National Hockey League star Alexander Ovechkin will miss several games for his Washington Capitals due to family reasons.
The Russian wants to leave the US and travel to his homeland due to the illness of his 71-year-old father Mikhail, who will be away for at least a week.
Capitals general manager Brian McClellan announced the news without specifying how long the team would be without their star, but it appears it won’t be short.
The problem for Ovechkin is the trip to Russia, where his parents live. There are currently travel restrictions due to the war in Ukraine, with no direct flights between North America and Moscow. This could further extend the absence of the 37-year-old hockey player.
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Ovechkin is having a strong season for the capital city, with 32 goals and 54 assists so far this season. In his 18-year NHL career, he has missed just 48 games, 25 of which were losses to the Capitals.
That night, Washington lost at home to the Carolina Hurricanes 2:3 and is currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference after 28 wins and 28 losses. The team is in a direct battle with the New York Islanders for the last place in the metropolitan division, which gives the right to participate in the playoffs. Washington has 26 games left in the regular season.
Mikhail Ovechkin has a history of health problems, and more specifically heart problems. Two days before the playoffs in 2016, he suffered a stroke, and two years earlier he underwent surgery. Due to these circumstances, he can no longer travel long distances to watch his son live.
Recently, Mikhail and his wife Tatiana stayed up late to watch their son overtake legend Gordie Howe in goals. In doing so, he became the second-highest scorer in league history.
