BOSTON — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was assessed a five-minute boarding major for his hit from behind on Kevan Miller during Saturday night’s win over the Bruins. And that’s all the punishment he feels he deserves.
“Oh, it’s just a hockey play,” Ovechkin told reporters after the game, which Washington won 2-1 in overtime. “I tried to kind of, like — I don’t try to hit him. I didn’t see a replay, but my motion was not like try to headhunt. I just try to play the puck, and he kind of turned, and there was a hit. At least, I told the referee I didn’t try to go through him or something, just trying to pin him.”
He later added: “No, I don’t think it’s (worthy) of suspension or something. I don’t try to hit the head, just try to be in my spot and make a play. He’s turning at the boards.”
According to multiple reports, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety will review the hit, which knocked Miller out of the game. The defenseman appeared to be favoring his surgically repaired right shoulder as he skated off the ice, and the team later announced he had suffered an upper body injury on the play.
“I know he was looked at, and he might’ve even been sent to the hospital,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said in his postgame news conference. “So, I just finished our game here, and haven’t gone to the back room yet.”
The Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin later reported Miller was, in fact, transported to a local hospital.
When asked for his take on the hit, Julien initially declined comment but went on to insinuate that Ovechkin’s status as an NHL superstar might have played into the referees’ decision not to eject him from the game.
“I stay away from commenting on that, because we’re gaining nothing from that stuff, and obviously the league is going to review it,” Julien said. “I don’t like seeing those hits. If it’s five for boarding, it kind of shows the severity of it, and I’m disappointed that our player wasn’t able to come back. And who knows, if it’s somebody else, is it a game? You guys can answer that question yourselves.”
Several of Julien’s players offered similar takes on the play.
“To me, I thought Kevan’s back was turned, and the whole way, I thought Ovechkin was basically seeing the back of Kevan,” center Patrice Bergeron said. “So, I thought it was a hit from behind, but they took care of it, and hopefully (Miller) is doing all right, doing better.”
“You know, I think that obviously it was from behind,” defenseman Zdeno Chara added. “You know, it’s a dangerous, dangerous play. I’m just hoping that Kevan is going to be OK.”
Winger Brad Marchand, who was given a two-minute roughing minor for retaliating against Ovechkin, declined comment.
“I didn’t see it well enough, to be honest,” Marchand said. “So, I can’t really comment on it.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
