Over a sprawling NHL career of 20 seasons, there have been only a handful of games that Alex Ovechkin has ever missed. One of the longest periods of his absence came last year, when Utah’s Jack McBain felled him following a leg on-leg hit in November. With the Russian chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s record, his injury worried all of Ovechkin’s peers, both inside the Capitals’ locker room and beyond. However, the scintillating forward didn’t waste much time proving to everyone what an indomitable force he was.

“We were sitting there saying like, ‘This is weird. Like, it’s unbelievable that he’s actually hurt, ” said Washington’s ring winger Tom Wilson following Ovechkin’s leg injury. Wilson’s statement underscored just how rare an experience it was for anybody to see the squad captain hurt. But Ovie was back before they could blink, and his former teammate, T.J. Oshie, can never forget how he felt watching the former back in his natural habitat.

The former Capitals star recently admitted on a podcast show how incredibly resilient Alex Ovechkin is when it comes to battling physical injuries. Oshie’s comments about the Moscow native were shared via an X post by the official NHL handle on August 19. Captioned, “Former Capital @TJOshie77 joined @jasondemers5 on NHL Unscripted and spoke about how much of an absolute machine Alex Ovechkin is,” the social media update saw T.J. noting his awestruck feelings about his former teammate. 

“I saw him next morning. I look over, and he’s like walking in. He broke his leg like the day before, and I’m like, ‘O, what are you doing?’ And he’s like, ‘I’m fine babe, I’m fine’,” Oshie said, while his facial expressions made it clear how even the remembrance of the moment made him admire Ovechkin yet again. In the X-rays, Oshie saw that Alex’s bones were broken in half. “I was like, ‘Damn, O, that sucks, man. It’s going to be like a couple months before you can skate again.’ He’s like, ‘No babe, I’ll be on ice in two weeks’,” Oshie revealed how Ovechkin defied all odds and laced up sooner than expected.

T.J.’s astonishment wasn’t misplaced. Alex was initially given four to six weeks before he could return to the ice. However, Ovie was seen skating just two weeks after breaking his leg, making the hockey community stand in awe of his determination and resilience. Ovechkin finally made his way back into the NHL in December as the Caps took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. “It was hard months. Work out, watch the games. You always want to help your teammates and your team to win. It was a hard time,” admitted the seasoned star ahead of his comeback.

But once inside the rink, Ovechkin barely looked out of place, like someone who had just come off his longest-ever period of missed games. The Washington star bagged an empty net goal to help the Caps post a 5-2 victory in his first match back. In the following months, he further proved that, if anything, the injury only made him yearn to reach a special milestone even more strongly than before.

Alex Ovechkin made history; his peers couldn’t stop the applause

While his team couldn’t go beyond the second round of the playoffs, Ovechkin had his moment of triumph, nonetheless. In April this year, Alex Ovechkin outsmarted Ilya Sorokin to find the back of the Islanders’ net at the UBS Arena. And with that, Ovie surpassed the “Great One”, Wayne Gretzky, to become the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer. “This is something crazy. I’m probably going to need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize what does it mean to be No. 1. But I can say I’m very proud. I’m really proud for myself,” the captain said after breaking Gretzky’s record.

Ovechkin went belly-down on the ice following his historic goal, which he later stated was involuntary and was caused by the poor ice conditions on that day. However, Oshie was sure that it looked like an attempt at recreating the “foundation dive” that Ovechkin did after the Caps’ Stanley Cup triumph in 2018. Whatever it may have been, one thing was for sure: Alex’s feat prompted his fans to show up with their admiration. Even Sidney Crosby was seen congratulating the Washington winger when the Penguins hosted the Caps days later.

Even more surprising was that, despite missing 16 games, Alex still managed to remain in the top 3 when it came to the number of goals in the 2024-25 season. Ovechkin’s unwavering pursuit to break Gretzky’s record was hailed once again as he won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in May. His titular feats were also hailed by the Oilers’ Connor McDavid, often considered one of the greatest talents of this generation himself. “What an accomplishment, honestly…the greatest goal scorer of all time, such an amazing feat,” the Canadian sensation lauded.

So, what makes Alex Ovechkin an icon and a legend in your eyes? Is it his knack to find the back of the net? Or his ability to lead the team in troubled times? Or is it the smile that never seems to leave the winger’s face? Tell us in a comment!