Soon after representing the NHLPA in Toronto, Alex Ovechkin was back at home in Virginia playing soccer with his shirt off. Along with girlfriend (and Olympic bronze medalist!) Maria Kirilenko and Capitals teammates Stan Galiev and Dmitry Orlov, Ovi kicked the ball around on Wednesday night, letting us all know he’s fit and active during this hopefully not overlong offseason.

This is just the latest in the continuing saga of A.O.’s love affair with unamerican football. Recall if you will last year’s world champs, when Team Russia ditched morning workouts to kick the ball around sans shirts. And also that time Ovechkin wore that thing at that place that made us giggle.

Ovechkin’s fitness comes as a huge relief to the Caps community, who last summer suffered terribly under the extinction-level crisis we now know as Fat-Gate. Ovechkin appears lithe and healthy here, which is exactly what any rational person would expect of an elite professional athlete.

But hey, are those love handles over there? Internet: to your battle-stations! What possible reason would the player who ranked 21st in hits last season be doing with a non-zero amount of body fat? Scandal! Outrage! Nutrition!

Yeah, we’re just not feeling it this year.

Photos

Photos expertly taken by Perry Keating. (Copyright Perry Keating 2012)

Dmitry Orlov (in black) was one of the goalies.

best)))))

Ovi looks to pass to Maria.

Ovechkin walks off the field with Stan Galiev.

Huge props to Perry Keating for sharing the photos with us. Also, we’d like to extend a thank you to Victoria for first telling us about them.