He had missed just four games during his NHL career and only two because of injury. Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has played hurt in the playoffs two years in a row, including wrist and groin injuries last spring that required injections. Let’s just say the man has a high tolerance for pain. That reputation won’t change now that he’s on the shelf with an upper-body strain.
But shouldn’t he curtail the physical part of his game? That question has been asked several times this season. It’s not why he was hurt Sunday. But in the long run isn’t Ovechkin at greater risk of injury because of his rugged style?
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“Absolutely. But Alex is one of those guys that if he didn’t play that way he wouldn’t be the player that he is,” said Caps captain Chris Clark. “So you can’t tell a guy to go out there and not skate as hard as he can or to check everybody. It’s just not in his makeup. He wouldn’t be as effective. So you take the good with the bad with him.”
Two of Ovechkin’s missed games came last October when he traveled back to Russia to visit his sick grandfather. He missed one game as a rookie in 2006 with a groin pull. He also sat out a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a bruised heel last March. Otherwise — hurt or not — Ovechkin plays.
“He’s just been an iron man consistently through the last few years that we’ve never really missed him,” said Caps defenseman Brian Pothier. “He’s a specimen, too. He’s sort of a freak of nature. He’s physically different than everybody else. He’s just made up different.”
It’s one thing for a player to be lauded as one of the world’s best. But to command complete respect in an NHL locker room takes more.
“Obviously, [Ovechkin] does it night-in and night-out. That’s kind of the secret formula,” said Caps center Brendan Morrison. “If guys could do that night-in and night-out there’d be a lot more guys in Ovie’s category. But you can’t teach that. It’s something you have within.”
