Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Our End of Decade series begins on Tuesday. You've been warned.

• After nearly six months of court battles, PR nightmares and angry Canadian fans, the NHL officially purchased the Phoenix Coyotes for discounted rate of $140 million after the court signed off on the deal. Now comes the fun part: Finding an owner willing to keep a team drawing fewer people than "Amelia" in Glendale. [The Arizona Republic]

• Rick Tocchet sends a message to Vinny Lecavalier, dropping him to a line with Drew Miller and Stephane Veilleux against the Philadelphia Flyers today, and saying that the star's defensive game and hustle have fallen as his offense has. Can you remember the last time a star of that magnitude was dropped to a what's basically a checking line? [Lightning Strikes, stick tap to The Skating Penguin.]

• As Sean Avery prepares to return to Calgary for the first time since the "sloppy seconds" affair, Sun Media columnist Eric Francis wants an apology from the New York Rangers winger: "If the classless New York Rangers mouthpiece has a shred of decency in him, he'll publicly apologize to Dion Phaneuf and girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert for his stunningly offside comments of a year ago." [Sun Media]

• The update on Alex Ovechkin's injury: He arrived at the Washington Capitals practice facility on an off day, presumably for treatment on his day-to-day "upper body" issue. [Capitals Insider]

• Guess who's back? Back again? Foppa's back. Tell a friend (that the Flyers are scouting him). [TFP]

• Fantastic take by Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News on Michael Liambas' hit on Ben Fanelli that left the Kitchener Rangers defenseman in critical condition with skull and facial fractures. Writes Kennedy: "No matter what any of our thoughts are on head shots, fighting in hockey, hard plastic elbow pads, etc., the only person who can truly do anything to prevent an injury in this case is Liambas." [THN]

• Second City Hockey takes a critical look at the first month of the Chicago Blackhawks. Pearl of wisdom: "Tomas Kopecky doesn't do anything.  I mean at all." [SCH]

• Gunaxin's "20 Hockey Teams w/ Bizarre Names" is recommended. The Thetford Mines Isothermic? For realz? [Gunaxin]

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Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

I woke up on Sunday morning (we'll call it morning anyway, it was pretty close to noon) and started going through the inter-nettery I'd slept through. Most of my regular sites were quiet, it being Sunday morning and all. Same with Twitter.

Then I stumbled across this tweet by USA Today's Kevin Allen: "This morning I count 110 NHL regulars injured or ill and there are more I don't know about. That's roughly 18% of NHL players sidelined."

Eighteen percent? I knew my fantasy teams had taken a beating over the last week or two but the scope of that is just crazy. One out of just about every five players is so hurt or sick that they can't play. Let that sink in. Your favorite NHL team probably has four guys missing games right now.

And the names on these guys, too: Evgeni Malkin. Ilya Kovalchuk. Marian Hossa. Marc Savard. Jonathan Toews. Valtteri Filppula. Jason Spezza. Dany Briere. Simon Gagne. Sergei Gonchar. TJ Oshie. Andy McDonald. Phil Kessel. Johan Franzen. David Booth. Andrei Markov. Daniel Sedin. Patrik Elias. Roberto Luongo. Marian Gaborik just came back from injury for Sunday's game. Mike Green was questionable. And then Alex Ovechkin went and got himself hurt against Columbus.

Those, by the way, were off the top of my head, and that doesn't count guys who have, had, or will get the freaking swine flu. So what gives?

(Coming Up: Sidney Crosby, hockey goon, pummels another foe; Sabres souring on Myers; Brad May's bench injury; mocking Habs fans; praising Pavelec; the mess that is Carolina; and when bloggers admit their teams' vulnerabilities.)

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