Alex Ovechkin Out with Broken Fibula, Putting Gretzky’s Record Chase on Hold

Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin has been sidelined with a broken left fibula and is expected to miss four to six weeks. This injury puts a pause on Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record.

The Capitals provided an update on Ovechkin’s condition after he was evaluated by team doctors following a recent three-game road trip. The 39-year-old sustained the injury in a shin-on-shin collision with Utah’s Jack McBain. Ovechkin’s closest teammates were aware that the injury was serious even before he was placed on injured reserve.

Tom Wilson, Ovechkin’s teammate since 2013, expressed the team’s disappointment, stating, “Everyone’s bummed out. It’s unbelievable that he’s actually hurt. He’s going to miss games? I’ve been around a long time, and it’s new to me.”

Ovechkin, known for his durability despite his physical style of play, has missed just 35 games due to injury in his first 19 seasons. His relentless approach to the game has been a key factor in his pursuit of Gretzky’s goal-scoring record of 894 goals.

Wilson praised Ovechkin’s work ethic, saying, “He doesn’t go out there and just coast around. He’s played 20 years every shift running over guys and skating. He’s a power forward, the best goal-scorer ever maybe, and he’s a power forward that plays the game really hard.”

Ovechkin was leading the league with 15 goals in his first 18 games this season, putting him on pace to break Gretzky’s record sometime in February. John Carlson, Ovechkin’s teammate since 2009-10, highlighted the danger of goal-scorers getting hot and the impact of Ovechkin’s injury on the team.

Carlson said, “There was a bit of that in the downs that everyone was feeling about it too, of course. We see him coming to the rink every day, we know what’s at stake. You never want anyone to get injured, but there’s a lot to it and certainly he was playing his best hockey in years.”