After Russia was eliminated from the World Championships in Helsinki on Thursday, a league source told The Washington Post’s Katie Carrera that Alex Ovechkin suffered a hairline fracture in his foot after blocking a shot in game six. Late Thursday, as the Russian national team landed in Moscow, Ovi was photographed in the terminal by R-Sport with his luggage, including a walking boot. Poor guy.

If Maria wants to make wedding plans, this is the time to do it. He’s hobbled; he can’t run away!

11:30AM Update: Ovechkin has tweeted a photo with himself wearing the boot.

Thanks to the awesome tumbleblog varlysuperfan for first posting.

Photo credit: championat.com

Alex Ovechkin flew for approximately ten hours to Helsinki with the intention of helping the Russian national team win the 2013 World Championships. Jet-lagged, he did what he could, scoring a goal and recording an assist against the United States during their quarterfinals game on Thursday. That help was not nearly enough, as the defending champions suffered their worst defeat ever in a World Championship game, a 8-3 loss to the United States. After half a year in the KHL, a shortened NHL season, a too-short playoff run, and a single game at Worlds, Ovechkin’s season is now officially over.

Ovechkin, who spoke to Sovetsky Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov after the game and had his words later translated by Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov, was disappointed.

“We lost due to egregious mistakes in the neutral zone, even though we talked about it [beforehand],” Ovechkin said to Lysenkov. “This is carelessness. We could have saved the game when it was 2-1, but we made even more mistakes. The Americans didn’t play super hockey. But we can’t make mistakes.”

“Don’t compare [the loss] to Vancouver,” Ovechkin said, referring to Russia’s collapse to Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics. “It’s different here. I do not regret coming [here], although it’s a shame how it turned out.”

Ilya Kovalchuk added, according to Chesnokov, that Russia “s&*$ their pants,” a reference Ovi used after the Capitals lost to the Rangers in game seven.

Ovechkin’s goal was predictably beautiful. As the Great Eight skated down the right wing, he sniped a shot past John Gibson’s left shoulder and the post.

Ovi’s goal is at the 1:05 mark.

But Russia’s breakdowns in the third period were too much to overcome. Ovechkin, disappointed, was named Russia’s best player after the game. In 20:31 of ice time, he had 8 shots on goal, and two near misses.

GIF by welshhockeyfan

Photos

All photos via championat.com

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While the rest of his teammates conducted interviews on breakdown day, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin touched down in Finland for the 2013 World Championships. And we have some disappointing news: he only wore one pair of pants.

Ovi told Championat.com’s Igor Bragin that while he slept peacefully for most of the flight, the journey was not without challenges – all of the Great Eight’s gear was missing when the plane touched down.

“It’s hard to remember last time it happened. I think it was when I came home to Moscow once,” Ovechkin told Bragin, as translated by Fedor Fedin. “But it wasn’t hockey equipment and I got everything back on the next day.”

“Our equipment sponsor has all my sizes,” Ovi continued. “I think it won’t be a huge problem to deliver it. Of course, it’ll be some trouble for them to send it all, but we were assured that we’ll get everything at 9 am [Thursday].”

After getting a ride to Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena, Ovi was greeted by more reporters and conducted a ten minute press conference.

“The goal is to win the tournament again,” Ovechkin said, according to the IIHF website. “It’s very hard to do it two times in a row. We did it once, and I hope we can.”

Meanwhile, Evgeny Kuznetsov and the rest of the Russian national team were busy taking their team photo during the off day. It was weird.

Photos

All Photos via championat.com

Bryz = grumpy

Varly and third-string goaltender Vasily Koshechkin

Anisimov and Kuznetsov intrigued by Kovalchuk’s hand for whatever reason.

Everybody say cheeeeeeseeee (or stare menacingly at the camera)!

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Photo via @raedanda

If you’re looking for a symbol that articulates the Washington Capitals 2012-13 season, look no further than Mike Green‘s hair on breakdown day. Green, looking as if he just rolled out of bed, sported a massive mohawk, every hair follicle seemingly unsure which direction it wanted to point towards. The mohawk then flowed tidily into a well-kempt beard.

While the Caps came up short, Green deserves all literal and figurative hair awards ever invented. From his lockout-beard to whatever this thing is, he is the unanimous Hair MVP of hockey.

Lockout beard (Photo credit: whatsupyasieve.com)

Photo credit: Sport-Express

While the Washington Capitals season ended painfully last night after a 5-0 game seven loss to the New York Rangers, Alex Ovechkin will continue playing hockey. The Capitals revealed before his final press conference of the season that Ovi has been invited to Finland to join his comrades on the Russian National team competing in the 2013 World Championships. He will be flying over this afternoon.

“This morning they just called me and asked if I’m healthy and ready to go,” Ovi told reporters at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. “I said ‘Yeah, I’m ready to go.’ I’m still wanting to play. I don’t want to take off, I don’t want to watch games. I want to play hockey.”

“I’m in good shape,” he added. “Mentally I think I’m ready.”

Ovechkin will join top prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov, who plans to begin his professional career with the Capitals at some point after the Olympics next season.

Kuznetsov, despite matching or surpassing his goal and point totals from last season, has drawn some criticism from the Russian media for his struggles. He even got a verbal smack down from Vladislav Tretiak, the greatest Russian goalie of all-time before the World Championships.

“We want Kuznetsov to take responsibility,” Tretiak told Andrey Kuznetsov of Sport-Express. “There’s a lot of talk about with him, but I haven’t seen Evgeny playing like a leader with the national team. Though at his age, it’s time to take over the leadership role.”

“It’s time to understand that gold medal of Buffalo WJC is history and that you need to show yourself right now,” Tretiak continued. “Amazing chances like a World Championship roster spot won’t last forever.”

Kuzya wasn’t given a roster spot initially. The team lost their first three games before falling meekly to France and Finland. Against Slovakia on Sunday, Kuznetsov was finally given his chance, playing on the third line with Artem Anisimov  of the Blue Jackets and Islanders prospect Kirill Petrov. On Tuesday after scoring two goals for the gold medal winning Russia in last year’s World Championships, Kuznetsov tallied his first goal of this season’s tournament, a blistering one timer from the top of the left circle.

Kuznetsov scores at the 1:50 mark.

While Ovechkin and Kuznetsov are friends, Ovechkin has criticized the 21-year-old hometown hero of Chelyabinsk for staying in Russia, saying “I think he’s outgrown the KHL level” and “he needs to move on.”

However, when asked Tuesday about what he thinks Kuznetsov might bring to the Caps in the future, Ovi was terse.

“To be honest with you I didn’t see his game, but I’m going to watch his game soon,” he told RMNB’s Chris Gordon.

They will now try to win gold together for the second time in two years. Russia will play the USA on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Additional reporting by Fedor Fedin and Chris Gordon.

Photo credit: ABC7′s @BrittMcHenry

Is Alex Ovechkin frustrated with how the season ended? I don’t know, you tell me. Ovi wore a pretty expressive Nike shirt today during his final meeting with the press.

“It’s just what I already pick from my closet,” Ovi said with a frown when asked about his attire.

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

Hit play before watching the GIFs.

It’s game seven. It’s do or die. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin isn’t going to stand idly by as his team’s season hangs in the balance.

With 11:38 left in the first period, Ovechkin stepped out on the ice for a shift, and it was inspiring. Ovechkin laid out three New York Rangers players with big hits and left the ice to a roaring standing ovation from the sold out Verizon Center crowd.

Let’s recap.

First, Ovi brutally knocked over Rangers defenseman John Moore in open ice.

Next, like a heat-seeking missile, Ovechkin crunches a leaning-over Ryan McDonagh in the shoulders, knocking him hard into the boards.

Finally, Ovi rattled Steve Eminger along the boards.

GIFs by welshhockeyfan

All in all, Ovechkin was credited with seven hits in period one. The New York Rangers had 21 in total.

Late starts in the playoffs have an impact on how some Caps fans watch games. For example: take five-year-old Ben from Cleveland, Ohio, who had to go to bed during the latter stages of game five on Friday night because it was past his bedtime. No matter, the next morning Mom restarted the game for Ben as soon as he woke up.

That’s a good way to start your day.

Earlier in the day, we reported that Taylor Swift mentioned the Washington Capitals during her show on Saturday night at the Verizon Center. (She did so again Sunday too.) Hard-hitting stuff, right? Well now we have video.

Check out the 3:36 mark. Warning! Screaming. Lots and lots of screaming.

During her introduction, Swift said, “I’m going to give you a heads up about another thing about this tour, about this concert you’re about to see. You’re going to see one particular color, more than all the other colors. You might be sitting there asking yourself, ‘Why is this one color going to be in the forefront of everything at this show?’ It’s mostly because the Capitals and them being in the playoffs.”

So there’s that. The only way this could have been cooler was if Mattias Sjogren wrote ‘sexy’ on her back with magic marker.

Let’s also discuss how I did two posts on this topic today and spent an hour on YouTube searching for her quote. I’m not sure what that says about me, but feel free to let me know in the comments.

In game six on Sunday night, the Capitals did not receive a single power play despite a few egregious fouls by the New York Rangers. One of the worst missed calls came in the first period, when Mathieu Perreault was decked into the boards by Michael Del Zotto.

But there was also the time Rangers forward Ryan Callahan elbowed Jack Hillen, and then Hillen got whistled off for roughing.

Then, when Rangers forward Derek Dorsett might’ve slew-footed Mike Green. Green got a call for cross-checking.

The Caps got nicked for ticky-tac plays all night, including a cross-checking minor to Joel Ward late in the third period after he crashed the net. The Capitals been called for 31 penalties in the series; the Rangers have been sent to the box just 19 times. The penalty parade is more lopsided at Madison Square Garden, with the Capitals penalized 17 times. The Rangers have just 7.

After the game, Alan May shared his displeasure.

1st Star today for Rangers #25 referee Marc Joannette, even worse today than he was at MSG Wednesday. Should be ashamed, very bad

— Alan May (@MayHockeyCSN) May 12, 2013

Then May took the officiating to task on CSN’s Caps Postgame Central.

We’ve seen this three times at Madison Square Garden in the last week. The same referee Marc Joannette on Wednesday night — the same guy — today turned his back and looked away when Mathieu Perreault was hit five seconds after a puck, rammed from behind headfirst into the glass, not a call! The Capitals couldn’t get a call all game long, they set them back. They were very tired at the end of the first period, they had to kill of the 5-on-3 again. The only one that’s a clear cut penalty is the puck over the glass. But the Joel Ward penalty in the third period was absolutely disgusting and embarrassing that it was called. And I really can’t believe that guy was assigned this game again!

While the Capitals were apparently frustrated by the calls, they tried to downplay it in postgame interviews.

“Tonight shouldn’t have been so lopsided,” Braden Holtby said, according to Steve Whyno. “It shouldn’t have. We all know that. … We won’t use it as an excuse.”

Alex Ovechkin also expressed his displeasure, saying “it’s nothing we can control.”

The Capitals have a discipline problem, sure, but the officiating needs to improve or else game seven will be a total mess. Let the officials know what’s up on Monday.

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.