NHL MVP Ovechkin ends 203 consecutive game streak

Blood is thicker than water—even when it’s frozen.  That was the message sent by the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin, who left for Russia on Monday to be with his ailing grandfather.  The timetable for the reigning NHL scoring champ and MVP’s return is unknown, but he missed Tuesday’s game against Nashville on Tuesday.  The Caps don’t play again until Sunday at Buffalo.

In his 4 years in the NHL, Ovechkin has proved that he’s not only obscenely talented but durably tough.  His absence from Tuesday’s 4-3 Caps shootout win over Nashville ended his streak of 203 consecutive games played.  Before Tuesday, he’d missed one game in his career playing in 253 of 254 games.  He discussed the situation with Washington coach Bruce Boudreau and GM George McPhee on Sunday night and was torn between his responsibilities to his teammates and his family:

"He had to go and he wanted to be near [his grandfather], but if you know Alex, he doesn't want to leave his teammates. So that's always a struggle, but in the end, he knows what he needs to do -- and that's family first."

Brooks Laich took Ovechkin’s spot on the Caps top line and after Tuesday’s SO victory reiterated their “team first” philosophy:

"Obviously, we miss Ovie. Our hearts are with him, and what he's dealing with. But we want to be known as the Washington Capitals -- a good hockey team, not just a team with one or two good players."

Dave Steckel credited the team’s character for their inspired play in the absence of the league’s top scorer:

"I think we have great leaders and great character. Anytime you're missing probably the best player in the NHL, you're going to take a hit. But as much as Alex is the focus of this team, we wanted to make sure we could prepare the same way and come out with the same result."

The Capitals are currently in a heated battle for the Southeast Division, leading Carolina by a single point.   While they obviously want to get their offensive nucleus back in the lineup as soon as possible, the team has demonstrated that they’re capable of generating offense—and winning—without him.