Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will return to his team’s entourage in the “coming days,” head coach Peter Laviolette said Monday.
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Number 8 mourns the passing of his father Mikhail on Wednesday. The forward, who is currently in Russia, would miss a fourth straight game while visiting the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Still, Laviolette doesn’t seem overly concerned, although he doesn’t promise anything about Ovechkin’s return.
“Hopefully this week. I haven’t contacted him yet, but we’ll see where that takes us. He has certain issues to deal with at home,” the pilot told NHL.com.
However, Laviolette admits that the loss of his famous skater hurts. Since his departure, the Caps have suffered three straight losses, including Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh in an outdoor game, and are eliminated from the playoff picture. An early return of the veteran, who has scored 32 goals this season, will certainly be welcomed.
“We definitely miss him and support him,” the trainer recalled. Rubbing shoulders with his family he goes through this moment of life. Right now it’s an important part of our education that isn’t there. It’s hard not to feel his absence as he has a great personality and loves sports. He enjoys exercising and showing off at the ice rink. He loves his teammates and he’s our captain.”