Photo: Bill Smith
Late in the first period on Friday night, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin checked Niklas Hjalmarsson in open ice. I didn’t think the hit was worth even minor penalty, but the referees saw something I didn’t. They declared it an illegal check to the head.
Blackhawks players weren’t happy with Ovi either.
As the play continued, Ovechkin went to the top of the crease to screen the goaltender. Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya followed close behind. Once the play was whistled dead, Oduya went for the rarely-seen-in-hockey choke slam. It’s Kane’s finishing move in WWE.
Then Oduya got greedy and went for the face wash.
The situation got hairy for Ovechkin, but Tom Wilson put the kibosh on the scrum pretty fast.
While I’m not worried about Ovechkin sticking up for himself, it can’t hurt to have a six-foot five-inch winger on his line who’s capable of treating hockey players like bowling pins. Wilson is intimidating and quick to stand up for his teammates. And he has a great touch around the net.
I’m starting to see why Barry Trotz wanted this line during the summer. If Wilson wants to be Ovi’s personal Marty McSorley for the next five to ten years, I’ll be all about it.
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Hawks
