Ovechkin addresses his teammates in person before taking an indefinite leave of absence

This just in, the Washington Capitals have announced that captain Alex Ovechkin has taken a leave of absence from the team to deal with a family illness.

From the team:

We can only speculate as to what the problem might be and that's not fair to Ovechkin and his family at this time. There have also been multiple reports about Ovechkin's support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Fans across the NHL have come out against Ovechkin for his lack of condemnation for the war in Ukraine, but there's a belief out there that Ovechkin has been quiet on the subject in order to protect his family back in Russia. Again, we have no way of knowing what's happening in Ovechkin's personal life and to speculate wouldn't be fair. So, suffice it to say that thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Ovechkin family both in America and in Russia.

Ovechkin addressed his teammates earlier today, stating that he'd rather them hear the news from himself than from anyone else:

The 37 year old veteran has 32 goals and 54 points in 54 games so far this season. Obviously his absence creates a giant, gaping hole in the Capitals' lineup. The team's offensive output has centered around Ovechkin and his ridiculous one-timer slapshot for nearly two decades now. This isn't a guy that you can replace by committee or a guy whose role can be filled up a minor league call up... this is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. His absence will be felt by everyone on the team.

Again, no word on how Ovechkin will be out of the lineup just yet.

As for the Capitals, they're scheduled to take on the Carolina Hurricanes this evening in a very important game. The Caps are well back of the division leading Hurricanes, but cannot afford to give up any ground to the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders. With two games against the Hurricanes and one game against the Florida Panthers this week and with no Ovechkin in the lineup, the Capitals have their backs up against the wall a bit. It'll be interesting to see whether or not they can step up to the challenge.

Again, more to come on this developing story. Stay tuned.