Report: Was Ovechkin even hurt?

It was a moment that had Washington Capitals fans sitting in dead silence. Their superstar captain lay prone on the ice after receiving a brutal knee on knee hit from Toronto Maple Leafs super pest Nazem Kadri. 

After being taken off the ice by the Capitals training staff, Ovechkin headed straight to the team’s medical room while the Caps headed to the power play. Fortunately, the Capitals made the best of a bad situation as forward TJ Oshie cashed in with the man advantage to give the Caps a 1-0 lead. Even better? Ovechkin would return to the lineup for the start of the second period.

But wait…it appeared as if Ovechkin was injured badly on the play? How was he cleared by medical staff so quickly? Was he even injured in the first place? What was he doing in the medical room, anyway? When asked about it, the superstar replied, “I was watching TV and having a Coke…just enjoying the match.” It’s an awfully flippant remark from such a valuable player and one can imagine the media firestorm that it would ignite had the Caps not ended up winning the game.

Chances are Ovechkin would have chosen his words better if his team were facing elimination heading into game 6. But, as it stands, he and the Capitals will have a chance to close out the series on Sunday evening.