HIGHLIGHTS
- Alex Ovechkin waved off the entire Penguins team from a post-game sendoff after Sunday’s 3-0 Capitals win
- He said afterward he hasn’t made up his mind yet about his future, which is why he declined
- See the wave-off, the pre-game tribute, and Ovi’s post-game explanation below
The Penguins wanted to say goodbye. Alex Ovechkin wasn’t ready for that.
After the Capitals’ 3-0 win at Capital One Arena on Sunday, the entire Pittsburgh team stayed on the ice to give Ovechkin a sendoff. He waved them all off and sent them to the tunnel.
His explanation afterward was straightforward. Ovechkin told reporters he hasn’t made up his mind yet about his future. He’s not accepting a farewell because he doesn’t know if it is one.
It’s worth noting how Ovechkin handles these things when he knows for sure. When Marc-Andre Fleury and Anze Kopitar came to Washington for their final visits, Ovi led the post-game handshake himself. He’s happy to give someone else a proper goodbye. He just wasn’t ready to receive one.
Before the game, the mood was different. Ovechkin posed for a photo with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang. Dylan Strome got himself booted from the opening faceoff to engineer an Ovi-Sid draw. Ovechkin asked Crosby to let him win it. He did not.
Washington played a tribute video honoring both Ovechkin and Crosby, celebrating 21 years of the greatest rivalry in hockey:
On the ice, Washington was the better team. Logan Thompson stopped all 24 shots for the shutout. Ryan Leonard scored twice, including an empty-netter set up by Ovechkin. The Capitals are still alive in the Metro playoff race heading into their final game.
Ovechkin hasn’t decided. Until he does, nobody gets a goodbye.
