Alex Ovechkin is set to return to D.C. in the next few days ahead of Washington Capitals training camp and word on the street is he's had a solid summer of training.
Per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, Ovechkin spent the offseason overseas vacationing in Turkey and spending time in his home country of Russia speding time both on and off the ice. His peers say he's in good shape heading into his 20th NHL season.
KHL forward Alexei Kruchinin worked with Ovi over the summer and told AllProSport that the six foot three, 238 pound winger is ready to go. Per a DeepL translation:
""We would go to the gym and he would go to the gym and do his own program with the coach. He did circuit training with us. We had volleyball at 5 p.m. every day; he didn't miss it.""Alexei Kruchinin
Although the Great Eight would take breaks like we all do, he was still dedicated to his game.
""It wasn't like he was just sitting around drinking. We all train and rest the same.""Kruchinin
Ovechkin as we all know has high expectations and there will be hype surrounding him as he sits 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's record but he also would like to see the Caps improve compared to last year. With the roster overhaul he has faith that they can get back in the dance and maybe make a longer run.
Ovechkin turns 39 on September 17 which is around the time training camp begins. He had a 31 goal and 34 assist season last year for 65 points. 42 goals for a 39 year old seems like a far fetch but there's nothing Ovi can't do and we all know that.
The Gr8 led the league in goals nine times in those 20 seasons. He can score as many as 65 goals but he was just 22 when he did that. But as recently as a pair of seasons ago the great eight had exactly 42 goals. That is a good sign for what's to come especially after a productive summer of training.