Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin deserves to be suspended one game for his charge on New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi. Ovechkin left his feet and targeted the head of his opponent.
The controversial hit happened during the second period of Washington's 3-2 victory in Game 4 on Saturday.
One issue I have with this play is that the puck was clearly gone from Girardi's reach when Ovechkin approached him. The Capitals forward could have played the puck but decided to leap at Girardi instead.
Ovechkin's shoulder clearly hits Girardi in the head, and when you consider that the Capitals forward is a repeat offender (He has been suspended three times before.), league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan must suspend him.
The New York Post's Larry Brooks summarized it nicely for us with this tweet:
Ovechkin: a) leaves feet to deliver blow; b) hits Girardi in head; c) is repeat offender. Your move, Dep't of Player Safety.
— Larry Brooks(@NYP_Brooksie) May 5, 2012
In the regular season, given Ovechkin's history, this would probably be more than a one-game suspension. However, since it's the playof ...
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Article written by Nicholas Goss
NHL Playoffs 2012: Watch Alexander Ovechkin’s Controversial Hit on Dan Girardi
May 5th, 2012 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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