Ovechkin receives a major for a dirt hit on the numbers.

As great of a player as Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has been, and still is, one of the major criticisms I've had of his career are the liberties he's taken at the expense of other players. On that same note, I have bee very critical of the way the National Hockey League has seemingly let him get away with questionable hit after questionable hit during his career.

On Saturday night however there was no protecting the Capitals captain after he delivered yet another ugly hit, this time right between the numbers, boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller who appeared to have been injured on the play.

Miller looked like he was in agony, and it was a worrying sign when the player who has a history of upper body injuries left the ice favoring his shoulder or arm area. This time the officials made what was undoubtedly the correct call, giving Ovechkin a 5 minute major and a game misconduct, and it will be interesting to see how the NHL handles this situation if Miller is seriously injured.

[pub]