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Alexander Ovechkin reacts to Ryan Leonard's thunderous centre-ice hit
Photo credit: Youtube
The Washington Capitals are celebrating a big win over the Boston Bruins last night, but top prospect Ryan Leonard was the true star of last night.
The stage was set for an epic show last night.
Ryan Leonard, arguably one the best products to emerge from the NCAA, made his NHL debut last night.
To make matters even sweeter, Caps' head coach Spencer Carbery showed full confidence in the young prospect by placing him on the top line -- and Leonard delivered.
Right from the start, Leonard made his presence known, delivering a massive centre-ice hit on Bruins forward Jimmy Viel.
Alex Ovechkin reacts to Ryan Leonard's hit
There's a beautiful friendship in the making between Ryan Leonard and Alexander Ovechkin
Following Leonard's impactful shift, he skated back to the bench, where Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin greeted him with a fist-bump -- a clear nod of approval for the young prospect.
Check out Ovechkin's reaction in the link provided below:
The Hobey Baker finalist finished the game with 14:14 TOI, a respectable first performance at the NHL level.
«I can't really explain it, honestly,» Leonard said to reporters following the game. «If you told me this a couple years ago, it just wouldn't be real it's just really cool. I'm just trying to embrace the moment.»
Leonard was also greeted with a full house at TD Garden, with all of his close friends and family there to cheer him on.
«First lap I looked to my right and there's a couple of my teammates on the glass,» Leonard said. «They all told me it was going to happen and they were going to be there but it didn't really sink in until that first lap."
While the Washington Capitals look ahead to tonight's matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, top prospect Ryan Leonard has found a new home in D.C
Will the young prospect keep up his impressive play? Time will tell.
Game time is set for 7:00 PM ET.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 2 | 92 ANSWERS Alexander Ovechkin reacts to Ryan Leonard's thunderous centre-ice hit Do you think Ryan Leonard will keep his spot on the Washington Capitals first line? | ||
| Yes | 53 | 57.6 % |
| No | 39 | 42.4 % |
| List of polls | ||