Freak Of Nature Alex Ovechkin Hits The Ice Just 17 Days After Fracturing His Leg

Alex Ovechkin's quest to pass Wayne Gretzky for the top spot on the NHL's all-time goals list hit a major snag when the Capitals captain went down with what sure looked to be a nasty leg injury.

But, just 17 days later, he's already back on the ice.

Last month, the Capitals confirmed that Ovechkin would be missing four to six weeks of action thanks to a fractured Fibula he suffered on November 18 in a game against the Utah Hockey Club.

The accidental collision with Utah's Jack McBain came as Ovechkin was in the middle of a two-game, pulling him within 26 of Gretzky's 894-goal mark.

Four to six weeks would have meant that Ovechkin would be looking at a late-December, early-January return, but on Thursday, just over two weeks after the injury, the Caps posted a video of Ovechkin buzzing around the ice.

Are you kidding me?!

17 days after suffering a fractured fibula he's back out there doing cross-overs like nothing happened.

Unbelievable.

However, just because he's out on the ice doesn't mean he's going to be back in the lineup soon, but that's obviously a great sign as far as his recovery.

If there was any shred of doubt remaining that Ovechkin won't catch Gretzky — perhaps even this season — this should put it to rest. The guy is just built different. He plays a hard-nosed style and isn't afraid to get physical yet hasn't dealt with too many injury issues over the years. Then, when he does, he heals up in a hurry.

And this is the dude who famously crushed a Subway sandwich and a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos on the team plane!

It'll be interesting to see if Ovechkin really does get back in the Caps lineup ahead of schedule as far as his recovery is concerned if that happens.