Ovechkin Out (And Suspended?) After Another Knee-On-Knee Hit

Normally, I don't do posts about other NHL-related happenings in this forum, but I can't help but speak out on what happened last night in the game between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Huricanes at the RBC Center in Carolina.

There is somewhat of a Penguins' connection after all.

Capitals' and league star -- and Pens' nemesis -- RW Alexander Ovechkin laid a knee-on-knee hit on Hurricanes' defenseman Tim Gleason that left both players in pain on the ice for several minutes with potentially significant injuries. Both were unable to put any weight on their injured legs after the hit and could not leave the ice on their own power.

Take a look at the hit for yourself:

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Steven-Hindle/Ovechkin-Hurt--Tossed-for-Knee-on-Knee-Hit-with-Tim-Gleason--Video/98/24635

In Pittsburgh, we've seen this before, haven't we?

I know I still haven't forgotten the knee-on-knee hit that Ovechkin laid on Pens' star defenseman Sergei Gonchar in game 4 of last year's Eastern Conferencee semifinal.

That hit was the same sort of thing that Ovechkin did last night -- it just wasn't a play coming from behind the net.

Ovechkin goes to check a player leading with his shoulder at first and then -- in a desperate attempt to be like a bull and make some kind of contact even if the opponent does a good job trying to skirt the check -- ends up making knee-on-knee contact.

I don't think Ovechkin tried to hurt Gleason last night the way he may have ended up doing so. But I've said before that Ovechkin is somewhat of a reckless player and something needs to be done about it. He hits to hurt -- which is the way you should hit -- but he clearly doesn't play in control with his body and ends up recklessly throwing it around as a result.

Ovechkin was assessed a 5-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct for what he did last night.

Aside from the Gonchar hit last year, we've seen Ovechkin take some runs at Evengi Malkin the last few seasons. As we all know, even though the All-Star game last season appeared to bury the hatchet between them, the two were known rivals.

Some of those hits and collisions were outright headhunting, as far as I was concerned, and -- there's no question -- I called for someone on the ice to seek retribution because you can't have those types of hits on one of your best players, no matter who is delivering them.

People are bringing that up again with Ovechkin after his latest foray into the realm of illegality, and asking whether he's finally gone too far:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4702269

Now, I'll be the first to say that Ovechkin is an exciting player -- maybe the most exciting in the game. He plays with flair and does a good job doing it. He's a star attraction for the Capitals and the league as a whole.

But while his physicality also is a general asset in his game, it can be a detriment for him as well because he doesn't play in control with it.

Now, after last night, look at the potential consequences?

He could (and should) be suspended.

He could be out of the lineup for an extended period of time.

And, if he did something as significant as tear a knee ligament, he could miss not only the entire 2010 Winter Olympics for his country -- an event Ovechkin has spoken on publicly as being hugely important to him -- but also potentially the Stanley Cup playoffs.

As a fan of a huge rival in Pittsburgh and the league in general, I'm extremely interested in how everything plays out.

I'll likely have more on this once the answers to some of the above questions are known.

For now, it looks as if Ovechkin will likely have a lot of time to think about all of the above.