Ryan Getzlaf blasts Alex Ovechkin for diving, ‘embarrassing the game’

The Washington Capitals topped the Anaheim Ducks, 5-3, on Sunday night. Alex Ovechkin scored two goals, had two assists and drew a first-period slashing penalty from Ryan Getzlaf as well as a third-period slashing call from Andrew Cogliano.

None of this pleased Getzlaf after the game.

Especially the “drawing a penalty” part.

Via Eric Stephens of the OC Register, Getzlaf blasted Ovechkin for embellishment after the game:

"I didn't know he was going to dive tonight the way he did all over the f---ing ice. That part of it’s a little (more) embarrassing, pardon my language. He’s a great player. He’s going to score goals and make plays. That other stuff’s embarrassing.

"The slash on me. The slash on his hand. When we ran into him and he dove down. All those things. It's embarrassing to the game.”

Ovechkin has come under fire for diving, including earlier this season against the Montreal Canadiens. Getzlaf has also taken heat for diving. This is your mandatory caveat that, yes, everyone in the NHL that plays offense has attempted to draw a penalty.

As Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post notes, Barry Trotz has been a vocal critic of diving when it’s opponents that flop, going back to 2011 when his Predators played the Canucks and earlier this season when he called out Vincent Trocheck of the Florida Panthers for embellishment.

“I think there’s a lot of diving creeping into the league right now,” Trotz said at the time.

Wonder how he’ll handle these comments from Getzlaf.