The Washington Capitals have their captain back.
Alex Ovechkin officially arrived in D.C. and returned to MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday. He did not skate with the group at their informal skate on Friday, but was back at the facility reuniting with his teammates, meeting Jordan Kyrou and newcomers and saying hello to the team's rookies and prospects.
With Ovechkin back in town, Washington now has all of its roster players officially back in town. He's expected to join the team for a couple of informal skate sessions this coming week before training camp officially opens with the first on-ice session on Thursday.
Ovechkin, who turns 41 when camp opens, is back for what will be his 22nd NHL season after having signed a one-year contract extension back in July. In 82 games last year, he led D.C. in scoring with 32 goals and 64 points.
Going into this year, he'll look to continue playing a key role on a revamped Capitals team while trying to help lead his group back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He also sits 11 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most combined goals in NHL history between regular season and playoffs.
