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Alex Ovechkin criticizes ex-Caps HC Dale Hunter's tactics
Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers in the league. Recently, Ovechkin opened up on the year his team’s coaching instructions did not favor his offensive game.
The Great Eight made an appearance on the Russian podcast “It’s Football, Bro!,” where he was asked to share his thoughts about the possibility of being benched in the coming seasons. In response, Ovechkin mentioned the time he was benched by then-coach Dale Hunter for an entire season.
“There was a coach who (benched me),” Ovechkin said. “We were playing the first period, we were leading 1-0, I was sitting down. The score was 1-1, go play. It was Dale Hunter.” [H/T RMNB]
“It was 2012. We were playing in the playoffs, playing against the Rangers. Third period, power play, I scored a goal. Well, that’s it, I realized that I was going to sit now. I sat down. And so I sat like that for 20 minutes.”
Ovechkin described Hunter as a coach who focused primarily on defense. He explained that when the team was trailing, Hunter would send him, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom onto the ice to create scoring opportunities. However, once the team took the lead, Hunter would bench him and Semin immediately.
“He didn’t care, you see, he was on his own wavelength,” Alex Oveckhin added.
That particular season saw Ovi record less than 20 minutes of ice time per game, something that had not happened before in his career.
Alex Ovechkin is mentally prepared to face being on the bench
The Washington Capitals are currently coached by Spencer Carbery, who is entering his second year as an NHL head coach. In the same podcast, Alex Ovechkin praised Carbery's communication skills and his ability to maintain good relationships with players.
According to Ovechkin, this makes it easier to have difficult conversations. He said:
“After the game, I’ll talk to him, tell him, explain the reason to me,” Ovechkin said. “But if it’s clear that I’m not doing well, I’m not doing the forecheck, or something else. Of course, he’ll sit me down, and then explain it all to me.”
Ovechkin explained that after a game, he can talk to Carbery, who always provides clear explanations for his decisions. If Ovechkin isn't performing well, Carbery does bench him but also takes the time to explain why.
It is clear that Ovi shares a much better relationship with his current head coach and the understanding between them will be important as the Capitals captain heads into the next season. This year, Ovi has a chance to overtake Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring record, and if given enough ice time, the Great Eight just might.
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