Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine made headlines on Saturday after appearing to downplay facing Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin in the opening round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
When asked how special it would be to face Ovechkin, Laine had a brief response, shutting down the question.
"Doesn't matter. I couldn't care less," Laine told reporters in Montreal.
While the comment can appear to be a bit brusque, there wasn't any ill will intended by Laine, and no disrespect meant to Ovechkin, who eclipsed Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer back on April 6.
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Looking at the context of the situation, as well as correct interpretation, Laine didn't mean that he doesn't respect Ovechkin or isn't looking forward to facing a longtime idol of his. Instead, he was saying he isn't focused on any specific opponent heading into the postseason, and that he and the team are just aiming to play their best regardless.
That said, the premise of facing Ovechkin isn't something he's focused on; he's focused on trying to help Montreal compete in the first-round series. It's the same approach the Capitals have; Alex Ovechkin even spoke very briefly on Ivan Demidov, saying he's a "talented guy," but isn't focused on just him going into the postseason.
Laine has said multiple times in the past, including back in 2018 when Ovechkin scored his 600th career goal against his former Winnipeg Jets, that he idolized him growing up and looks up to him. The two have even been compared over the course of Laine's still-young career.
Taking one quote as a jab at Ovechkin, especially considering Laine is a laid-back player who doesn't really make waves, shouldn't be the case here.
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Washington hosts the Canadiens for Game 1 on Monday.