Ovechkin refused to shake hands with the Pittsburgh players after the match

Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian forward and captain of the Washington Capitals hockey club, refused to shake hands with the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey players after the National Hockey League (NHL) regular season on April 12.

After the game, the Pittsburgh hockey players gathered on the ice to hold a traditional handshake ceremony. However, Ovechkin refused to participate, after which the players of the guest team left the court. This meeting was the last home game of the capital club in the current regular season. For Ovechkin and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, it was the hundredth face-to-face meeting in the NHL, taking into account the playoffs.

The match could be Ovechkin's last standoff with the Penguins if the Russian forward does not sign a new contract.

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Among the nominees are Ovechkin, Kucherov, Demidov, Sorokin and Vasilevsky.

Ovechkin scored his 1006th career NHL goal in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 11. He scored in the 57th minute of the game, kicking the puck into an empty net and ending a four-match goalless streak. The Pittsburgh team is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference table with 98 points, while Washington is in 10th place in the Metropolitan Division with 91 points.

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