Alex Ovechkin shouldered the responsibility after the Capitals were fined $100,000 by the NHL on Wednesday for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
“I regret my choice to spend time together with my teammates in our hotel room and away from the locker room areas,” Ovechkin said in a statement released by the team.
“I will learn from this experience.”
The fine is the first levied against a team for COVID protocol violations.
Shortly after the fine was announced, Ovechkin, along with teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov, were placed on the daily list of players who are unavailable to play or practice “in accordance with the league’s COVID protocols.”
It doesn’t mean that all four have tested positive for COVID-19. Players can end up on the list for many reasons, including a positive test or a high-risk close contact.
The Caps said in a statement that the…
