Alex Ovechkin's Wife Shares Ghastly Photo of His Bruised Leg

Alex Ovechkin's playoff turmoil continued when the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated his Washington Capitals on Wednesday in the second round. It's now clear the NHL star played through a significant leg injury.

After Ovechkin once again fell short of the Stanley Cup and conference finals, the Russian Hockey Federation said he received pain injections to treat a leg injury. Per the Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty, the 31-year-old refused to use his ailments as an excuse.

"Of course you don't feel 100 percent—you don’t [have] strength in your leg—but you play through that, you know? Some players play with broken hand, broken leg, and you know, because it’s the playoffs," Ovechkin said. "You have to sacrifice your body to get success and get the result.”

It appears he undersold his condition. His wife, Nastya Ovechkina, posted a gruesome photo of his discolored leg in an Instagram story.

Playing below 100 percent, Ovechkin failed to record a point in three of Washington's final four games. Despite the unpleasant injury, critics will nonetheless question his toughness and his legacy following another abbreviated playoff stint.

[Russian Machine Never Breaks]