Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin says his father, Mikhail, has died at age 71.
Ovechkin delivered the news Wednesday on social media along with family photos and video.
“Today my father passed away,” Ovechkin posted in Russian on his Instagram account. “I thank everyone for their support but ask that you be understanding and not disturb my family at such a hard time for us! Thank you.”
Ovechkin left the Capitals on Tuesday to tend to what the team called a family health matter regarding a loved one. Coach Peter Laviolette said he expected Ovechkin to be gone for at least the rest of the week and away for the foreseeable future.
“Life is tough,” Laviolette said. “When it comes to your family and parents, that’s what matters. He’s going to deal with some things right now, and we’re going to be supportive.”
Ovechkin’s father had not been in Washington in recent years while dealing with health issues at home in Moscow. Before that, Mikhail was a familiar face at the Capitals’ practice facility and at games watching his son.
“Mr. Ovechkin was a true gentleman and was such a significant and consistent presence at Capitals games and practices,” the team said in a statement. “With a constant smile on his face, he loved interacting with our fans and expressing his gratitude for their support of his son, of whom he was incredibly proud.
“Our organization’s thoughts are with the Ovechkin family at this difficult time.”
KINGS: Defenseman Mikey Anderson signed an eight-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings.
The extension, which lasts through the 2030-31 season, has an average annual value of $4.125 million.
Anderson has appeared in all 55 games for the Kings this season and has career highs in assists (11), points (13) and plus-minus (plus-10) while averaging 21:49 on ice per game.
Anderson was a fourth-round selection by the Kings in the 2017 draft. After two seasons of playing collegiately at Minnesota-Duluth, he made his NHL debut with the Kings on Feb. 29, 2020.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
MAPLE LEAFS 5, BLACKHAWKS 2: William Nylander had a goal and two assists, Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 shots and Toronto beat visiting Chicago.
Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Rasmus Sandin each added a goal and an assist, and Conor Timmins also scored for the Maple Leafs, who won for the fifth time in eight games.
Sam Lafferty and Philipp Kurashev each had a goal and an assist for Chicago. The Blackhawks have lost three straight and are 2-5-1 in their last eight.
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