Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was awarded the 2018 Conn Smythe Trophy as the post-season’s most valuable player Thursday.
Ovechkin’s Capitals took down the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 5 to earn the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
The 32-year-old led his peers in playoff goals this spring with 15, also setting a franchise record for most goals in a single post-season. He wraps up the playoffs with 27 points in 24 games, second in post-season points to teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov (12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points).
He’s also the first Russian-born player to captain a team to the Stanley Cup, as well as the second Russian player to earn Conn Smythe honours (Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was the first, in 2009).
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