Alex Ovechkin on sidelining due to NHL COVID protocols: ‘Rules are rules’



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Alex ovechkin spoke to the media on Saturday for the first time since missing four games due to a violation of NHL COVID-19 protocols. During the first Capitals road trip of the season. Ovechkin spent time in the same hotel room as Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov. The NHL found out after Samsonov tested positive for COVID-19 and began contact tracing. The Capitals were fined $ 100,000 as a team.

Ovechkin said in a statement last Wednesday that he regretted his decision and would learn from the experience. Meanwhile, his wife, Nastya, criticized the NHL for the way it handled the situation.

“Sucks, obviously,” Ovechkin said of the quarantine. “No one wants to be suspended. No one wants to put themselves in this position. It’s finish. You learn from it and move on. “

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During practice, Ovechkin was placed on the second row – likely to limit his minutes if he had to play – and skated with TJ Oshie and Richard Panik.

“I’ve already had my week off,” Ovechkin joked. “I feel quite rested and ready to go. Obviously I don’t have a lot of time to spend on the ice but I did a few workouts in my gym and did some running. I tried to do as much as I could.

Ovechkin wasn’t sure if he would play against the Boston Bruins. “We’ll see after the skating tonight,” Ovechkin said.

As to whether he was okay with the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols that forced him out of action, Ovechkin didn’t fight much.

“It’s a situation where rules are rules,” he says. “You can see all the names here … If you make a mistake, it might cost you a few games.”

While Ovechkin and the other Russians in the Capitals were out, the Capitals went 3-0-1, registering seven of eight possible points.

“It was a great response from his teammates,” he said. “Obviously we collect points and that is the most important. Happy for the new guys who got the chance to step up and play well. It was funny to watch. “



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