You have to believe Andrei Svechnikov's ears are still ringing from the knockout punch he received from Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin during Game 3, just like ours are with all the news surrounding it.
A fight took place between a pair of unlikely combatants during the first period of the Carolina Hurricanes’ 5-0 victory when the 19-year-old rookie was knocked out cold by 33-year-old Ovechkin. Ovi stunned Svechnikov with some huge right hands and sent the kid crashing to the ice with a brutal knockout.
Svechnikov has undergone concussion protocol and is expected to miss Game 4 tonight.
While Ovechkin has received threats from Svechnikov's older brother Evegny of the Detroit Red Wings, he has also received an important message from former UFC champion Conor McGregor. The former double champion himself congratulated Ovechkin on his fight Tuesday with a lively message he personally posted on his Twitter account.
"Congrats @ovi8!
A Proper Russian. Great to meet you in Moscow big man, see you again soon!
They can run, but they can’t hide."
McGregor and Ovechkin first met on July 15, 2018 at the World Cup Final held in Russia, where the newly retired UFC star also shook hands with Russian president Vladimir Poutine.
There is no secret that Ovechkin is a big fan of MMA Sports as he often posts video on his Instagram Story as he watches UFC pay-per-views at home, which explains his ability to quickly subdue his opponent. However, some Hurricanes fans weren't please to see the last sentence in McGregor's message: They can run, but they can’t hide, seeing that Svechnikov was clearly outmatched in his fight.
However, Ovi maintains that he simply accepted the rookie's invitation and never forced him to drop the gloves.
“I’m not a big fighter. He’s the same,” Ovi said of Svechnikov. “He asked me to fight, I said ‘let’s go.”
Maybe once again, McGregor should have been more careful with his actions...
