According to reports out of Russia this morning, Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin has a lower-body injury and could miss the World Cup of Hockey, which begins next month.
According to @Boogaard_2 Alexander Ovechkin has a lower body injury and he may miss the #WCH2016
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) August 9, 2016
As originally reported by www.sport-express.ru, the ailment will require at least three weeks to heal. With training camp and preliminary games less than one month away, he’ll be cutting it quite close with risk of aggravating the injury further prior to beginning camp with the Capitals.
While it’s unclear exactly what ailment he’s facing, it seems that it’s a non-hockey related injury. It doesn’t seem to be serious at the moment, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the World Cup of Hockey and 2016-17 NHL season quickly approach.
Ovechkin finished last season with 50 goals and 71 total points through 79 games played. He also added five goals and 12 points in 12 postseason games before the Capitals were eliminated in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.