Russian hockey star Alexander Ovechkin lost his temper in Game 6 of the NHL playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes, applauding the referees who disallowed his goal before being ejected from the game. The Washington Capitals leader slammed the referees following a 5-2 loss to the Canes, calling their decision to wave his goal off “kinda weird.” READ MORE: ‘Imagine him in UFC!’ WATCH Ovechkin KO reckless NHL rookie Svechnikov The Caps were trailing 3-2 in the third period when Ovi appeared to tie the game by sending a loose puck into Petr Mrazek’s net. However, the goal was disallowed for goaltender interference. The referees believed Ovechkin touched Mrazek’s pad while the goal was being scored. Lip reading the great Alexander Ovechkin: “Sir, I respectfully disagree with that call! !” 😂 pic.twitter.com/4RvLUHAFxN — JJ Krawczyk (@JJKrawczyk) April 23, 2019 The 33-year-old Russian was penalized for slashing Carolina’s Saku Maenalanen with just 68 seconds remaining in regulation. The Caps captain then skated towards the officials, sarcastically applauding them for their earlier decision to disallow his goal. Ovi was then assessed a 10-minute game misconduct and ejected from the game. Alex Ovechkin slashes Saku Maenalanen, applauds the penalty call and gets ejected pic.twitter.com/cnijrY8PcE — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 23, 2019 “Yes, I saw the puck. He didn’t gain control, he didn’t see it,” Ovechkin told the media following the game. “So, I don’t know what the referee saw but his explanation was, you know, kinda weird. But, it’s okay. It’s over. Move forward.” Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson talk with the media after Game 6 loss in Raleigh #CapsCanespic.twitter.com/ZBqSGsCbCG — Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 23, 2019 “They make weird calls all game, but not surprised. I don’t want to be bad guy or something, but it wasn’t fun,” he added. The defending Stanley Cup champions are now tied 3-3 in the best-of-seven series against Carolina, which now goes to a decisive game 7 in Washington.<doc-sep>Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin got tossed Monday night in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes for an absurdly dumb reason. Following a slashing call against him, the Russian-born forward clapped in a mocking manner like he actually supported the call as he tailed a ref. (SLIDESHOW: These Are The Hottest Women On Instagram) Apparently, in 2019, that’s enough to get you thrown out of an NHL game. You can watch a video of it below. Alex Ovechkin slashes Saku Maenalanen, applauds the penalty call and gets ejected pic.twitter.com/cnijrY8PcE — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 23, 2019 I thought this was America and this was hockey. I guess times sure have changed. This is the country that went to the moon and won WWII. We’re supposed be as tough as they come. At least, that’s what I used to think. Now, pro hockey players, who are the toughest people in sports, are getting ejected for clapping. (RELATED: Capitals Star T.J. Oshie Suffers Scary Injury, Won’t Return ‘Anytime Soon’) America sure has changed, and not for the better if this video is proof of anything. It’s not like Ovechkin killed anybody. He simply mocked a ref and got tossed. That’s about the softest thing imaginable in all of sports. I didn’t realize the NHL had all of sudden started embracing the culture and mentality of the NBA. There used to be a time when grinders like Ovi were respected. Now, they get thrown out for no reason at all. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Washington Capitals (@capitals) on Apr 20, 2019 at 7:00pm PDT Our founding fathers and Herb Brooks are weeping in the afterlife at this ejection. Straight up weeping. Thank God we didn’t have this attitude when we played the Russians in 1980. The game might have gone another way.<doc-sep>
Late in the Washington Capitals’ Game 6 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, Alex Ovechkin was assessed a 10-minute misconduct for sharing words with the on-ice officials along with sarcastically applauding them. Ovechkin slashed Carolina’s Saku Maenalanen with the 5-2 game out of Washington’s reach. Then, the captain skated toward some of the officials, clapping his hands. Alex Ovechkin slashes Saku Maenalanen, applauds the penalty call and gets ejected pic.twitter.com/cnijrY8PcE — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 23, 2019 “They make weird calls all game, but not surprised. I don’t want to be bad guy or something, but it wasn’t fun,” Ovechkin said after the game. Earlier in the third period, Ovechkin thought he had the tying goal but it was disallowed for goaltender interference. The game misconduct he was assessed won’t affect Ovechkin’s status for Game 7 of this first-round series, to be played Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Coach Todd Reirden tried to spin it positively, saying that four or five years ago, observers would complain that Ovechkin wasn’t getting fired up about the game. “Four or five years ago, it would be like, ‘Well, why doesn’t he react and get mad?’” Reirden said. “And now he’s unbelievably passionate about trying to do everything he can about pushing our team to the next level and knows that he’s going to do everything in his power to help us do it.” Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.