Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will return to the ice against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night after missing four games following the death of his father, the team said.
Ovechkin has not played in a game since Feb. 14, when he traveled home to Russia after the death of his father, Mikhail Ovechkin. He returned to D.C. and joined practice Wednesday.
The Capitals have gone 0-4 in Ovechkin’s absence, including a blowout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at the Stadium Series game.
Ovechkin’s father had been a fixture around the Capitals’ training facility and games, especially during his son’s early years in the NHL. Mikhail Ovechkin died after a long illness. He was 71.
The team said it would wear Papa Ovi stickers on its helmets for the remainder of the season in remembrance of Ovechkin’s father.
In remembrance of Papa Ovi pic.twitter.com/xYfVw6LQF3
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 23, 2023
Also Thursday, the Capitals traded defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway to the Bruins for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick and forward Craig Smith.
In addition, the Capitals placed injured forward Anthony Mantha on injured reserve.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan contributed to this report.