Is Alex Ovechkin fit and ready for the beginning of training camp in a couple of weeks?
Well, observers around the internet aren't so sure after seeing an off-season video from Caps365 in July of Ovechkin where the star forward appears to have a bit of a gut sticking out.
At the time, Ovechkin told the Capitals website, "Don't worry, I'm going to be in good shape and I'll be ready for the year because this is a very important year for the Caps and for me, too."
But speaking this week with Sovetsky Sport, which was translated by Yahoo! Sports, the Russian forward explained that the video had a distorted picture.
"I don't have a gut, do I?" Ovechkin said, according to Yahoo!. "Everyone started calling me yelling on the phone. 'What did you do to yourself? Watch the video!' I went online and gasped. 'I am in trouble!'"
"When you're sitting, slouching, your gut would still stick out," he continued. "I don't even understand myself how this was filmed this way. My hands were swollen as if I was after a weeklong hangover. My gut, my face..."
Ovechkin, who turns 26 on Sept. 17, is listed at 6'2" and 223 lb. He scored 32 goals and 53 assists in 79 games last season, and added five goals and five assists in nine playoff appearances.
