"I love you guys. Miss you," Ovechkin's text said, according to Capitals forward Tom Wilson.
Under happier circumstances, Ovechkin would have been in the middle of all the fun during the outdoor practice and family skate prior to playing the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS2). But the 37-year-old forward is home in Russia following the death of his father, Mikhail, Wednesday.
Though their captain is halfway around the world, he remains in his teammates' minds. They'd like nothing more to get a win for him under the bright lights of the Stadium Series.
"He wants to be here more than anybody, but he needs to be there for his family," said Wilson, who is nearing his return from a lower-body injury that has sidelined him since Jan. 24. "It's a really tough, sad time, but we're supporting him and doing our best to get a win. I think that's all we can do for now and I think he'd be happy if we can get that done."
The Capitals have lost both games since Ovechkin went on personal leave and have lost three in a row overall. They are one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders for a wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. That adds to the stakes for them in the Stadium Series.
But finding a way to win without Ovechkin hasn't been easy. Washington is 0-3-0 without him this season, including a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 21 when he was sidelined with a lower-body injury. Second in NHL history with 812 goals, Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 32 goals in 54 games this season.
"Listen, those are big skates, big shoes to fill and every guy is going to have to chip in and do a little bit more," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "There's no question that we would love to have Alex here. He's an important piece to our team, an important team to the success, but we've still got to push on and we've got to win games for our organization to move up the standings and we've got to win for Alex, who is not here. So, I think the guys know that."
As much as the Capitals miss Ovechkin's goal-scoring and everything else he does on the ice, they miss his leadership off the ice. His smile and larger-than-life personality have filled their locker room for 18 seasons, and removing him leaves a big hole.
"I have an idea, unfortunately, of what he's going through and it's not easy, especially when it happens across the world," said Washington forward T.J. Oshie, whose father, Tim, died in 2021. "So, we are thinking about him every day. … Our hearts are broken for him, but we're absolutely here 100 percent for any support that he needs or his family needs. In times like this, even just interviews or the big stage under the bright lights out there, that's where big No. 8 always shines, so we're missing him and thinking about him and wishing he was here, but glad he's able to be with his family during this tough time."
Ovechkin was planning to have his sons, Sergei, 4, and Ilya, 2, with him at the family skate Friday. He helped the Capitals win each of their three previous outdoor games with three points (two goals, one assist). Washington defeated the Penguins 3-1 in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic in Pittsburgh; defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the 2015 Winter Classic in Washington; and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in the 2018 Stadium Series in Annapolis, Maryland.
"You miss him like crazy at things like this," Wilson said. "He's such a fun guy to have around. He's the perfect guy to market for the game of hockey and big events like this on the biggest stage. These are his types of events and it's just weird not having him around. He's such a leader for us."
The Capitals lost 3-2 to the Hurricanes on Tuesday and 6-3 to the Florida Panthers on Thursday without Ovechkin, so they know they'll need to play better to get a better result against the Hurricanes on Saturday.
"We should win for him, for his family, for sure," defenseman Dmitry Orlov said. "It's a big reason. We cannot just play like [the past two games]. It stinks. It doesn't help anyone, not him and not us as a group. So, we have to bring everything tomorrow, get these two points and then move from there."
