Ryan Getzlaf calls Alex Ovechkin a ‘diver’
By Cory Buck
Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was furious with Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin for what he perceived as a dive.
The Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 in Sunday’s NHL action, thanks to two goals and two assists from Caps captain Alex Ovechkin. They were his 35th and 36th goals of the season and they were enough to overtake New York Rangers forward Rick Nash for the league lead in goals.
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Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf wasn’t interested in talking about any of that after Sunday’s game though. Instead he had a different take on Ovechkin, per Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.
Getzlaf on knowing where Ovechkin will be on pp but Ducks couldn't stop him: "I didn’t know he was going to dive the way he did tonight(more
— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) February 16, 2015
"All over the [expletive] ice. That part of it is a little embarrassing. Pardon my language. He’s a great player. He’s going to (more)
— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) February 16, 2015
more Getzlaf on Ovechkin-"He’s going to score goals and make plays. That other stuff’s embarrassing."
— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) February 16, 2015
For those who didn’t catch last night’s game, we have video of the incident in question.
It certainly looks like Ovechkin plays up the contact made by Getzlaf, but it’s undeniable that said contact is a result of Getzlaf swinging his stick at Ovie’s ankle. While diving isn’t something to be commended, it often comes as a result of an infraction that someone is about to get away with. In this case, Alex Ovechkin wasn’t about to let that happen in a wild 2-2 affair over the first 14 minutes of the game.
That exchange between the captains only set the tone for what would be an intense game throughout. The Ducks are jockeying for position atop the Western Conference while the Capitals fight for their playoff lives in the Eastern Conference.
Additionally, playing Washington always seems to give Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau an extra boost as he plays his old team.
“We should have been able to take for sure a sample out of what LA did last night,” Boudreau said of the game, per Elliott. “That was what we were supposed to do but evidently the game plan didn’t work.”
The NHL will announce within the week whether they agree with Getzlaf on Ovechkin’s alleged dive. If so, the Capitals captain will face a fine.
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