Washington Capitals Release A Very Surprising Update Regarding Alex Ovechkin's Status

Prior to going down with an injury, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin lit up the scoreboard twice, on his team's 6-2 win over Utah HC, cementing his position at the time as the NHL's leading scorer at 39 years young.

Only 28 goals separated him from Wayne Gretzky's all-time record, and his charge toward hockey history seemed quite unstoppable.

That joy turned to concern, though, as Alex Ovechkin left in the third period of that game after a knee-on-knee hit courtesy of Utah forward Jack McBain.

The Capitals superstar was in clear pain and needed to be helped off the ice. Head coach Spencer Carbery post-game indicated that Ovechkin would get further testing, including an MRI, to determine the severity of the injury.

Diagnosis? A fractured left fibula that was said to have kept Ovechkin out for about 4-6 weeks.

One of the largest sustained injuries throughout his storybook career, after all, very few players have made it in the NHL for almost two decades missing just 35 games due to an injury.

In one whirlwind plot turn, Ovechkin was back on the ice for practice just 17 days into the fracture, an initial diagnosis that had him out for more than a month; his presence on the ice said something else: he might well be healing quicker than expected.

It also keeps hope alive that Ovechkin's rare resilience may perhaps get him on the ice much sooner rather than later and again prove why he is among the best in hockey.

Perhaps Wayne Gretzky's record chase is not completely out of the question this season just yet, as it remains to be seen just how quickly Ovechkin gets into game action.