MOSCOW, Oct 19 The Hockey Writers journalist Eugene Helfrick ranked the most » dirty» players of the National Hockey League (NHL). Among the noteworthy players who did not make it into the top ten, the author named Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin.
"The status of one of the most talented players in the league does not give you the right to play quietly. Ovechkin, arguably the best scorer in NHL history, was a former hockey player with a penchant for dirty play. He delivers strong power moves, but regularly goes too far, resulting in blind hits, knee-to-knee and rear-end hits. Because of this, some gave him the title of an actor with cheap tricks", Helfrick wrote.
The journalist noted that Ovechkin had repeatedly inflicted serious injuries on opponents with brute force and often received disqualifications. Among the most «dirty» players turned out to be another Russian — forward “Tampa” Nikita Kucherov. First place in the ranking was taken by Ovechkin's teammate Tom Wilson.