Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin fined $5,000 for spearing Bruins' Trent Frederic
The NHL confirmed on Thursday that Washington Capitals captain and superstar Alex Ovechkin has been fined $5,000 for spearing Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic in the third period of Wednesday's game between the clubs.
$5,000 is the maximum allowable fine for such an offense per the collective bargaining agreement. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
With roughly five minutes remaining in the third period, Ovechkin thrust his stick toward Frederic's groin with a shot that downed his opponent:
As the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) noted, Ovechkin received a minor penalty for slashing, while Frederic received the same punishment for cross-checking.
Washington defeated Boston 2-1 in a shootout. The two sides play again on Friday night.
As Kyle Cantlon wrote for Yahoo Sports, Frederic had challenged Ovechkin throughout the contest, but the one-time Stanley Cup champion wasn't keen on dropping his gloves. The theory is that Ovechkin didn't feel as if fighting Frederic was worth missing five minutes of action, but he nevertheless left the rookie with something to think about ahead of Friday's clash.
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