The Hockey News's Jared Clinton reports what is nothing less than a classic case of Russian reportage:

Russia’s Sport-Express reported Tuesday that [Alex] Ovechkin has suffered a lower-body injury during his off-season training, and the recovery time for the injury could be “at least three weeks.” The three week timeline would mean Ovechkin is back in time for the World Cup tournament, but it calls into question whether he’d be able to participate in training camp. But Russian news agency TASS said the injury “will prevent (Ovechkin) from playing in the World Cup.”

There’s no specifics regarding how the injury occurred, but a source reportedly told TASS that the injury is “muscle damage,” something that often happens when players are training.

However, shortly after news came that Ovechkin would be sidelined for the tournament, he released a statement through the Russian Ice Hockey Federation saying that he would be prepared for the season and no injury is hindering him.

“At the moment I continue to prepare for the season, the more so that this year we have an early start — in the national team, we have to participate in the World Cup,” Ovechkin said, per a rough translation of his statement through the RHF. “I train in the usual pre-season mode in the room and on the ice. I do not even know where (they) could take for my injury information. It is not in sight.”

Continued