Ovi's home country jumps to his defence; says he cannot be blamed for spearing incident

There was a large outcry following Alexander Ovechkin's blatant "cup check" on Boston's Trent Frederic last Wednesday. Ovechkin received a $5000 fine for the incident, but many felt it deserved a suspension, with several others saying it was way worse than Tom Wilson's hit on Brandon Carlo that landed him a seven-game ban. Ovechkin is receiving a lot of support in his home country, with one commentator saying The Great 8 can hardly be blamed for what he did.

Andrey Yurtaev wrote about the spear, arguing Frederic had been attempting to get Ovechkin riled up the entire game and his emotions finally boiled over.

"We are not all made of iron," said Yurtaev. "The game for Washington was not easy, emotions were at the limit, so many would not have restrained themselves at that moment. So do not blame Ovechkin."

Yurtaev stated that he agrees that the act warranted more than a two-minute penalty, but added he finds the talk of a suspension very confusing.

"I don't really understand where the talk about the potential suspension of Ovechkin came from. The violation itself, and in this case it was a spear, does not imply suspension," he wrote. "There can be no disqualification for a spear. Yes, he should have been given not a two-minute penalty, but a big one, but even if you get 5 + 20, this does not entail suspension either in the NHL, or in the KHL, or in any other league. Therefore, it is not clear where they came from with talk about a suspension. It is, in principle, impossible according to the rules of the game of hockey."

That doesn't appear to be exactly true. In fact, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins was suspended for two games for a spear on Jake Dotchin of the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2017.

It is important to remember in this case that Ovechkin is nothing short of a god in Russian hockey circles. He is the top Russian player in the NHL for the last 15 years and one of, if not the best ever from that county, having at least a shot at breaking Wayne Gretzky's All-Time Goals record. There is also a lot of hope that Ovechkin will finish his professional career in the KHL, regardless of how much longer he stays in North America. This is something Ovechkin himself has even hinted at. With all that in mind, it's not really a surprise that he would receive this kind of support in his home country.

Source: Sport24.ru

MUST READ

2 hours ago  |  By Tyler Ball New York Rangers Reportedly Place Another Core Player on the Trade Block per Darren Dreger

4 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker Insider reveals Mikko Rantanen's massive ask on his next contract

5 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Ottawa Senators' Adam Gaudette Snaps at Reporter After Disrespectful Question

7 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Patrick Roy's Latest Interview Exposes Rising Tensions Between Him and GM Lou Lamoriello

9 hours ago  |  By Daniel Lucente Likely Timeline for Chris Kreider Trade Disclosed by Top NHL Insider Darren Dreger

10 hours ago  |  By Julien Trekker Calgary Flames Unexpectedly Terminate the Contract of Young Centre

11 hours ago  |  By Julien Trekker Analyst Calls on the Boston Bruins to Make a Big Shake-Up Trade After Firing Jim Montgomery

15 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach Blasts Officials After Loss to the Montreal Canadiens Last Night

MORE STORIES