How Alex Ovechkin Became the Kobe Bryant of the NHL
Take heart, D.C. sports fans. You may not have the Hibachi around this season, or a decent football team, but you can claim the NHL’s most talented and reviled player in Alex Ovechkin. Last night’s win heaping helping of comeuppance against the Philadelphia Flyers has all but solidified Ovechkin’s place as the “hate me because I’m beautiful” player in a league that is not hating on such an investment of hatred and attention in its best player.
Ovechkin gets the hate because of his talent. Not because of clashes with teammates or coaches, or because he has an unapproachable air about him. He’s inexplicably drawn the ire of Don Cherry, has an ongoing rivalry with hockey’s second-best player Sidney Crosby, and gets booed all over the place.
Yet, he’s a heel in a Jeff Gordon kind of way. He’s smiling all the time, and with the English he has mastered, rarely has an overly negative thing to say about his competitors. D.C. fans eat it up. Opposing fans can’t get their fingers down their throats fast enough.
In a market devoid of any hope across a number of pro sports leagues, Washington is in love with Ovie. He plays hard, plays well, and doesn’t have the ghosts of rape charges or the destruction of championship dynasties following him around on the road. The most flack he can catch is for his talent, and for his new role as an Eastern Motors pitchman.
And I’m sure he, and any Caps fan, will take that any day of the week.
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Great article and good comparison. I’m a Caps fans and Jeff is my absolute favorite driver ( through the good years and bad). Both guys always have a smile whether they win or lose.
Thanks for the article.
Its not a crosb/Ovie debate and if you started watching hockey other than your own team, hell i bet you never even played hockey you might understand that. Malkin is number one. He backchecks harder (see ovechkins backchecking last sunday on the first crosby goal – thats some real heart right there), he goes into the corner and wins practically every puck, he makes everyone around him better ( he doesnt play with backstrom and semin who arguably could be 1st line allstars if the game was held in DC), He passes better (note assists), he has an equal slapper to GR8 8, ovie has a 100x better wrister but he doesnt pass like malkin so say thats a wash. Ovie lays some brutal hits but can you say that some are always needed adn that it leaves him out of position (watch a game from an outside prospective and you would). Its a clear cut choice for malkin he has been in beast mode for the last two seasons. Oh and ovechkin hasnt gotten his team into the cup finals. Playing with crosby 10 shifts every game doesnt count for a defense of his teammates either.
Watch some hockey outside of your dilusional bubble and you might understand stick a little better
Sincerely a Habs fan
It pains me to say it because I hate the guy, but I can certainly see the argument for Ovechkin as best player in the league. I don’t think #2 is Crosby, though. Don’t get me wrong, he’s good. As a Pens fan, though, I have to say Malkin is a little bit better than Crosby. I would take any three on my team, though, that’s for sure.
It’s not only a question of talent, which Malkin clearly has more of overall than Crosby. It’s also about appeal to casual fans and an ability to further the league.
Ovechkin and Crosby have it, Malkin doesn’t it. And Ovechkin has it more than anyone else.