The Capitals captain said his training is going according to plan as he looks to add to his goal total this coming season.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is getting back to work with training camp just over a month away, and he's right on schedule.

Ovechkin told MatchTV this week that he has started training for the upcoming season and that the preseason work is going well.

"Everything is going according to plan," Ovechkin said, as translated by Google Translate, though he said that the weather has interfered with some of his sessions.

The 37-year-old, who missed nine games last season due to upper and lower-body ailments, is working with his longtime personal trainer Pavel Burlachenko. He said before leaving D.C. that the extended offseason -- though unwanted -- would allow him and the Capitals to recover and get back to full strength.

Ovechkin appears to be in good shape, as he skated in Danis Zaripov's farewell game this past week and put on a show with a nice between-the-legs goal and some more flashy plays. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Semin also played in the game with Ovechkin.

The Russian also took the time to discuss his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record. He scored 42 goals this past season, breaking the record for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history. He sits at 822 goals and needs 73 more to pass No. 99.

Despite the hype surrounding his "GR8 Chase," Ovechkin told R-Sport that he's still not sure if he will catch Gretzky.

"I can't predict how long it will take... God [knows]," he said, adding, "Let's see if I feel good. We'll see. In every interview I've been giving over the past two years, someone will definitely ask about the record. Of course, I would like to do it. I once said it was unrealistic. I still doubt that this is possible, but I will make every effort to get to this number."

Ovechkin added that Gretzky has been supportive of the chase of his goals record, and he added that he's not taking it for granted.

"Gretzky sincerely believes in me and expects it to happen. I think all the fans want it because it's a story. Being in this race is worth a lot," he added.