Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin comments on his health ahead of his age-39 season
Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin provided comments on his health ahead of his 20th NHL season at 39 years old.
Ovechkin could be on the verge of rewriting NHL history as he only needs to score 42 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky as the top scorer in the history of the league. He's also close to another impressive milestone: in 50 points, he'll reach the 1,600-point mark.
Ovechkin shared comments in a recent interview on NHL.com, showing his excitement for the next season, notably because of all the additions made by the Capitals management, such as Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Andrew Mangiapane. He also discussed how the sport has changed since he came into the League.
Check out what he said here:
"I still have juice in my tank. So, when it's time, I'm going to think about it, and I'm pretty sure we will. But right now, I'm looking forward to this year, and I'm excited. That gives you motivation, gives you energy, and gives you all the kind of juice."
"I'm always saying it's a business. Of course, you have good friends, but it's a business. Of course, you want to have a solid team to be able to make the playoffs and try to win the Stanley Cup. The last few years we improved ourselves, but it was not enough, and I think everybody understands we need experienced guys who want to be part of it, and I think they did a pretty good job."
"I just have to do my job, you know? Of course, without goals, you're not going to win games, but right now the most important thing for us is to find the line combinations because it's new guys. It's basically half the team that's new. It's new linemates, new teammates, so you have to use that time not thinking about goals or something else. You just have to think about, ‘OK, what's going to work for us to get success?'"
"Every year it's harder and harder to score. Teams play differently. Goalies play differently. So, we're just going to try to do our best to score goals, win games, and do all that kind of stuff."
"I'm always saying it's a business. Of course, you have good friends, but it's a business. Of course, you want to have a solid team to be able to make the playoffs and try to win the Stanley Cup. The last few years we improved ourselves, but it was not enough, and I think everybody understands we need experienced guys who want to be part of it, and I think they did a pretty good job."
"I just have to do my job, you know? Of course, without goals, you're not going to win games, but right now the most important thing for us is to find the line combinations because it's new guys. It's basically half the team that's new. It's new linemates, new teammates, so you have to use that time not thinking about goals or something else. You just have to think about, ‘OK, what's going to work for us to get success?'"
"Every year it's harder and harder to score. Teams play differently. Goalies play differently. So, we're just going to try to do our best to score goals, win games, and do all that kind of stuff."
With that mentality, it would be surprising to see him fail to reach Gretzky's record.
This next campaign promises to be an eventful one for Ovi. With only two seasons left on his contract, he will look to make every game count and help his team reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs one more time.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 21 | 238 ANSWERS Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin comments on his health ahead of his age-39 season Do you think Alex Ovechkin will score 42 goals or more with the Washington Capitals this season? | ||
| Yes | 51 | 21.4 % |
| No | 187 | 78.6 % |
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