Hockey fans were stunned to see a new photo of Washington Capitals superstar and captain Alex Ovechkin, who appears to have gained considerable weight this offseason.
The 38-year-old Alex Ovechkin is coming off a down year for his standards, having scored 31 goals and 65 points in 79 games. 2023-24 marked the first 82-game season where “Ovie” failed to score at least 40 goals since 2016-17, when he tallied 33 goals and 69 points.
Ovechkin was recently spotted playing pickleball with Kontinental Hockey League defenseman Egor Yakovlev, Russian basketball star Vitaly Fridzon and tennis legend Anastasia Myskina:
Many fans couldn’t help but notice that Alex Ovechkin has seemingly put on weight this offseason. The future Hall of Famer is listed at 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds on the Capitals team website.
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Even if Alex Ovechkin has put on a little bit of weight, the all-time great has plenty of time to get back into game shape. Washington’s season ended less than two months ago, and they won’t commence their 2024-25 regular season until mid-October anyway.
Ovechkin led Washington to the postseason on the last day of the 2023-24 regular season following a one-year absence. However, they were swept by the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the opening round.
Alex Ovechkin Is Chasing Wayne Gretzky’s Goals Record
With a Stanley Cup and plenty of individual accolades in his trophy room, the only thing Alex Ovechkin is playing for now is Wayne Gretzky’s so-called “unbreakable” goals record.
Gretzky retired in 1999 with 894 career goals. Right behind him is “The Great Eight”, who has 853 heading into next season. Even if 2023-24 was a sign of a decline, Ovechkin just needs two more 20-goal seasons to break the record.
Of course, Ovechkin is more than capable of turning back the clock and putting up another 40 to 50-goal year that would break the record. At this time, it’s a matter of when he breaks the record, not if.
