Ovechkin turning back clock for Capitals at age 32

ARLINGTON, Va. - Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin being voted by the fans to captain the Metropolitan Division at the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Jan. 28 (3:30 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports) wasn't a big surprise.
Ovechkin is leading the NHL in goals with 26, putting him on pace for a 50-goal season. He leads the Capitals with 43 points and is a big reason why they are in first place in the Metropolitan Division.

The surprise is that Ovechkin is doing this at age 32, after his 33 goals last season were his lowest total in a full season since 2010-11 and when many were beginning to question whether he could continue to score at an elite level.
Ovechkin answered those questions from the start of the season, scoring three goals in a 5-4 shootout win in the Capitals opener against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 5 and following up with four goals in a 6-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens two nights later, making him the first player in 100 years to begin a season with consecutive hat tricks.
Ovechkin called it a huge honor to be an all-star for the ninth time in his career, but said he hasn't been trying to prove anything with his play this season.
"I've been in this position before," he said. "I don't need to prove to someone that I'm as good as I am. The most important thing is I know who I am and I know how I have to play to be at that level. Obviously, right now we're in a different position, we're a different team than we had last year. So some different players have to step it up and do different things."
Ovechkin was one of the players the Capitals needed to elevate his game after they lost a significant chunk of goal production with the offseason departures of forwards Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson, who each scored 24 goals last season. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan and coach Barry Trotz told Ovechkin as much over the summer.
While visiting with his son in Russia in July, Trotz met with Ovechkin in Moscow and stressed the importance of fitness in maintaining his level of play as he ages.

"I think the trick for longevity in this league [is] the older you are the more you have to train," Trotz said. "A body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest and it deteriorates. … So it's a matter of how much the athlete wants to put into it and how passionate he is about putting in all the extra time and all that. And then also there's a genetic thing as well. With Ovi's durability and genetics, if he wants to, he can."
Ovechkin got Trotz's message, worked hard in the offseason with a personal trainer and returned to Washington two weeks before the start of training camp -- much earlier than usual -- to get ready for the season. Although his listed weight of 235 pounds is four pounds lighter than last season, he's gained back some of the power and speed in his skating that was missing.
"I'm not 25 years old anymore," Ovechkin said. "I have to stay in shape. Obviously, I [used to] do some crazy things, but I'm married right now and it's a different life. … I'm not saying I'm old. I'm 32. The most important thing is if you keep your body in good shape, you know what you have to do for your body."
The payoff has been noticeable in the separation Ovechkin has been able to create for himself, which has led to more scoring chances and goals.
"You can see he's scoring those goals again where he's moving his legs, he's going down the ice and he's creating goals himself," Capitals forward T.J. Oshie said. "On top of playing with really good players who get him the puck in scoring areas, and on top of his spot on the power play, he's now creating goals by himself. And I think that's why you see such a big uptick."
Center Nicklas Backstrom attributes some of Ovechkin's increased production to him finishing some scoring chances that didn't go in for him last season.

"Sometimes that's the way it goes. It goes up and down," Backstrom said. "I feel like he's in a good mood, good rhythm and when goal scorers score, I feel like they get into this path they just keep going."
Ovechkin went four games without a point from Dec. 19 to Dec. 27, but has three goals and three assists in three games since then, including two goals in a 5-4 victory at the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. His overtime goal in that game was the 100th game-winning goal of his career.
With 26 goals in 41 games, Ovechkin is on pace to finish with 52, which would be the eighth 50-goal season of his 13-season career.
"I hope he gets 50," Backstrom said. "There's not a lot of guys that have been doing that as his age. He's got the best shot in the League and, hopefully, he'll still bring it for many years."
With 584 goals in 962 games, Ovechkin could become the fourth player in NHL history to reach 600 goals in fewer than 1,000 games, joining Wayne Gretzky (718 games), Mario Lemieux (719) and Brett Hull (900), according to Elias Sports Bureau. He also needs four assists to become the second player in Capitals history to reach 500 assists, behind Backstrom, who has 566.
He needs 21 more games to tie Calle Johansson for the most in Capitals history with 983.
Whether it's another 50-goal season, 600 career goals, 500 assists or 1,000 games, Ovechkin said, "Every milestone is special. But again, game by game, shift by shift."