Alex Ovechkin skates before Capitals practice as he works to return from a broken leg

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin skated by himself before Washington Capitals practice on Monday as he works to return from a broken leg.

Ovechkin wore a tracksuit and a helmet with stick in hand but no hockey gear during his light workout, which coach Spencer Carbery said he believed was the 39-year-old longtime captain's first time back on the ice since the injury.

“To get the skates on and get out on an ice sheet, it was nice to see,” Carbery said. “Just the first step. No timeline updates or anything like that. It’s just a step in the progression of him coming back.”

Ovechkin broke his left fibula in a shin-on-shin collision with Utah’s Jack McBain on Nov. 18. After initially being listed as week to week with a lower left leg injury, Ovechkin after further examination was ruled out for four to six weeks, with the team saying surgery would not be required.