Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a broken left leg

Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that interrupts the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record.

The Capitals updated Ovechkin’s status after he was evaluated by team doctors upon returning from a three-game trip. The 39-year-old broke his leg in a shin-on-shin collision with Utah’s Jack McBain, and some of his closest teammates knew this wasn’t good news even before Ovechkin was placed on the week-to-week list and on reserve for wounded was placed.

“Everyone is disappointed,” said winger Tom Wilson, who has played with Ovechkin since 2013. “We were sitting there saying, ‘This is weird. For example, it is unbelievable that he is actually injured.’ Is it one of those things where he’s going to miss games? I’ve been around for a while and it’s new to me.”

Ovechkin missed 59 games in his first 19 seasons – and only 35 due to injury. Durability, even as he throws his body around with his physical style, is a big reason he is on pace to surpass Gretzky’s milestone of 894 goals that once seemed unapproachable.

“He doesn’t go outside and just keeps walking around,” Wilson said. “He played every shift for 20 years, running and skating over guys. He is a power forward, maybe the best goalscorer ever, and he is a power forward who plays the game very hard.”

Ovechkin rose to the top of the league with fifteen goals in his first eighteen games this season. He was on pace to break the record, scoring No. 895 sometime in February.

“You know when scorers start scoring, it’s dangerous,” said defenseman John Carlson, who has been teammates with Ovechkin since 2009-10. “That was of course also in the downs, which everyone also felt about. We see him come to the rink every day, we know what is at stake. You never want anyone to get injured, but there’s a lot involved and he certainly played his best hockey in years.”