Ovechkin Officially Joins Capitals, Takes Ice In D.C. For Informal Skates

The Capitals captain is entering his 20th NHL season.

The Washington Capitals officially welcomed their captain back into the mix on Friday, as Alex Ovechkin took the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex after returning from Russia.

Ovechkin flew back to the U.S. on Wednesday and arrived Thursday, and now that he's settled in, has started to take part in informal skates with the team. The Russian winger was all smiles as he reunited with his teammates.

It was also his first time joining new Capitals Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Brandon Duhaime and Logan Thompson.

Ovechkin spent his offseason overseas, as he started the summer by vacationing in Turkey before returning to his native Russia. He took part in his usual training and offseason regimen, while taking the ice for chairty events and also playing volleyball and padel to get some extra exercise in.

The soon-to-be 39-year-old enters his 20th NHL season with Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record in sight. He sits at 853 goals, putting him 42 away from setting the new record.

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