May 10, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) takes a shot against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in game three of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images James Guillory-Imagn Images

Capitals Get Good News on Alex Ovechkin Injury

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI
By Jennifer Streeter | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 4:36 PM ET

It may have only been the very first day of training camp for the Washington Capitals, but captain Alex Ovechkin has already left day one's practice early for injury evaluation.

As previously reported, Ovechkin left the training camp ice to be evaluated for a lower-body injury. The all-time goals leader in the league — having surpassed NHL legend Wayne Gretzsky's 894 last year — is entering his 21st season. Ovechkin is 40 years old and is just nine games short of hitting the coveted 1500 games-played mark.

This is nothing new for the Washington faithful, as this is Ovechkin's second consecutive year nursing an injury; he broke his leg during the 2024-25 season, which kept him out of 16 games. However, Capitals' coach Spencer Carbery has seemingly calmed down the fanbase.

He told Capitals reporters that Ovechkin's latest injury is nothing significant and that him not skating the full time was simply precautionary.

Ovechkin’s injury is “nothing significant,” per Carbery. Said that him not skating was precautionary.

No big concern. Lower-body, day-to-day
— Sammi Silber (@sammisilber) September 18, 2025

This simply being a precautionary measure is good news for the Washington franchise, as it opens its season on Oct. 8 against the Boston Bruins, which also happens to be their home opener at Capital One Arena.

"The legend can sit out as many camps as he wants," one fan said on X of the Ovechkin situation.

Ovechkin got his start in the league all the way back in 2004; he was drafted by Washington as the No. 1 pick and has remained on the Capitals' roster ever since.

In 2024-25, the Capitals finished the season as the top seed in the Metropolitan Division. Their 111 points were also enough to lead the entire conference, meaning they then drew a first-round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, whom they beat in five games. The Capitals were then eliminated in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Should Ovechkin be at full health or not throughout the 2025-26 season, the veteran left wing could set another massive milestone in becoming the first player in league history to score 900 goals; he currently sits at 897.

The league legend has logged a whopping 897 goals and 726 assists for 1623 regular season points. He also chipped in 77-70-147 through 161 playoff games, adding a Stanley Cup in 2017-18, and a Conn Smythe as the Finals MVP.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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