Ovechkin energized for 22nd season by new faces at Capitals camp

ARLINGTON, Va. – The start of Alex Ovechkin’s 22nd NHL training camp was filled with questions about the Washington Capitals’ potential to be Stanley Cup contenders, celebrating his 41st birthday Thursday and his future with the Capitals, and participation in a political ad in his native Russia.

The NHL’s all-time leader in goals began the day with his teammates singing “Happy Birthday” to him during their pre-practice meeting. Then, he took the ice for the first practice of the camp skating at left wing on a line with Dylan Strome at center and Ryan Leonard on the right side.

After scoring an NHL-record 929 goals during his first 21 seasons in the League, all with the Capitals, Ovechkin continues to bring a youthful enthusiasm, but he acknowledged that aging takes a toll.

“Every year, it's harder and harder because after vacation, you enjoy it, you’re relaxing, you’re doing stuff that you normally don't do like during the year,” Ovechkin said. “And then you have to go back to your normal routine, practice, training, work out on the ice, off the ice. At 40 -- I just became 41-- but at 40, it's kind of like ‘Jesus, do I have to do that?’ But as soon as you step on the ice, you feel like, OK, that first week is hard, but then your body adjusts and you feel like, OK, you’re good.”

Before talking about his birthday or anything else, Ovechkin opened his post-practice media availability by addressing his appearance in an ad for Russian president Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, which drew criticism from those who viewed it as supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. In the commercial, Ovechkin is standing behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov also participated.

“The thing about the video, I'm Russian,” said Ovechkin, a Moscow native. “As soon as I'm done playing hockey, I'm probably going to, not probably, I'm going stay there. My life, I'm going to live there. My kids are going to live there, family. So, I'm for peace and love, and I hope everything's going to be OK.

“My home is Russia, and this is my second home. I have lots of friends. I grew up here as a person, and I love DC. This is my second home. So, I hope everything's going to be OK, and, how I said, peace and love for everybody.”

Coach Spencer Carbery said he hasn’t seen the ad but doesn’t anticipate it impacting the Capitals locker room. 

General manager Chris Patrick, who has seen the video, said, “I would say it's a difficult situation, and I understand why people are upset, and that's probably the most I should say about it as a general manager of a hockey team, and not someone well versed in geopolitical issues.”

Ovechkin has said in the past that he plans to return to Russia to possibly play and live after his NHL career is finished. Although he led Washington with 32 goals and 64 points in 82 games last season, it was unclear whether he’d come back for another season because his previous contract was expiring. 

He put those questions to rest when he signed a one-year contract on July 2 that includes $1 million in salary, a $4.75 million games-played bonus (10 games) and a $3.25 million signing bonus.

Ovechkin said the Capitals’ decision to be aggressive in upgrading their roster played a significant role in his decision to return. Washington strengthened its scoring depth by adding two three-time 30-goal scorers in forwards Alex Tuch (trade with the Buffalo Sabres after signing eight-year, $84 million contract; $10.5 million average annual value) and Jordan Kyrou (trade with St. Louis Blues) and also signed versatile forward in Boone Jenner (four-year, $23 million contract; $5.75 million AAV) and stay-at-home defenseman Vincent Desharnais (four-year, $16.8 million contract; $4.2 million AAV).

“I was looking how the team is going to do in the deadline (for) free agency, and you can see like the new faces what we have, it gives us chance to fight for a Cup, and this was it,” Ovechkin said. “… If (the team) was fully rebuilt, it kind of like will be hard for me. But right now, you can see the depth in our team, the skill, the leadership that we bring to the locker room, it gives you motivation. 

“It gives you joy and I have support from my family first, and then from whole organization.”

Ovechkin wasn’t ready to say whether this will be his last season, though. For now, he’s not looking beyond training camp and the Capitals’ season opener at the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 2 (7 p.m. ET; CARNHL, MNMT, TVAS).

“I have to make a team,” he joked. “We have lots of skilled guys, so I have to (be) working hard out there and hope (Carbery) is going to put me in.”

Carbery talked again Thursday about spreading out the ice time among all the Capitals forwards to take advantage of their improved depth, which would mean Ovechkin could play less than his NHL career-low average of 17:27 in ice time per game last season. But Carbery said Ovechkin’s role this season will be “a game-by-game thing.”

Ovechkin said he changed his training this off-season with personal trainer Pavel Burlachenko to focus more on conditioning and appeared leaner (his listed weight of 238 pounds has not been changed for the past decade). He said, “I’m on a diet” when asked if the Capitals gave him a birthday cake and looked to have some extra jump in his step in the Capitals’ first practice, which ended with a grueling conditioning skate.

“He just continues to mow down every milestone and every everything in his path,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “It's truly impressive. We were talking this morning that a lot of guys at 41, we're not going to be doing that conditioning drill at the end of practice. We're going to be on the dock with a beer somewhere.”