Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will speak to the media at 2:15 p.m. ET today -- not tomorrow afternoon like the rest of his teammates, along with coach Adam Oates and general manager George McPhee -- so he can travel to the World Championships in Sweden and Finland and represent Russia.
Reporters will be sure to have plenty of questions for Ovechkin, especially after his comments following Washington’s elimination from the playoffs by the New York Rangers in seven games.
Last night, in a Russian-language interview, Ovechkin remarked on the fact the Capitals didn’t have a single power-play opportunity during Game 6, a 1-0 loss at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
“Not saying there was a phone call, but they wanted Game 7,” he said, per Slava Malamud of Sport-Express. “For ratings. You know, lockout, escrow, league must make profit.”
Named a Hart Trophy finalist after leading the league with 32 goals during the regular season, Ovechkin finished the playoffs with just one goal and one assist, and had his defensive play called into question a couple of times.
Also worth noting that the 27-year-old was one of the more vocal critics of the NHL during the lockout.
Apparently, hard feelings remain.