Alex Ovechkin Calls Bruce Boudreau 'Fat F***' After Getting Benched In Capitals-Ducks Game (VIDEO)

There was something odd about the final minute of regulation play during Tuesday night's NHL game between the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks at the Verizon Center. The Caps were down by a goal with 1:02 left. Goaltender Tomas Vokoun was pulled for an extra skater, but none of the six Capitals players on the ice were Alex Ovechkin.

Coming out of a timeout, Washington coach Bruce Boudreau benched his star player to the surprise of the announcer... and Ovechkin. As the Great Eight sat down on the bench, he was angry, muttering a string of mouth-guard muffled expletives. The Internet's legions of lip readers have mostly decided that he called his coach a "fat fuck" as he walked away. Commenters on YouTube debated the exact words used as well as the impact or importance of them.

NSFW - VIDEO AT THE TOP

Despite Ovechkin's clear frustration at being kept off the ice in that key situation, the Capitals were still able to pull off the comeback win after Nicklas Backstrom scored and tied the game with 43 seconds left. The Caps center then scored the game-winner at 2:18 of overtime and Washington improved to 8-2-0.

After the win, Boudreau explained his decision to sit Ovechkin.

"I thought other guys were better than him and I thought there was just a chance that other guys might score the goal," he said. "I got to put out the guys that I think are going to score there. And 99 percent of the time, Alex is the guy I think is going to score the goal. I just didn't think he was going to score the goal at that time tonight."

Ovechkin, who was the first one to hug Backstrom after his game-winner, shrugged off the benching when asked how he felt when he wasn't on the ice for the final minute of regulation.

"The Ward and Brooks Laich line play unbelievable today," he said. "They score like four goals. It's a coaching decision so it's working."

Boudreau told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun on Wednesday that the incident "was really nothing" and he thought "the Laich line was going and deserved to be out there."

LeBrun agrees that it wasn't a big deal, writing that although Ovechkin didn't look happy, he'd be worried if Ovie was fine with sitting on the bench because "all-world players want to be on the ice with the game on the line."

WATCH NICKLAS BACKSTROM'S LATE GOALS

Comments

[Dr Confuso]

08:50 PM on 11/03/2011

Hockey players...a class act.

[mnzamboni]

06:53 PM on 11/03/2011

This is the stupidest thing ever. No one knows that he said that for sure. Could have been in Russian. He obviously wasn't too mad at the coach or the coach too mad at him as he was right there when the game winning goal was scored in overtime!!!

I hate people that put words into someones mouth...especially those words!!!!

[kicksave7]

03:32 PM on 11/03/2011

Class act that Ovechkin...great role model for the younger hockey players. Immature and self-absorbed. He'll never bring the Stanley Cup to Washington and P.S. I'm not a Penguins fan.

[Leon Engelun]

11:55 AM on 11/03/2011

Ovechkin don't like it? Then Ovechkin should apply for the coaching job. He could be player/coach. Haven't seen one of those in a long time.

[tr00fdetector3]

11:54 AM on 11/03/2011

They score "like" four goals or they score four goals??

[Louie Rey]

11:50 AM on 11/03/2011

There's no 'I" in team but there's definitely one in Ovechkin. I always preferred him to Sidney Crosby because besides being a great scorer he's a much more physical player than Sid the Kid but after reading this I have to question his commitement to winning. I was surprised to see him on the bench at the end of the game when the goalie was pulled but they scored to tie it. He's intimating a guarantee that the score would have been tied if he were on the ice. There's no gurantee of that and he should know that. And to think, now he's verbally attacked his coach. How is that going to go over with the team let alone management? Not good.

[JohnCocktosten]

08:02 PM on 11/02/2011

The article fails to mention that Ovechkin had the key assist on Backstrom's game-winner in OT. This is a manufactured controversy that best belongs with the blowhards and yahoos in sports radio.

[ontariogirl]

07:02 PM on 11/02/2011

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[elfsmom]

05:54 PM on 11/02/2011

He is an egotistical jerk,on top of being a cheap-shot artist.

[jswift1121]

12:22 PM on 11/03/2011

Penguins fan?

[Gunston79]

03:40 PM on 11/03/2011

You know him personally, then? I mean, that is the only way that one can judge/form opinions about others’ personalities…if we meet them and get to know them…no? Or, you can just hate on someone because they are rich and famous and you are not. My guess is that your situation is the latter. C-A-P-S, CAPS, CAPS, CAPS ;)

[DCVotingNow]

05:54 PM on 11/02/2011

Ovie is still the man. In the heat of the moment, after being benched, I am not surprised at all that one of the best players in the game muttered pissed off under his breath. And then he went and celebrated with his team, didn't pout, and didn't complain about it afterwards.

[onlyinvegas]

06:00 PM on 11/02/2011

yet you still think that his actions were that of a man. ... interesting

[Gunston79]

03:41 PM on 11/03/2011

Are his actions "of a woman", then?

[mass maritimer]

07:02 PM on 11/02/2011

I have season tix in Hershey behind the visitors' bench......BB was called a lot of names just to get the players wound up in defense of their coach.

In Gabby's book he said one game Sean Avery was taunting his weight and he had to restrain Ovie from defending him on the ice....

[stav506]

05:08 PM on 11/02/2011

Adn what do I say about Ovechkin: cheap shot artist f***.

How many games did you miss for that hit from behind on Campbell that had him sit for a month? And that was not the first.

[canpete]

04:10 PM on 11/02/2011

too funny, but you have to respect the coach's decision...

[sunnydee07]

03:36 PM on 11/02/2011

It's ultimately the coach's decision. If the Brooks-Laich line was playing better then they had a better chance to win, which is what all the player's want. It's not part of Boudreau's job description that he only plays the marquee players, no matter what. I'm sure Ovie is ok with it, now that he's had time to calm down. Like LeBrun says, every player wants to be out there.

Having said that, Ovechkin doesn't strike me as a quality captain. During that whole 24/7 series last year (which was excellent) I never once saw him show the leadership in the room.