Alex Ovechkin and Russian hockey coach Oleg Znarok made throat-slashing gestures toward a camera while celebrating Russia’s gold medal at the World Hockey Championships, after Znarok had been suspended for the final following a throat-slash gesture toward a Swedish assistant in the semifinals.
Without Znarok at the helm, Russia beat Finland 5-2 for gold in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday, partially making up for a disastrous Olympic showing.
Znarok rejoined the team and Ovechkin afterward. Next to Znarok, Ovechkin essentially says, “Here it is,” and lifts his gold medal in the above video.
The Latvian Znarok was hired in March to replace Olympic coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, who guided the Russians to a quarterfinal exit in Sochi.
Znarok and Swedish assistant Rikard Gronborg argued after a hit late in Russia’s 3-1 win over Sweden in the semifinals Saturday. Znarok made a throat-slashing gesture toward Gronborg during the exchange.
Both coaches were suspended for Sunday’s gold- and bronze-medal games, respectively, with the IIHF providing this explanation.
