Russian great Ovechkin announces death of father

A day after leaving the Washington Capitals due to family reasons, Alex Ovechkin announced on Wednesday that his father, Mikhail, has died.

“Today I lost my father,” Ovechkin wrote in Russian on Instagram.

“I thank everyone for the support, but please be understanding and do not disturb my family in this difficult time for us. Thank you.”

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Mikhail was 71.

The 37-year-old Ovechkin is one of the greatest goal scorers of all time – second only to Wayne Gretzky for all-time goal scoring.