Why Did Alex Ovechkin Refuse A Handshake Line With Pittsburgh Penguins?

Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin refused the respect of the Pittsburgh Penguins after what could have been his final home game for the team.

After a 3-0 defeat of their longtime rivals, the Capitals stayed on the ice to accept applause from the fans. The Penguins themselves stayed on the ice in the hopes of paying respect to "The Great 8" despite the animosity between the teams. After all, Ovechkin might be retiring after this season, given that he is now 40.

(In similar fashion, many franchises have paid respect to Los Angeles Kings forward Anže Kopitar, who is retiring after this season).

That takes a high level of sportsmanship: wanting to shake hands with a legend after his team blanked you. But Ovechkin didn’t seem that interested in the niceties, and he chose to wave off the team.

Why would he do this? It's uncertain. Ovechkin had no problem meeting up with several Penguins players beforehand, namely Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin.

So what prompted this? It’s tough to say. Maybe he only respects those three long-time rivals and not the franchise itself. Maybe he plans on seeing them in the playoffs if they are able to grab the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference (third-place in the Metropolitan Division). Or maybe, just maybe, Ovechkin is going to delay retirement for just one more year.

"Sooner or later, it's going to happen," Ovechkin said in an interview with ESPN. "You have to find the right place and right time."

Perhaps that’s why he’s waiting for curtain-call handshake lines — maybe that time isn’t at the end of this season.

Let the speculation begin!