Despite ‘hard year’ on and off ice, Alex Ovechkin was still Alex Ovechkin
Despite ‘hard year,’ Alex Ovechkin was still Alex Ovechkin originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ARLINGTON, Va. — This wasn’t just another year for Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals’ captain endured one of the most difficult campaigns of his NHL career in 2022-23, a season that saw Washington fall short of making the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
Ovechkin missed five games due to several nagging injuries, a total that doesn’t seem all that high until you consider he had only missed 47 regular-season games in his entire career heading into this season. He also stepped away from the team for four games in February following the death of his father, Mikhail, who was one of the most central figures in his life.
“It’s part of the life but you never thought it’s going to happen, ever,” Ovechkin said in his end-of-season presser on April 15. “It was hard for me and for all my family and friends, but it’s life. You just have to move forward and try to be mentally prepared for that stuff. Obviously, the team, fans, everybody support me, so I thank them very much, but, yeah, it was a hard year.”
It’s an ordeal like the loss of a father that makes hockey take a backseat. After returning to Washington for the stretch run, Ovechkin did all he could to return his focus back to the ice and push his teammates to compete. His commitment didn’t go unnoticed.
“It’s tough losing a father,” center Evgeny Kuznetsov said. “For me, it was a special moment when he came back and started playing hockey right away. He’s a one of the kind. I know there’s other good players but there’s only one like that…He’s an amazing human.”
Despite everything he went through, Ovechkin still turned in an impressive season. He finished the year with 42 goals — setting a new NHL record for the most 40-goal seasons in the process — and 33 assists. Ovechkin also proved to be in a class of his own when it came to age: Of the 19 players to score at least 40 this season, no one else was over the age of 30.
The Capitals left wing also enjoyed some landmark moments this season, becoming just the third player ever to score 800 career goals when he hit the mark with a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 13. Ten days later, he scored Nos. 801 and 802 against the Winnipeg Jets to move past Gordie Howe into second place on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
As great as those moments were, Ovechkin still finished the year with the team’s goal of returning to the playoffs at the top of his mind.
“Of course there’s lots of great memories, lots of great stuff that was happening this year,” Ovechkin said. “But I think for all of us when you know you’re not going to be in the playoffs, you need to think, ‘OK, what are we going to do in the summer? What am I going to do in the summer?’ I have to be in better shape. I have to get ready to help this team to forget this season and go into next year in a better mood and a better way.”
The Capitals will spend this offseason tinkering around Ovechkin in an effort to follow their captain’s lead. They’re already on the hunt for a new head coach after parting ways with Peter Laviolette and general manager Brian MacLellan has expressed his intent to infuse younger talent into the roster.
It’s not yet clear what the team will look like when players report for training camp in September, but one person they can count on more than any other is Ovechkin.
“He’s always a great leader,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “He’s, what, 37 years old, scores 40 goals? That’s pretty impressive, says it all and he’s been carrying this team for a long time and still does. So, we’re just trying to help him out as best as we can. I think he’s still hungry for goals and he’s still a great hockey player so I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back and did the same next year.”
