It all started with Alex Ovechkin closing his eyes and dropping his head back in an almost tranquil way. He was the picture of relief, finally leading the Washington Capitals through to the conference finals. The moment was so captivating for its honesty, Ovechkin reacting as if a literal weight had been lifted off him as he raised both arms. What’s turning into the spring of Ovechkin can be told through a series of clips like that one, the body language and emotion so endearingly transparent.
Whether it was that Ovechkin exhalation when Washington finally beat Pittsburgh, or his two-handed smash of a stick against the crossbar when the Capitals struggled against Tampa Bay in Game 4 of the conference finals, or the way Ovechkin covered his face with both gloves in disbelief after goaltender Braden Holtby made “The Save” in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Ovechkin has been the GIF that’s kept on giving.