Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is reportedly dealing with an injury before the onset of his 21st NHL season.
Ovechkin left Capitals practice on Thursday as a result of a lower-body injury. Ovechkin will get an evaluation on the injury, per Tarik El-Bashir of TNT, though reports didn't offer many details as to the specifics of the injury.
Just last season, Ovechkin shattered Wayne Gretzky's longstanding record to become the NHL's all-time leader in goals scored. He has 897 goals in his career, and is on the verge of becoming the first player ever to score 900.
If the injury is significant, he may be forced to put a pause on his pursuit of his 900th goal.
Last year, Ovechkin suffered a fractured fibula in his left leg which caused him to miss time, though, he was only shelved for 16 games. The team and fan base will be collectively hoping he can avoid missing time with this latest injury.
Of course, losing Ovechkin for any amount of time would be a tough pill to swallow for Washington. While he's no longer much of a defensive presence, he is still more than willing to throw his body at opponents, evidenced by his 110 hits last season, and remains lethal on the power play, where he scored 14 of his 44 goals last year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Ovechkin Exits Capitals Practice With Concerning Injury.