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Alex Ovechkin officially begins 19th season with the Washington Capitals

By Ian Oland

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September 20, 2023 3:29 pm

After a long five-month offseason, the Washington Capitals officially returned to the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Wednesday for the 2023-24 season.

Capitals players did their best hair poofs and beard trims as they put on their signature hockey equipment for photo and video shoots. The media will be used in promotional material this season.

Not only did Wednesday’s start of Training Camp symbolically mark Day 1 of the Spencer Carbery era in Washington, it also formally began Alex Ovechkin’s nineteenth season in the NHL.

The Capitals kicked off their social media coverage of the season with a picture of Ovi.

Rocking his signature yellow laces, Ovechkin, 38, can be seen clutching his CCM Ribcor Trigger ASY stick. His right glove continues to have an eye and the name Сергей custom stitched on it, a nod to his late older brother Sergey. He also looks like he’s about to check all of us through the glass.

During the shoot, Ovechkin also took photos with his comrade and sometimes centerman, Evgeny Kuznetsov, who remains with the team after the team shopped him over the summer.

Ovechkin made his return to DC on September 5 after spending his summer in Russia. The 2023-24 campaign will mark Ovechkin’s third year of his current five-year contract that will take him through his age-40 season.

Heading into the year, Ovechkin sits second all-time on the NHL goals list with 822. The Russian sniper is 72 goals behind record-holder Wayne Gretzky. To tie The Great One, Ovechkin must average 24 goals per season during his remaining time in the NHL.

Over the summer, Ovechkin revealed that he was still dubious that he’d be able to reach Gretkzky’s mark, but was going to give it an honest try.

“I can’t predict how long it will take me to break Gretzky’s record,” Ovechkin said. “In every interview I’ve given over the past two years, someone is sure to ask about the record. Of course, I would like to do this. I once said that it is unrealistic. I still doubt that this is possible, but I will do my best to get close to this figure. Gretzky sincerely believes in me and expects this to happen. I think all the fans want it because it’s history. To be in this race is worth a lot.”

With the goals record unlikely this season, Ovechkin’s next big milestone will be points-related.

The Capitals’ first day of on-ice training will be Thursday.

Headline photo courtesy of @Capitals/X

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