Is Huet acquisition to Caps the same as Roy's trade to Avs?

Do you know how Patrick Roy ended up with Colorado Avalanche? He let in 9 goals on 26 shots during an 11-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings and asked for a trade. Avs had Forsberg and Sakic, but they didn't have a good goalie. The same season he was traded to the Avalanche, Roy helped lead them to their first Stanley Cup. He played for Colorado until his retirement in 2003, adding another Cup and capturing a record third Conn Smythe Trophy in 2001.

Now back to the future. Huet goes into slump after that wild game where Ovechkin scored four goals against him, he was clearly shaken by Ovechkin. Canadians trade him to Washington Capitals. We've might witnessed a great moment in Caps history.

Globe & Mail:

Montreal: The cover headline of the Journal de Montréal, in response to the Canadiens trading starting goaltender Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals, read: Un Pari Risqué (a risky bet). Red Fisher of the Gazette wrote: "So, yes, I'm surprised that Huet is gone. It's a mistake." Team 990 afternoon host Mitch Melnick said fan reaction was running 80-20 negatively to the Huet trade.

The Hockey News, comment by David Kramer:

Huet has a career .917 save percentage. This is better than that of Lundqvist (.916), Kiprusoff (.915), Giguere (.915), Legace (.915), Turco (.914), Vokoun (.913), Brodeur (.913), Roy (.910), Khabibulin (.907), Belfour (.906), Joseph (.902), and nearly everyone else -- although not as good as Hasek (.923) or Luongo (.920). In the '05-'06 season, Huet led the NHL in save percentage, and then was .929 in six playoff games. I would hardly call this playing "fairly well" or being a "work in progress." If Canadiens management didn't recognize him as a bona fide starter, then that reflects poorly on them, not on him.

Fedorov

Ovechkin and Fedorov, August 2007 (see my post "Alex Ovechkin and Fedorov brothers). Photo courtesy Александр САФОНОВ, "Чемпионат.ру"




Can't be said better...
Ted Leonsis:

We got a center that should have good chemistry with the likes of Alex Semin and someone who can win big face-offs; be smart on the power play; and provide some leadership in big tough games. I am hopeful that being around young truly talented skaters like Semin and Ovechkin and feeling comfortable with Kozlov will re-ignite Fedorov's game a bit. He has always been a big game player and we need that right now.

Red Wings vs. Capitals, Game 3, Stanley Cup Finals, Jun 13, 1998

Sergei Fedorov snapped a shot over Olaf Kolzig's left shoulder
with 4:51 remaining and the Detroit Red Wings moved within one
win of their second straight Stanley Cup Finals sweep with a 2-1
victory over the Washington Capitals.

Fedorov took a pass from Doug Brown as he reached the Capitals
blue line, moved in on defenseman Calle Johansson and scored his
league-leading 10th playoff goal to snap a 1-1 tie.

Tonight was the one-year anniversary of the limousine crash that
seriously injured Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov and
team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov.

"I was just thinking about that," Fedorov said. "I know what
Vladie and Sergei did for this team. Tonight was a special
night. ... We thought about what happened last year before the
warmups. It gave us a kind of motivation and inspiration to
play harder and really, really concentrate and focus on the
game."

The game-winner came four minutes, 34 seconds after Brian
Bellows ended an 11-game scoring drought and lifted Washington
into a 1-1 tie.

Detroit Free Press, Feb. 23, 2008 "Chris Chelios: Fedorov would be a bargain":

“You know what? Depending on the right price and what you give up, I’d think he’d be a bargain. You say that and last night I watched him score a beautiful goal. He’s got that rocket shot of his and he’s still got that skill, Sergei does. I don’t think the price would be a big ticket, and even if it wasn’t now at the deadline, he’s going to be a free agent next year. He’s definitely one guy you’ve got to consider. He’s a great skill player and with the way the game is now with the power play, he could really actually help and contribute.”

Unlike Forsberg Fedorov never had any major injuries. No knee or ankle surgeries, he had one groin injury while in Anaheim, very few concussions. That is incredible considering how long he played hockey. Fedorov plays PP, PK, can play a defenceman. He did it in Detroit and for Ken Hitchcock in Columbus.

Fedorov numbers won't lie, he is incredible hockey player. In three Stanley Cups with Detroit he led the team in scoring, well, except for the last Stanley Cup where he was second, one point behind Yzerman. Could Detroit win three Cups without him? I doubt it. Detroit didn't get anywhere since Fedorov left. In the first Stanley Cup Fedorov, playing with a broken rib, was hit by Avs defenseman Miller and broke another rib. He came back and scored a game and series winning goal. Why series winning goal? Because that game was a major change of momentum for Detroit.

Fedorov was to Detroit as Paul McCartney was to the Beatles. And some controversy always followed both. :-)

The question is, can Fedorov still do it? Will Ovechkin and the Caps re-juvenate him?

According to Capitals Insider Ovechkin said he's thrilled to have Fedorov, a fellow Russian he looked up to as a youngster growing up in Moscow. "He's a great player," he said. "What can I say about him? He's won everything. I'm really excited. I hope he helps this team make a big step forward." Asked if he would like to play on the same line as Fedorov, Ovechkin said: "It's up to Coach and what's best for team."

from Dispatch

Sergei Fedorov gets traded to the Washington Capitals for a 19-year-old defenseman. OK, it's time to gut the team. There's a huge hole at center. ...Without Richards, without Foote, without Fedorov, the playoff push turned into a Sisyphean task.

With Huet, with Cooke, with Fedorov Caps are ready for the final playoff push. The team was losing steam, they needed a boost. With those trades Bruce Boudreau and the team got it. Thank you, Mr. McPhee, you made it possible.

Interview with Fedorov from Capitals Insider:

Q: Excited to be in Washington?
A: "To be honest with you, I had to gather my thoughts yesterday. But today is a brand new day. The old chapter is closed and a new chapter is open. That's the nature of our of our lives."

"I'm looking forward to working with the organization and hopefully be part of something special, like make a playoff run and making the playoffs."

Q: Have you been told what's been expected of you here?
A: "I just met the coach, and he told me that I'm going to play a little bit more than I played in Columbus. For me, that's exciting news. I don't think about anything else."

"Even though I'm 38 years old, I still play my best games with younger players. In team sports there are no small details. My daily routine will include all those small details. That's how championships are won. You have to pay attention to details."

Q: GM George McPhee said yesterday that there's a lot left in your tank. Do you feel that way?
A: "I think so, I hope so. I would like to show it before I talk about it. It's a very exciting time. It's been a crazy last 48 hours. I think my voicemail and text messages are still flooded. It's a new chapter for me, and I would like to quickly become part of this team and get some damage done."

Q: Did you expect to be moved?
A: It crossed my mind. I just did not expect it to be Washington. It wasn't easy to do. But I'm glad it happened. Now I'm here and I've moved on and I'm looking forward."

Q: This is the last year of your contract. Do you want to play several more years?
A: "I'm going to consider all of my options after the season ends."

Q: Including retirement?
A: "Including that, yes?"

Lysenkov from SovSport called Fedorov's Dad and Victor Fedorov was completely surprised. He said he expected Fedorov to end up with Detroit, Ottawa or Montreal.



Detroit Free Press "Fedorov by the numbers"

6 -All-Star appearances (1992, '94, '96, 2001, '02, '03).

3 -Stanley Cup titles ('97, '98,'02).

2 -Selke Trophy (best defensive forward, '94, '96).

2 -Olympic medals with Russia (silver '98, bronze '02).

1 -Russian-born player to play 1,000 NHL games. Fedorov played in his 1,000th Nov. 30 against the Wild.

1 -Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) in 1994.

Update:
Yzerman had 13, 24, and 23 points in the three runs. Fedorov had 20,20, and 19
Thanks for the comment, I was not exactly right. Here are the stats for 3 Stanley Cup runs for Fedorov and Yzerman:

Fedorov
Year    GP  G  A Pts +/- PIM Shots Sh% 
2001-02 23  5 14 19  +4  20   88   5.68 
1997-98 22 10 10 20   0  12   86  11.63 
1996-97 20  8 12 20  +5  12   79  10.13 

Yzerman
Year    GP  G  A Pts +/- PIM Shots Sh% 
2001-02 23  6 17 23  +4  10   52  11.54 
1997-98 22  6 18 24 +10  22   65   9.23 
1996-97 20  7  6 13  +3   4   65  10.77 

I think this is where my memory messed me up:
Yzerman had 7, 6 and 6 goals. Fedorov had 8, 10 and 5. One less than Yzerman in the last run.

Fedorov and Huet, thank you Mr. McPhee

I am so happy. Thank you Mr. McPhee. I truly believe Fedorov can show that he still has enough gas in his tank. He wants to play next season, for that he needs to show that he can still do it.

The rumor is that Fedorov is Bruce Boudreau's son's favorite player. We know that Bruce was receiving texts from his son what players he should put on Ovechkin line.

Now it is Fedorov. Thank you, son!

But seriously, you already see how Ovechkin has changed the hockey universe.

Cooke on TSN said that he was excited to be on the same team as Ovechkin. Fedorov's Dad said Fedorov wanted to try it with Ovechkin.

Huet was happy to get traded to the Caps, he said he won't have to paint his pads, waffle board, and glove. He requested he either get traded to the Jackets or the Caps. Huet also said he is excited to be playing with Ovechkin instead of against him.

When Yzerman came to Detroit, they were Dead Things, when he retired, they won 3 Cups and became a hockey town.

Got it?

From Washington Post, Feb. 26:

With the Capitals in a season-threatening tailspin -- they've dropped five of the past six games (1-2-3) and enter tonight's game against Minnesota five points behind Carolina for the Southeast Division lead -- McPhee bolstered his lineup for the stretch run. Washington has 19 games remaining.

McPhee sent a second round pick in 2009 (the pick the Capitals acquired from Anaheim in exchange for Brian Sutherby earlier this season) to Montreal for the 32-year-old Huet, who posted a 21-12-6 record with a 2.55 goals against average and .916 save percentage with the Canadiens.

The addition of Huet gives the Capitals three goaltenders, including Olie Kolzig and Brent Johnson. Huet and Kolzig are unrestricted free agents at season's end.

The addition of Fedorov, 38, gives Washington the second line center the team has lacked since Michael Nylander underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in January. Fedorov had nine goals and 28 points in 50 games.

The most important deal, however, was landing Huet, who is widely considered one of the top goaltenders in the league. The 37-year-old Kolzig has been inconsistent this season, posting 21-19-6 record with a 3.03 goals against average and .888 save percentage, numbers that are well below his career 2.69 and .908.

"It was a surprise," said Coach Bruce Boudreau, who coached Huet in Manchester (AHL). "When we played Montreal, the talk was that Huet was one of the top 10 goaltenders in the league. So anytime you can acquire that, you acquire it."

Huet is expected to arrive during tonight's game against the Wild and take a physical. Fedorov is expected to arrive in Washington tomorrow, while Cooke could be delayed by a day or longer because of visa issues.

Ovechkin for President

Good read for Friday. Obviously it's too early to say, but so far Ovechkin has proved that he can do unimaginable things. Everything that he does is special. Nobody believed he could beat Crosby in the 'Rookie of the Year' contest, even Ovechkin himself didn't believe it. Yes, his English probably never will be as flawless as Sharapova's, so what? Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't have a perfect English either. So watch out when Arnold will change the law to run for the President's office, it will be Schwarzenegger vs. Ovechkin. Maybe he has to marry Chelsea Clinton or someone from Kennedy's clan for that. :-)

By Scott Burnside and Damien Cox, ESPN.com, Feb. 22, 2008 "Is Ovechkin poised to be the next Gretzky?"

This week's topic: Is Alexander Ovechkin poised to be the new Gretzky, the player all the others will be chasing for years to come when it comes to goals?

Scott Burnside: I was looking at the stats the other day and saw that Alexander Ovechkin, running away with the goal-scoring lead, is the first player since Jaromir Jagr did it more than a decade ago, to score 40 goals before the end of January. Is Ovechkin poised to be the new Gretzky, the player all the others will be chasing for years to come when it comes to goals? Is he that good?

Damien Cox: It's funny, but wasn't it just last season that Ovechkin looked like an unhappy puppy in Washington? While Sidney Crosby surged to his first MVP title, Ovechkin seemed unable to keep pace with his former rival. Now, with Crosby out, Ovechkin is looking like he's gunning for the Hart Trophy. I guess the moral of the story is that every NHL season is a bit different. What makes guys like Bobby Orr, Gretzky and Mario Lemieux special is they didn't do these things once or twice, it was year after year after year.

Scott: I'm not sure if you saw the Capitals' lineup last winter, but I think I might have an inkling of what was bothering Ovechkin. While Crosby looked around and saw Ovechkin's buddy Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Gary Roberts, Ryan Malone, Ryan Whitney and the playoffs looming, Ovechkin saw a bunch of empty seats and little hope. And he still had 46 goals and 92 points. He has a better supporting cast now (something Orr, Gretzky and Lemieux after the first couple of years in Pittsburgh always had). Plus, I'm not sure there's a player who plays with more enthusiasm than Ovechkin, and I'm not sure we can always say that about the game's great talents like Mr. Lemieux, Jagr and others.

Damien: I'd agree Ovechkin's effervescence is definitely back, and that's great stuff for the NHL. I think what's needed here, at a time when goal scoring has yet to return to where it was immediately after the lockout, and with NHL general managers declaring war on goalies again this week, is for Ovechkin to shoot for the moon and do something special. If you're like me and you're tired of the same 3-2 games night after night, a 70-goal scorer would be truly welcome. Yep, you read that right. Seventy, not just 60.

Scott: We often hear people bemoan the lack of a dynastic team, a team that captures the imagination of the hockey world. Do you think a single player can have that effect? We all know Crosby has proved himself to be special early on, but his high ankle sprain is going to cost him back-to-back MVP awards and league scoring titles. But if Ovechkin got to 60 or 65, do you think that would be some sort of catalyst to great excitement that transcends the normal?

Damien: Nope. Not while he's in Washington. I know that won't make the millions of Capitals fans across the world happy, or owner Ted Leonsis, or GM George McPhee, but the fact is, having Ovechkin not only in D.C. but in the Southeast Division just isn't going to afford him the profile he deserves. At least not in the near future.

Scott: But wouldn't you have said the same thing about Pittsburgh before Crosby arrived? Doesn't one player have the potential to change an entire franchise's profile as long as the team keeps pace even a little as the Caps are? Trust me, I'm not all that popular with Caps fans after having suggested on more than one occasion during the Pittsburgh sale problems that Washington was among a handful of NHL cities that deserved to lose their teams ahead of Pittsburgh. But fans have slowly started to respond to what the Caps have done since coach Bruce Boudreau took over. Don't you think if the Caps make the playoffs, with Ovechkin leading the way, that attention will be directed their way?

Damien: In an ideal world for the NHL, I think Crosby would have landed in New York or Chicago or Philadelphia or Toronto. Pittsburgh, however, is not bad, and the league has done a decent job of promoting that team and Crosby as a vehicle to heightening awareness about the NHL in general. I just don't see Washington as the same, even if the Caps can start making the playoffs and start making some noise. Don't forget, they did get to the Stanley Cup finals back in 1998, and it ended up meaning absolutely nothing to the franchise. As well, while Ovechkin has undeniable charisma, selling non-North Americans to Americans and Canadians is heavy lifting. Always has been.

Scott: Come on! Didn't you love that Ovechkin/Leonsis commercial with the chip vending machine from last season? Agreed, I remember covering the 1998 finals in Washington and you had to look high and low for any evidence there was an NHL franchise in town, let alone one in a championship series. I think maybe you've hit on the real issue, though, the Euro factor. I think if there is one player who is capable of breaking down those barriers, whether it's language or perception or personality, Ovechkin might be the guy to do it. It's strange, no? Some of the game's top players, at least in recent memory -- Nicklas Lidstrom, Jagr, Miikka Kiprusoff, even a guy like Peter Forsberg -- they've all been eclipsed in terms of profile by players like Patrick Roy, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Gretzky et al. Is the reason just the language or is it something a little deeper, perhaps less savory, like reluctance to embrace the foreign element?

Damien: I don't think it's unsavory. And many of these Euros you speak of are enormous stars and heroes in their own markets. But when you're looking for something bigger, a star to transcend the sport and the league, that's a different thing. Language is sometimes an issue, and many European NHLers aren't even in North America year-round. During the lockout, most headed home. Ovechkin may, in fact, be the exception. But while his English is far better than my Russian, I'd say it would have to become flawless -- like Maria Sharapova's -- if he is inclined to become a greater commercial force in North America. Is it wrong to say that?

Scott: No, I don't think it's wrong, I think it's understandable. You know as well as I that there are many European stars whose discomfort with the language, and hence the media, will always be an obstacle to seeing them become known beyond the hockey world. It's one of the great challenges facing the NHL and the NHLPA and the teams given that close to 30 percent of the league's players hail from outside North America. But I was chatting with someone who knows Ovechkin quite well, and he said the impressive thing about Ovechkin is that he seems to get it. True, he doesn't have Sharapova-like command of the language yet, but I think he might get there and he has embraced the whole North American lifestyle. And he's done it while maintaining the respect of his teammates, without going Hollywood, as it were.

Damien: At the same time, my friend, you can't deny that if he were in a more significant, higher-profile NHL market, he would be a much, much bigger star than he is already.

Scott: Maybe. Do you think, for instance, Ovechkin would have had the impact in Chicago that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have had this season? The Blackhawks had the biggest crowd ever at the United Center last weekend. Would the fans have been there if Ovechkin were doing what Kane and Toews are doing in terms of the team's renaissance, or would it be different?

Damien: Sure. In Chicago, it's as much a team thing as it is coming out to see the stars. Just getting some home games on TV has raised the team's visibility, and don't forget, this was a truly great hockey city not so long ago. So, yeah, if Ovechkin's a Hawk, he's a much bigger deal, bigger than Kane or Toews. Again, for Ovechkin, it's the double whammy of being in Washington and the Southeast Division, a group filled with teams struggling to reach their local markets, let alone anything bigger.

Scott: I'm not sure I agree. The fans in Chicago have latched onto Kane and Toews pretty specifically. I was there in December and there were 3,000 fans lined up on Michigan Avenue on a cold Saturday to get their autographs. Would they have been lining up for Ovechkin? One likes to think so, but I'm not so sure. One thing is for sure, the Caps will have to make the playoffs before we'll really get a sense of just how big Ovechkin could be and just how important he might be to the league down the road.

Damien: I also think there's a disconnect with Ovechkin's home country, Russia, which may be for a variety of reasons, including that country's disinterest in being part of a comprehensive NHL player-transfer agreement. But look at the NBA and Yao Ming and the way in which the league has used Yao as a bridge to the Chinese market. That, in turn, seems to have fueled Yao's popularity and profile in North America. The hockey worlds, on the other hand, seem separate, and so there's no sense of players being personas on a larger world stage. The league's determination, with your blessing, to exit from the Olympics won't help. (Sorry to bring up past arguments.)

Scott: I knew we'd get around to it being my fault. It'll be interesting to see just how big Ovechkin has become by the time the 2010 Olympics roll around. Who knows, maybe he's the kind of guy who could wield enough star power to help close the gap between the twin solitudes of the NHL and Russia and save the NHL's participation in the Olympics for you.

One Hockey God Sneeze

From Islander's Frontier

That said, wow were the Isles lucky. I lost count how many posts Alex Ovechkin hit. Then there’s the golden open-net chance he fired over the net. One hockey god sneeze and the Islanders win streak would’ve been over.

****

Speaking of AO, it’s so hard not to love him. De facto top D pairing Radek Martinek and Freddy Meyer did a capable job covering him all night, but something else I noticed: AO leveled Martinek at least twice. So rare is the skill player who responds to shadowing by saying, “Oh, you’re covering me? Eat this!”

I can't wait for Saturday game vs. Canes. Tables turning and Hockey God will be watching this time!

Viva Ovechkin! Let's go, Caps!

She is cute

Eric McErlain, AOL Sports, Feb. 22 "Ovechkin in love"

Thanks to the hockey blog Alex Ovetjkin, we now know that the superstar winger is officially off the market. But all the translation of the article from Sovetsky Sport told us was the first name of the lucky young lady (Katja).






Well, thanks to our friends at Sovetsky Sport, wonder no more. The pics you're seeing here were taken last week at the Washington Capitals practice facility in Arlington, VA and were provided to FanHouse exclusively.

I'd like to thank Eric McErlain for the reference to my blog. It does take time and energy to translate, so I appreciate it, Eric.

Washington Post, Feb. 20 "Ovechkin Nets a Big Goal: Wooing a Russian Beauty"

There she was at Caps practice yesterday -- a 20-something named Katja, and described by one spy as "skinny, tan, blond, hot, Russian." Two weeks ago, she flew here for the first date, and they've been together ever since. Ovechkin, 22, declined to discuss the relationship -- but happily, Katja dished to a Russian newspaper.

More...

Alex and Katja at basketball game (the Wizards feed of the Knicks game)

Update Feb. 22:

Unlike Washington Post (above), who used my translation, Canadian National Post (part of Canada.com) did put a link to my original post with translation, thanks!

The Washington Capitals superstar is courting a 20-year-old Moscow college student majoring in English. Her name is Katja and, as she revealed in an interview with Russian newspaper SovSport (and translated for those whose Russian is a little rusty), they met on the Internet back in the fall.

And great article from Japer's Rink. This is what we all thinking about... :-).

This past December, thanks to Dallas quarterback Tony Romo's very public canoodling with Jessica Simpson, football fans added another hex to the list - The Girlfriend Curse. Simpson's pink presence at a late season game was seen by some as the reason the Cowboy QB had the worst outing of his career in a 10-6 home loss to the woeful Philadelphia Eagles.

Now the question is raised locally - do Caps fans have reason to fear a Girlfriend Curse of their own?

Tatiana Ovechkina

Michael Farber, SI.com, Feb. 19 "Mother Russia":

Fourteen months after the Ovechkins fired respected agent Don Meehan, the family sat across from Leonsis, Capitals president Dick Patrick and general manager George McPhee wrangling over the details of a new contract. In a session that lasted more than four hours the parameters of the deal expanded and contracted: six years to 12 years, back to six, 12 again and, finally, 13. Tatiana's English borders on the rudimentary, but she knows the language of negotiation: As president of the Moscow Dynamo women's basketball team, she's usually on the other side of the table.

"I wouldn't call her uncompromising because she did, in fact, compromise," McPhee says of Tatiana. "But Alex's mother is very strong, very protective. And she knows what she wants." What she and Alexander wanted was a no-trade clause, something McPhee had granted only once in his 10 years as G.M. In the end the two sides agreed that beginning in the seventh year of the contract, Alexander annually will submit a list of 10 teams to which he will not accept a trade.

"Not in two years or five," Tatiana said when asked if the contract would temper her son's enthusiasm. "He doesn't have the stardom disease. People who say these things are jealous."

She was born Tatiana Kabayeva in the shadow of the Moscow Dynamo sports complex, to a household in which sports mattered. Her father was a driver and played on company teams. She grew up in a time when schoolchildren in the U.S. were crouching under their desks during air-raid drills to protect themselves from a supposedly imminent Soviet nuclear attack. Tatiana was six when, in 1956, Nikita Khrushchev told diplomats from the West in Moscow, "We will bury you." Twenty years later, as the playmaker on the Soviet national team, she directed the squad to the first Olympic women's basketball gold medal, at the Montreal Games.

Last month, in her customary aisle seat at the Verizon Center, Tatiana, elegant in a green-and-gold print vest with fur collar and leather gloves that extended almost to the elbow, watched a Capitals-Ottawa Senators match with a do-not-disturb focus. Her husband, a former soccer player and taxi driver, and older son sat a few rows back. (Alexander's parents have not sat together at his games for many years. "Superstition," Tatiana said, through a translator.) She muttered the occasional instruction, including "pass across," in English, when Washington defenseman Mike Green had the puck at the right point, but she never cheered, not even when her son beat goaltender Ray Emery with what proved to be the winning goal in a 4-2 Washington victory. She applauded twice during the game, once after Alexander Semin's film-at-11 goal and again when a package of goalie Brent Johnson's highlights was shown on the scoreboard. Several times during the game, Ovechkin glanced in his mother's direction as if there was some telepathic connection.

"She has so much experience," said Alexander. "We are both professional athletes. Mom is a strong athlete and a strong person."

When Alexander stood up and announced they had a deal, Leonsis walked over and hugged Tatiana, telling her, "You were very tough and very fair." Reflecting on that day, Leonsis says, "I missed my [late] mother, seeing not only how she loves her son but also how she launched him. She wants to give him all her advice and love, but he's a grown-up now. It was very sweet to watch."

The launch has been spectacular for Alexander, although, according to someone with knowledge of the family, Tatiana finds it difficult to see her son making more of his own decisions. When asked if Alexander's success is a continuation of her own decorated career, Tatiana says, "Of course."

"Sometimes I argue with my mom," says Alexander, "but she gives me great advice. The best advice was not about the contract but about life: Just be yourself."

Jessica Zednik

Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik and his wife, Jessica, center, pose with Dr. Sonya Noor.


From Buffalo News, Feb.16, 2008:

She had been home for 10 minutes when the telephone rang. It was injured left wing Jozef Stumpel, a good friend who didn’t make the road trip with the Panthers. He asked Jessica if she was watching the game. No, she said. He told her to sit down. This was serious. Richard had an accident during the Buffalo game. His carotid artery had been severed.

Jessica Zednik immediately thought the worst. Severed artery meant death. She was going to lose her Slovak husband in Buffalo, making her a young widow and leaving Ella without a father. In an instant, what seemed a charmed life had been flipped upside down.

“All I heard was, ‘Your husband had a really bad accident. His throat was slashed.’ And then it was total panic. I’ve never seen that happen in life. I imagined what I saw in movies. They said, ‘major artery,’ and I didn’t think he was going to make it. I was panicking and screaming and crying.

“So many thoughts go into your head. You think, ‘I didn’t get to have another baby yet. I’ll always be alone. Please give him another chance. Why him? Why him?’ ”

Jessica was instructed to get to the airport for a charter to Buffalo to be with her husband. She packed her bags and made arrangements for someone to stay with Ella, who had no idea her daddy’s life was in danger.

The thought of having someone else drive her to the airport never crossed her mind. She threw her suitcase in the car and began speeding toward the airport, driving more than 100 mph and ignoring police on the way. What could they do, give her a ticket? First, they had to catch her. “Now, when I think back,” she said. “I don’t even remember seeing the road.”

Jessica was raised in Montreal, a hockey city. She is an actress and mother who bears a striking resemblance to actress Eva Longoria. She speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian and Slovakian, a bright woman many would envy on most levels.

“I was so scared of seeing his face,” Jessica said. “I was so afraid to see the panic in his eyes. He’s a father. I can’t imagine him thinking, ‘I can’t die, I can’t die, I have to see Ella growing up.’ He’s such a strong man. Just seeing him like a little boy . . . was too much.”

- Mats Sundin once played with Bengt Akerblom, who had his throat slashed by a skate blade in '95 and died after a Swedish exhibition game. Neck guards became mandatory for a time, although Sundin doesn't think the NHL should legislate it. "It might inhibit the breathing of some players," he said.

Alex Ovechkin's love story

That story can be called "How Alex the Great met Catherine the Great :-)"

Pavel Lysenkov, SovSport, Feb. 16, 2008

Meet Alex Ovechkin's new girlfriend, Katja (nickname for Ekaterina). She is a senior at Moscow Pedagogical University with major in English. She met Alex over the internet. The virtual romance turned into a real one. They met for the first time in real life on February 7, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

Q.: Alex said that you two met over the internet. Could you tell the details?

A: Yes, we met through the site "Odnoklassniki". I love sports, and I am a long time fan of Moscow Dynamo. I had a friend Anton Shunin, who is a goalkeeper of Moscow Dynamo soccer club. And he had a friend Sasha Ovechkin. I clicked on his profile just for surfing. I didn't believe he was a real one. There are a lot of fake ones at "Odnoklassniki" site! The site allows you to see who visited your profile. All of a sudden I am receiving a message from Ovechkin! He was asking something about our mutual friends. I answered, but didn't take it seriously. I thought he was a bogus Ovechkin. I even told him it was a shame to fake Ovechkin. And he answered with a bunch of exclamation and question marks, "You don't believe me??!!"

I didn't believe him for the whole week while he was trying to prove he was real. He was giving the names of Dynamo players, etc., but you can find it on internet. And finally he said, "Ok, buy the newspaper 'Sovetsky Sport' for Nov. 29 and you will see." I opened your newspaper and read in his interview "I want to say hello to 'SPY'!". And SPY was my name on "Odnoklassniki" site.

Q.: Yes, I remember. Ovechkin called SovSport writer Dmitri Chesnokov and asked for an interview. Our initial thought was that request was related to contract negotiations. At the end of interview he said "hello to 'SPY'". For three months we tried to figure out what he meant.

Here is that interview from SovSport, November 29, 2007: В свободное время люблю сидеть на русских сайтах. Очень хочу передать привет SPY! (Кому принадлежит данный ник, мы не знаем, но Овечкин настойчиво просил оставить эти слова, что мы и делаем. – Прим. ред.). I like to surf Russian web sites in my spare time. I really want to say hello to SPY! (We don't know who owns this nickname, but Ovechkin asked us to leave those words, that's what we are doing now. - SovSport Ed.).

A.: But I still was cautious. Sasha used such beautiful words and spoke about such serious things! But he only saw my photos!

One day he said, "We are leaving for a road trip. I am asking you a favor to give me your phone number". I gave him the phone and the next morning a text from him "Hi! This is my American phone number". And our infinite text correspondence has started from there, you can write down another novel about it. You won't believe it, we text to each other every half hour! He'd send me text 10 minutes before the start of the game, and even in between during the breaks. "Thinking of you" or "Honey, I scored this goal in your honor".

And he called me... We talked for 2 hours every day.

Q.: The most interesting fact, in November Ovechkin got in a sharp takeoff. He started raking twice as many points compared to the start of the season. That's what love does to people!

A.: One time Sasha, through our mutual Moscow friend, sent me a teddy bear and the flowers, 51 maroon and white roses. And then he wrote "This is unbearable! I want to see you! Drop your school and come to see me."

And I went to the American Embassy.

Q.: Isn't it difficult for a young single Russian woman to obtain visa to the United States?

A.: Yes, it is. But Washington Capitals sent me that invitation, in which they wrote that I was Ovechkin's girlfriend. All turned out easily. It is a pity that there was the delay in the processing, I wanted to get to US by January 27 to get to All stars event. But the embassy scheduled the interview exactly on January 27th.

Q.: I can imagine the embassy's employee round eyes when you said that you have met Ovechkin over the Internet.

A.: You won't believe it. I arrived to Washington on February 7th, and the next day went to the game. Sasha really wanted to score one, or two or three goals in my honour, but got burned. But he got 3 points in the very next game. After the game, while I was waiting for Sasha in the hall, almost the whole team came to meet me, including the Head Coach. They would shake my hand and say "It is you, Alex girlfriend? He was talking so much about you!"

Sasha is a very romantic person. People like him don't exist. They say sports stars got to be arrogant, difficult people. Not Ovechkin! It's not how he was raised. His parents are world class!

By the way, what a coincidence, my brother's name is Alexander, and my Dad's name is the same as Alex's, Michael Victorovich.
(Michael V. Ovechkin, who is seating next, says "Make sure you'll write about that!")

The team's skate is over and we are going to make some photos. I am asking Alex to hold Katja for a minute in front of NHL logo. "Not problem, I can hold her more than that", exclaims Ovechkin, and Katia takes off into the air. At first they hug, and then start to kiss.

Noticing a couple and dropping whatever he was doing, Donald Brashear, Caps enforcer, rushes to the board. He plops big lips and says in Russian "Ja teba lublu! (I love you!)".

Update, Feb. 22: Just to clarify... The web site Alex and Katja have met at, "Odnoklassniki", is not a Russian version of dating service like eHarmony. It means "Classmates" and it is a Russian version of Facebook or My Space. Here is the quote from Wikipedia:

Odnoklassniki.ru is a social network service for classmates and old friends reunion popular in Russia and in the former Soviet Union. It was created by Albert Popkov in March 2006. As of February 2008, it had more than 10 million registered users[1] and an Alexa Internet traffic ranking of 62[2].

Also though Ovechkin haven't met Katja in real life before Feb. 7, 2008, they had mutual friends, otherwise this romance would never have started.



Alex and Katja at basketball game (the Wizards feed of the Knicks game)

More photos...

Who is the best right now? Check it out!

By The Tribune-Review
Sunday, February 17, 2008

That was the question posed to members of the hockey media throughout North America. The criteria were simple: Forget the past, ignore the future, and consider only the present. Who is the NHL's best player right now? The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review received 42 responses from team beat writers and national analysts. The results provided an overwhelming answer to that question - one that figures to have Penguins fans talking, if nothing else:

Player                  Team          Position  Votes
Alexander Ovechkin      Washington    Left wing  20
Nicklas Lidstrom        Detroit       Defense     7
Sidney Crosby           Penguins      Center      6
Jarome Iginla           Calgary       Right wing  4
Vincent Lecavalier      Tampa Bay     Center      2
Dany Heatley            Ottawa        Left wing   1
Daniel Alfredsson       Ottawa        Right wing  1
Chris Pronger           Anaheim       Defense     1

Tim Panaccio, Philadelphia Inquirer: "Ovechkin brings one element to his game that Sidney Crosby lacks - a tough, nasty, physical edge to go with all that raw skill. Crosby is infinitely more fun to watch, but right now, Ovechkin is the best player."

Red Fisher, Montreal Gazette: "Most valuable to his team in the league. Most goals. Most exciting to watch. Most fearless."

Mark Spector, National Post: "The object is to score and accrue points, and he does both of those things better than everyone else. Ovechkin is the classic Euro-scorer - Crosby does many things, but he is not that."

Aaron Portzline, Columbus Dispatch: "Not only is he a relentless shooter, but his passionate play without the puck puts him a half-notch above the likes of Crosby."

Darren Eliot, Sports Illustrated: "He plays with verve and he plays for keeps both physically and on the attack."

Scott Burnside, ESPN: "I am struck by just how dynamic he is. Tough as nails, loves to hit, even seems to love being hit, drives the net like nobody else in the game, has a fearsome shot and has almost single-handedly dragged the Capitals back into the division lead."

Ovechkin received 42% of votes, Nicklas Lidstrom, who is behind Ovechkin in the second place, received 17%. Enough said.

I was also impressed with what Tortorella said about Ovechkin in the pre-game press conference (Feb. 16, 2008). When he was asked how to contain Ovechkin, he said:

"You can skate with him. That's the key, he is constantly moving... But again, Ovechkin is a different animal than a lot of players in this league. You can't stop him, you just try to limit him, but you can't stop him..."

Washington Rising: Can the Caps Hang On?

From Bleacher Report, Feb. 7 "Washington Rising: Can the Capitals Hang On?"

However, because Montreal and Ottawa both play in the same division—the Northeast—the Canadiens are currently fourth in the Conference despite having more points than Philadelphia and Washington, who lead their respective divisions. The Habs can finish no higher unless they win the Northeast.

Wait a minute. Let's backtrack for a sec.

Washington?

Division leader?

That's right. Your new Southeast Division leader is now the Alexander Ovechkin-led Capitals, who are only two games over .500 at 26-24-5, following their 4-3 victory over the Flyers in Philadelphia on Wednesday (Feb. 6th).

The Caps got two goals 64 seconds apart three minutes into the third period to break a tie, and Ovechkin added his NHL-leading 46th goal—the game-winner—just over four minutes later for a 4-1 lead. It was Ovechkin's eighth game-winning goal this season, and second in two nights.

The Capitals are red hot, 7-3-0 in their past ten, as are the Flyers (65 points), who could have padded their Atlantic Division lead over New Jersey (64), Pittsburgh (63), and the Rangers (60) in a tight four-way race, had they won.

And the Caps have also gone 20-10-4 since Bruce Boudreau took over for Glen Hanlon behind the bench on November 22nd after they started the year in last place with a disastrous 6-14-1 record. Last season, the Caps were a disappointing 28-40-14.

The Flyers (30-18-5) themselves have been a comeback story in the 2007-08 season. The loss on Wednesday was only the fourth regulation loss in their past 19 games. And oh yeah, like Washington, Philadelphia has also spent time in last place earlier in the season. In addition, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the Flyers' suspensions for ugly incidents earlier in the year.

And let's not forget the Flyers finished 22-48-18 last season, dead last in the entire league—it was their worst record ever in franchise history. And now they could wind up winners in the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes, as the UFA is still pondering a return to the NHL.

Now the Flyers sit just three points behind Ottawa for the conference's top overall spot.

But getting back to the Canadiens and Capitals: Which team is more impressive?

While Montreal's rise to the top four in the Conference has been a feel-good story; Washington's jump—albeit thanks to the league's dumb rule automatically guaranteeing division leaders the conference's top three spots regardless of their records—has probably been, or will be, met with scorn from fans and media.

That is, if people actually notice in their morning paper that Washington has vaulted all the way to the number three seed.

Entering play on Wednesday night, Washington was tied for the tenth spot in the conference with Florida and Buffalo. All three had 55 points going in.

Can the Capitals sustain this good play and hang on to their position in the standings?

It comes down to two key players: Ovechkin and goaltender Olaf Kolzig.

Will Ovechkin continue scoring big goals and win the scoring race? Will Kolzig, who made 31 saves—17 of them in the final period—in the Capitals' net on Wednesday, provide the solid puck-stopping that Washington will need in order to continue winning?

Time will tell, but any slump or bad breaks—or a hot streak by anyone in the Southeast—will kill their playoff chances.

Take a look at the standings:

Washington, with its 26-24-5 record, is sitting atop the Southeast with 57 points, followed by idle Carolina and Atlanta, both with identical 26-26-4 records and 56 points. Even Florida is in it, with a 25-25-5 mark and 55 points. Tampa Bay, currently in the basement in the Eastern Conference, rounds out the Southeast Division with 49 points.

The injustice here is that despite the weak teams in the Southeast, one of them will make the playoffs and be assured of the number three seed and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Washington is ten points behind Montreal in the overall standings, but obviously those two teams are flip-flopped in the seeding.

In fact, Carolina and Atlanta, the second-best teams in the Southeast, would not make the playoffs if the season ended today. Both are now tied for tenth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Buffalo, who beat New Jersey on Wednesday.

Ah yes... the Sabres.

Buffalo, with 57 points, is on the outside looking in, currently sitting in ninth place in the conference. And yet Washington, with the same number of points—but with inferior offensive and defensive numbers—is six spots ahead in the standings. And there is no tie-breaker between those two teams if they end the season with the same number of points.

From Ted's blog, Feb. 7:

I did promise that one day we would wake up and see great progress: The Caps are in first place in their division. Alex Ovechkin leads all NHL players in goals and points. Mike Green leads all D men in goals. The Caps are the best team in the NHL 4 on 4. We haven't lost back to back games in a long, long time. Backstrom is in the race for Rookie of the Year. Ovechkin is in the race for MVP. In the last two months, the Caps have one of the four best records in the NHL, etc., etc.

But we know we can finish in last place in the division. We have to keep looking forward. We have a lot of games left to play. We have a big weekend of home games in front of us. Don't jinx us. We reached a tiny milestone last night but we have lots of work still to do.

From NHL.com, Feb. 7 "All hail AO"

* Alex Ovechkin already has two four-goal games this season and is the first to reach 40 goals and is sitting at 45 in 54 games. Is there a more exciting player to watch in the game today? CTN says no!

* Ovechkin is the first NHL player to score four-or-more goals in a game twice in one season since 1995-96, when both Peter Bondra and Mario Lemieux did it.

* This is the first season in which a player has scored 40 goals before the end of January since 1996-97. Pittsburgh’s Jaromir Jagr became the first to 40 on Jan. 14.

From Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb.7:

And in case you blinked last night, the Southeast Division leader is now Washington. That’s a team that was in last place not that long ago before making a coaching change and watching Alex Ovechkin go nuts.

But then this morning after the skate, Don Waddell shot down my premise. Not directly aimed at me or in an antagonistic way, but enough to where I thought I should revisit the topic.

So here I am.

He says he thinks two teams will make the playoffs out of the division. They always do, he says. His idea is that in the stretch run at the end of the season, when everybody is playing division opponents, teams are going to pile up some points.

(And conversely, I’d add, some teams in these other divisions should lose some ground, since they’ll be playing each other and unable to gain points from outside the division.)

He made a point to say that the Thrashers are still gunning for the division — that they’re not hoping or planning to sneak in under the wire. But his prediction was interesting to me. I’m curious what you guys think. Is he right? Do you see two teams making the playoffs from the Southeast Division?

Do you believe in miracles from ESPN?

ESPN.COM, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008:

Hockey is on the front page of ESPN.COM and it's not just some hockey, it is Washington Capitals with Bruce Boudreau!

Boudreau being himself and leading Caps back into playoff hunt

Melrose: Boudreau fits        Burnside: Will Kolzig be odd man out?
Facing off: Alex Ovechkin        Can Ovechkin take Caps to playoffs?


Video: Melrose: Boudreau fits



Scott Burnside "Boudreau being himself and leading Caps back into playoff hunt:"

One of the reasons Boudreau decided to become a coach was job security. Imagine that. Even though he registered 84 points in 77 games for the IHL's Fort Wayne Komets during the 1991-92 IHL season (down from the 120 points he scored the year before when he was a player/coach), Boudreau accepted a three-year deal to coach the Muskegon Fury because he figured the time was right.

After making the 17-hour drive from Muskegon to Thunder Bay, Ontario, he said, "I didn't realize Michigan was so big."

Boudreau and his first wife moved about 28 times over 12 years, hitting cultural hot spots like Moncton, New Brunswick, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Springfield. At one point, Boudreau and his family lived in a trailer in Moncton. They took on boarders, usually other hockey players, to help make ends meet.

Boudreau's story is about timing and patience, and maybe more than a little fate, a constant theme in his life.

A few months after he split up with his first wife, Boudreau met a woman at a Fort Wayne game.

"He just got right in my face and asked me how old I was, and then walked away. Three weeks later, he asked me out," Crystal said.

Boudreau had decided he wasn't going to date anyone under the age of 21. Only later did Boudreau, 15 years older than Crystal, discover his future bride had turned 21 just days before. "It was that close to us not dating -- ever," Crystal said, laughing.

They have been together ever since. They have a 9-year-old son, Brady, who happens to be the only netminder on his Hershey minor hockey team. Crystal makes trips back and forth from Washington so he doesn't miss any games, his own or his father's.

Excerpts from Ovie's interview with David Amber, ESPN:

Q: What's it like being an international hockey star in your home country?
A: People recognize me over there, but nobody bothers me. I go to places where I have a lot of friends and I know the owner and the people who work there, so it's not a hassle.

Q: In Washington, D.C., do people recognize you?
A: I don't go out much here. My parents are here with me, so I hang out with them. When I go to the movies, I show up at the last minute, so no one really sees me.

Q: What's the best city to play in?
A: I like Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa. The atmosphere is unbelievable. It is cool to be on the ice in those cities. You know the fans are really into the game.

Q: As a rookie, you had 425 shots on goal, the fourth-highest total ever. Do your teammates ever accuse you of being a puck hog?
A: [Laughs] No. Nobody ever tells me to give them a pass or anything. My job is to score goals, and if I don't shoot the puck, I can't score goals.

Q: This season, the team got off to such a bad start. What has been the difference with Bruce Boudreau as coach?
A: It's pretty simple. He changed our mentality and he changed our system and he just really made us believe we are great players and we can win. He helped us get our confidence back. He has done an unbelievable job. I hope he wins Coach of the Year.

Q: Your nose has been broken a few times, you're missing a front tooth. Are you really a tough guy that just happens to have some scoring touch?
A: That's hockey. You never know what's going to happen. It's a tough sport. No tooth, a broken nose, but I'm looking good [laughs].

Q: Of all the goals you've scored in the NHL, which one is the most memorable to you?
A: Yeah, the first one. I scored against Columbus in my first game. I actually scored two in that game. But the first one I remember best. I keep that puck in my house in Russia.

...

Q: What's the biggest difference between you and Sidney Crosby as players?
A: I think we're really different players. He's a playmaker. I'm a shooter. He's a great player. I like watching him play.

Q: What kind of rivalry is there between you and Sid?
A: We don't have a rivalry; we respect one another. But because he's Canadian and I'm Russian, we will get to play against each other at the Olympics and things like that, so maybe a bigger rivalry will grow.

...

Q: Who is the team to beat this season in the NHL?
A: Detroit. They have so many good players. They have tons of experience. Their forwards are fast. Their defense is solid. They are good top to bottom.

Q: Knowing you're staying in Washington for the long haul, it makes a lot of Caps fans feel confident that one day the team will win the Stanley Cup. Realistically, how long will that take?
A: As soon as possible. You never know. Look at the New York Giants winning the Super Bowl. No one thought that was going to happen. So you can't just have a plan, you have to play out the season. That game was pretty cool. We watched the game together as a team. About half the guys were cheering for New England and the other half were cheering for New York. I was cheering for the Giants because no one believed in them. Maybe that will be like us, where we can surprise everyone with a championship.

And finishing this post with a couple of quotes from other than ESPN sources...

By BRIAN BIGGANE, Palm Beach Post, Feb. 3 "Ovechkin, league's leading scorer, is not to be missed"

Still, Boudreau knows he's got something special in Ovechkin, and he's making the most of it.

"I was blessed to come along at a time when Alex is here," Boudreau said after the Montreal win. "It's no different than Glen Sather with a young Wayne Gretzky or Michel Therrien with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. We all watched greatness at different times and you're seeing it now.

"Sometimes good fortune follows you."

Ovechkin's four goals that night puts him atop the league in both goals (43) and points (70). His joy for the game and enthusiasm after he scores are something to behold. And that's best done in person.

From Canes Country, Feb. 7:

The Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers last night and are now leading the Southeast Division. Like a bat out of hell, the team climbed from last place in the division to first place. They have accomplished this with a very young team, with a brand new coach, and with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. Their story so far has been nothing short of inspirational. But while Washington is enjoying first place for the moment, other teams like the Hurricanes could still have something to say about whether or not they will still be in first at the end of the season.

Speaking of like a “Bat Out of Hell”, is there a better player in the NHL right now than Alexander Ovechkin? The Russian superstar leads the league with 46 goals in just 55 games and has 73 points overall. He plays defense, he hits, … he does it all. You don’t see him taking many, if any shifts off and he never gives up on a play.

Ovechkin's Dad 23 years ago

Have you seen Ovechkin's Dad on YouTube? It was back in 1985 in Moscow's nursery #8.
I have no clue how Cindy and Briere ended to be there in 1985. In fact..., well, as I said, no clue...

Hey, baby!
I love you!
You're awesome! You're the Best!
You own this nursery!
[Pointing at Cindy]: Loser!
[Pointing at Briere]: Loser!
[Pointing at his son]: Best thing in the World!

From TSN.CA, Feb. 5 "Ovechkin's 45th goal wins it for Caps":

The Canadian Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Alexander Ovechkin added to his NHL-leading goal total by scoring twice, including the winner in overtime, to lead the Washington Capitals past the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Ovechkin netted a low, hard shot from the right circle 2:28 into the overtime after taking a cross-ice pass from Tom Poti. It was his 45th of the season.

Poti, who tied it with 6:53 left in regulation, and Alexander Semin also had goals for the Capitals, who had been shut out in two of their last three starts.

Alright back to the future... February 5, 2008. On the game winning goal in overtime Alex skated to the corner, leaped into the air and off the glass (vintage Ovechkin!) in a solitary celebration before his teammates could join him.

Alexander the Great Ovechkin, you've got two more goals tonight and you are the best hockey player in the World, ever.

It is your league now! Well, if it's not your league yet (right,Cindy?), you own it anyway!

Columbus: Q & A with Ovechkin

Dispatch Blue Jackets beat reporter Tom Reed, Feb. 5:

Alex Ovechkin is a Russian that even Don Cherry could love. Not only is he the game’s most dynamic player, he competes with a hard edge that seems on loan from Wendel Clark.

The Capitals forward can embarrass an opponent with his skill or put him into the visitor’s bench with a neutral-zone hit.

Ovechkin has a game that cries “M-V-P” and a face that has been knocked lopsided. He’s missing teeth. His nose is as crooked as San Francisco’s Lombard Street. As Cherry might say, “That’s hockey.”

Sporting a scraggly beard, the league’s leading scorer sat down with the Puck-rakers and answered a few questions after morning skate. (OK, he was the only one sitting. AP, Bob Hunter and myself were standing around him in a semi-circle.

His English isn’t great, but it’s 100 times better than our Russian. (He had some comments about Zherdev that I replayed 10 times and just couldn’t make out.)

Here are some of the highlights:

Q.: What are your memories of Sergei Fedorov?

“He was one of our idols growing up. The Russian Five, the Detroit Red Wings win the Cup. He was one of the best players in the league and one of the best players in Russia.”

Q.: When you think of the Columbus Blue Jackets, what comes to mind?

A.: “Zherdev, (Rick) Nash and Fedorov.”

Q.: You recently broke your nose early in a game against Montreal and came back to score 4 goals, including the overtime game-winner. What gave you the most satisfaction?

A.: “Probably winning the game, especially in our situation where all points so important. Doesn’t matter that I break my nose or cut my lip, I just go help my team to win.”

Q.: What has changed about this team since Bruce Boudreau took over as coach? (The Capitals are 24-24-5 after starting the season 6-14-1.)

A.: “The mentality. It’s about your mind. He tell us we are good team, good players and we can beat anyone we want if we play our system.”

Who has been the NHL's MVP thus far?

USA Today poll: Who has been the NHL's MVP thus far?

As of 12:00 EST Ovechkin has a comfortable lead. He also showed similar results in the James Murtle poll

From USA Today by Mike Brehm, Feb. 5 "Ovechkin surges into MVP lead with clutch January":

His scoring prowess landed him USA TODAY's Clutch Scorer award for January, based on a computerized formula that measures a player's contributions when the game is tight. The Clutch Goalie award went to Chicago's Patrick Lalime, who went 4-1-1 as a starter during a month in which No. 1 Nikolai Khabibulin struggled.

Ovechkin, 22, had a comfortable lead in the monthly race, then pulled away on Jan. 31 with a four-goal, one-assist performance against the Montreal Canadiens that included the overtime winner. He accomplished that despite suffering a broken nose for the fifth time in his career.

The night lifted Ovechkin into the NHL points lead and improved his league-leading goal total to 43. It also enhanced his stature as a Hart Trophy candidate. He picked up five first-place votes in USA TODAY's NHL Power Rankings to jump from sixth to No. 1 in the MVP category.

• He's the first person to reach the 40-goal mark in January since Jaromir Jagr in 1996-97. He's on pace to have the NHL's first 60-goal season since Mario Lemieux and Jagr in 1995-96.

• He has scored 28.7% of the Capitals' goals, best in the NHL.

• He has gone no longer than two games in a row without a goal. He has failed to get a point in only 10 games. The Capitals are 2-6-2 when he's held off the scoresheet.

Coach Bruce Boudreau began using rookie center Nicklas Backstrom with Ovechkin in December and the arrangement has helped both. Backstrom has narrowed the gap on Chicago's Patrick Kane in the Power Rankings rookie vote.

"He will be one of the best assist guys in the league," Ovechkin said.

Most Valuable Player ranking: 

Rank (first-place votes) Stats (through games of Feb. 3)      Points 
 
1. Alex Ovechkin (5) League-best 43 goals, 70 pts., 290 shots 43 
 
2. Jarome Iginla (1) 32 goals, plus 18, 6 game-winners        37 
 
3. Nicklas Lidstrom (4) 51 pts., league-best plus 46          31 
 
4. Henrik Zetterberg (1) 65 pts., plus 27, 241 shots          13 
 
5. Daniel Alfredsson 68 pts., 6 short-handed goals            11 

Others receiving votes: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh, 10; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay, 6; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver 4; Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit, 3; Martin Brodeur, New Jersey, 3; Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta, 2; Tim Thomas, Boston, 2; Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose, 1

Good Ovechkin's story from Blue Jackets territory

Dispatch Blue Jackets beat reporter Aaron Portzline, Feb. 3:

The Blue Jackets were off today. No doubt they're still absorbing Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Wild, which wasn't pretty. The place was packed, the faithful were ready to embrace their hockey club, but they got the cold shoulder.

Now it's on to Washington. The Caps are playing extremely well these days, and they'll provide a massive challenge for the Blue Jackets. Can't wait to see winger Alexander Ovechkin in person. Should be a thrill.

Here's a good Ovechkin story:

His first NHL game was against the Blue Jackets, and his goal all along was to make his first NHL shift memorable. He was on the ice for about 40 seconds, and it became clear he wasn't going to score a goal. But the shift was still going to be memorable.

Ovechkin lined up Blue Jackets defensemen Radoslav Suchy and knocked him halfway back to the Czech Republic.

Ovechkin's hit was so hard, a metal divider between the glass partitions fell to the ice. So did Suchy, who went wobbly kneed to the bench.

Other thoughts/observations:

-- Center Sergei Fedorov and left winger Fredrik Modin skated yesterday in Nationwide Arena. According to coach Ken Hitchcock, they reported feeling good. Neither will play Tuesday, but they're getting better. Hurry up, boys.

-- Goaltender Pascal Leclaire goes against the Caps.

-- Former OSU product David Steckel is a third- and fourth-line regular for Washington. He's got 4-5-9 and minus-1 in 53 games.

Here's that historic game, Wednesday, October 5, 2005, the first NHL game and the first NHL goal for Ovechkin, and, I believe, the very first mentioning of Ovechkin on Kukla's Korner:

Ovechkin Stars by Paul on 10/05/05 at 08:54 PM Comments (0) The Washington Capitals’ top young prospect brought hockey back to the nation’s capital with a pair of goals — and a monster check so fierce it dislodged a support beam. Alexander Ovechkin became the first Capitals player to score twice in his NHL debut, and Washington beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Wednesday night in the league’s first game at the MCI Center in 550 days. Dainius Zubrus also scored for the Capitals, and new captain Jeff Halpern had three assists in a game that included 18 penalties.

Who said Washington can't sell the tickets? Every freaking NHL franchise records sellout with Ovechkin coming in town.

Where does the money go? (I am asking those Canadian writers who are saying that other cities are paying Ovechkin's salary because of the league revenue sharing)
From Washington Examiner (AP), Feb. 4:

Columbus hosts Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL's top goal-scorer, and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. It is expected to be the Blue Jackets' second straight sellout.

Just like the fans, the players have taken notice of Ovechkin's impending arrival.

"Whenever you have a player of that caliber coming in, we're not going to revamp our whole game plan and our whole system to compensate for him," Columbus forward Manny Malhotra said. "He's obviously a huge part of their offense, a huge offensive threat. And we will pay special attention to him."

Aaron Portzline, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, Feb. 4:

The Blue Jackets didn't practice yesterday. They'll need every ounce of energy Tuesday, when the Washington Capitals come to town for the first time since Nov. 29, 2003.

Left winger Alexander Ovechkin, who recently signed a 13-year contract extension with the Capitals, leads the NHL with 43 goals, 70 points and 16 power-play goals.

"He beats you with skill, power, everything," Hitchcock said. "He's a special player. He's a handful. It's a good challenge for us."

Hitchcock hadn't decided as of yesterday which line he would try to match with Ovechkin, mostly because he hadn't settled on lines for his struggling team.

"But it's awareness by all five guys on the ice," Hitchcock said.

The Capitals, who are 16-8-3 since Jan. 1, are more than just Ovechkin. Heading into play yesterday, they were just three points behind Atlanta and Carolina for the Southeast Division lead and, thus, a playoff spot.

Center Nicklas Backstrom is pushing Chicago's Patrick Kane for the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year. He has nine goals, 33 assists and a plus-2 rating.

"They're a dangerous club right now," Hitchcock said.

Miami Herald, Feb. 4 "Ovechkin and Caps still in postseason hunt"

If the Washington Capitals miss the playoffs again this year it will be hard to place the blame on Alexander Ovechkin, but then again who else on the Caps recently signed a 13-year, $124 million contract.

The money certainly hasn't slowed Ovechkin down, as the Russian winger has notched 18 points (11 goals, 7 assists) in 10 games since signing the richest contract in NHL history.

In fact, Ovechkin has taken over the NHL scoring lead as he now leads the way with 70 points in addition to his league-leading 43 goals.

The 22-year-old is also playing out from under Sidney Crosby's shadow, as Pittsburgh's phenom continues to be sidelined with a severe ankle sprain. Ovechkin and Crosby names have been mentioned together constantly since the pair entered the NHL as rookies in 2005-06.

Washington has just 53 points on the year, but that leaves the club tied for third with Florida and just three points behind Carolina and Atlanta for first place in the lowly Southeast Division.

At this stage of the season, it appears that the only way a Southeast club can get into the playoffs will be to win the division. After all, coming into Monday every team in the Southeast are currently behind the Boston Bruins, who are the eighth and final playoff seed in the East with 59 points.

The Caps haven't made the playoffs since 2003 and will have to give Ovechkin some help if they plan to join the postseason this year. Ovechkin's 43 goals are 29 more than Mike Green, a defenseman who is second on the club with 14 goals.

Washington could be a buyer at this year's trade deadline and could improve the team with an addition on offense or defense.

The Capitals will play their next two games on the road in Columbus and Philadelphia, but will be back for Friday's big home game against the Hurricanes.

Capitals.nhl.com, Feb. 5 "Ovechkin, Boudreau on Fehr:"

“I’ve had him [in Hershey] and he’s a natural scorer, a right-handed shot scorer,” says Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “It’s something we haven’t had on the second unit of the power play.

“He’s playing pretty well down in Hershey; I think he’s played 10 games now and looks [to be] in good shape. We needed that scorer, plus it gives us the ability to move [Viktor] Kozlov, to get some secondary scoring on another line.

Fehr has two goals in 25 NHL games, but has played sparingly on his previous trips to the NHL. He is slated to skate on the team’s top line with Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on Tuesday in Columbus.

“[Me and Backstrom] talked to him and he said, ‘My game is just to go to the net and try and find some rebounds or make some great plays,’” says Ovechkin. ”It’s good for us. Me and Kozzy and Backie play [together for] long time, but coach [is] right, we [can’t] play only one line. We need to have two or three lines who can score goals.”

Fehr was sidelined for most of the last year with a mysterious back injury that was slow in responding to treatment, rest and rehab. The 10 games he played at Hershey represent his first pro activity since last Feb. 21 when he last suited up for the Capitals in a game against San Jose.

“It was a hard situation for him,” observes Ovechkin. “He was injured and he didn’t play a long time. I think me and [Nicklas Backstrom] have to help him because he play with us.

Ovechkin noted that it took a few games for him to gel with Backstrom and Kozlov, and the same could hold true for the new trio.

“Center is the key for whole line I think,” says Ovechkin. “If you remember the first couple games when Kozzy come to line we don’t have good result because we have to figure out what’s going on, who have to go somewhere. We need time. These two games will be good test for us, for our line especially. I think nothing’s changed. Me and Backie play together, and Fehrise just do what he can do.”

Ten days older than Ovechkin, Fehr is the oldest of the three first-round choices. But his 25 NHL games is about a tenth of Ovechkin’s total and less than half of Backstrom’s.

Fehr has a good shot and a willingness to do whatever it takes to score goals.

“The one thing I’ve always known about pure goal scorers is they’ll dive in front of the net if there’s a loose puck and they’ll go to the net,” says Boudreau. ”They get the ones that bounce off their knees and the guys that aren’t scorers go, ‘Geez what a lucky guy.’ It’s not luck. They make their own breaks. I think Eric is one of those guys, and hopefully he can do it up here.”

Boudreau is breaking up the team’s most successful line in the hope that he can cobble together a couple of successful units. Kolzov will go from playing the right side on a line with Ovechkin and Backstrom to skating the middle of a line between Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin.

“It’s a gamble, like everything else,” Boudreau admits. ”The line has been as good as any line in the league at this point, in recent games anyway. So it is a gamble. But we believe we have to spread the scoring out to be successful, so hopefully this can work.”

Bruce Boudreau's hat of tricks

I said after the loss to Canadiens that if Bruce Boudreau would find how to motivate the players to win the next game, he'd be automatic for the 'Coach of the year'. Well, Caps won the next game, but it was Ovechkin who scored all goals but one, and you don't need to motivate him. Other players were invisible, especially BB's Hershey Bears players. Jurcina was best in D, but he came from Boston. In the last night game which Caps lost to Thrashers, nothing changed except Ovechkin was silenced. He was constantly shadowed and you could feel he was exhausted. Broken nose, stitches inside the mouth, stitches on his lip, probably constant pain, it can wear out even Ovechkin.

Anyhow what happened to Hershey Bears' players? Is BB's hat of tricks empty already? Hopefully not and we'll have the answer soon. The feeling was just like Boudreau said, "It's like they are sitting back going, 'Hey, Alex, you score a couple goals early in the game, we'll defend it,' "

From Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Feb. 3:

Quotable

"I think they are lazy penalties. The hook — that's the fourth or fifth time that we've had a power play that it's happened. That can't happen. We'll have to address it."

— Caps coach Bruce Boudreau on two penalties by Alexander Semin that negated power-play opportunities

OVECHKIN WATCH

Alex Ovechkin's five-point Thursday night moved him to the top of the NHL scoring list, but it also accomplished several other things.

Entering last night's action, he had scored 43 of the team's 150 goals, which moved him ahead of Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk for highest percentage of his team's goals (28.7 percent).

Ovechkin has also recorded a point on 70 of the team's 150 goals (46.7 percent), which is also now the highest percentage in the league. He also moved into 14th place on the Caps' career goal list with 141 " one more than Dmitri Khristich and three behind Sergei Gonchar.

I don't have any problems with Semin as soon as he scores. Obviously the guy is very talented and gifted player. But always add one more adjective when you describe him, "a troublemaker". To be fair, Semin likes to raise the other player stick to steal the puck. He did it very successfully last season going on breakaway after that. I haven't seen him being successful doing that this season. But what happens when he misses the other player stick? His stick goes up in horizontal position, even when there's no contact, it does look like a hook.

Ovechkin's game the stuff of legend

Corey Masisak, a beat reporter from Washington Times, said it best: "Ovechkin's game the stuff of legend"

Two days later the reactions for the game where Alex singlehandedly beat Montreal Canadiens keep coming... my original thread as I predicted became too big, takes a while to load, not just read. So let's say it is part 2, and I think it might get as big as the first one.

Corey Masisak, Washington Times, Feb. 2: "Ovechkin's game the stuff of legend"

About 30 minutes after Thursday night's game, Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich sat in the training room with ice packs on his body when Alex Ovechkin walked past.

Ovechkin had just authored a near-mythical performance — four goals and an assist in a 5-4 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens. He also doled out several large hits, took a high stick in the face, had his nose broken and needed stitches in his lower lip.

"I called him over to shake his hand," Laich said. "I said, 'Ovie, that was incredible.' He just took over the game. He just has that ability.

"On the bench, we can feel it — we can feel how he just grabs a hold of the game and goes after it. He charges down the ice, and every time he has the puck you think he's going to score."

During the postgame celebration, Caps goaltender Olie Kolzig — the longest-tenured player on the team— also had some high praise for Ovechkin.

"I said, 'You're the best player I've ever played with,' " Kolzig said. "It was definitely a special game. I think Bonzai [Peter Bondra] had a five-goal game, but they're two different players. Ovie is a lot more physical, and he takes the play to teams. Without sitting back and going through the games, it would probably be in the top two or three games I've seen a Caps player play."

SCOTT MORRISON, Ottawa Sun, Feb. 2:

So much for that $124-million US contract taking the gas out of Alex Ovechkin's tank.

Technically, the 13-year whopper he signed early last month doesn't kick in until next season, but the point is, for the foreseeable future it is hard to envision complacency getting the better of this kid, of the engine being put into neutral.

Not even a stick in the face, a puck in the mouth or a broken nose, the fifth of his career, could impose disinterest on him, let alone slow him down or stop the Capitals star on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, a 5-4 overtime Washington victory.

Right now, he has a face only a mother, a coach and general manager could love. But while the face may be battered and bruised, his game is pretty -- very pretty.

As for the complacency issue, McPhee can't foresee his young gun falling victim to such a malaise.

"Of all the issues we had to consider/discuss regarding Alex and the 13-year term, complacency was the easiest to dismiss," McPhee said. "We've never seen an engine like his.

"He always works, be it practice or game. His intensity and enthusiasm come naturally.

"There is nothing contrived about him."

In the wake of Sidney Crosby's ankle injury, a theory exists that Ovechkin is very much driven to making the NHL his league.

"While I don't believe Alex would ever think in terms of the NHL being 'his' league, he does believe that it is his responsibility to be the best," McPhee said.

"That was driven into him at a young age. He is comfortable performing in this light, seems to revel in the constant challenge it brings and may, indeed, see an opening this year to be regarded in this light."

Whatever the motivation, it is working and if the Capitals stay close in the playoff hunt, and especially if they get there and he is at or near the top of the scoring leaders, it will be hard to bypass him for MVP honours.

In the end, he could wind up with the Hart Trophy, the Richard for most goals and the Art Ross for most points.

And with 13 more years to improve upon it.

Alright, he doesn't think it's his league, he just owns it!


Bruce Boudreau interview after the game:

Boudreau on Alex for MVP: "If you sitting on the fence, and watching this game? ...hmmm this guy is pretty valuable"

Slap Shot, Feb. 2 Coach Bruce Boudreau is the happy custodian of this rare talent. “When you consider we only got 5 goals, if it’s a 9-4 win or something and a guy gets 5 and 1, you say OK,” he said after practice the next day. “But when your team wins 5-4 and he gets 4 goals and sets up the other goal, with the last goal being in overtime. and then taking the abuse that he took
and the coverage that he took — it’s quite an amazing feat.”

He added: “He’s definitely a unique person and a unique athlete. Every sports has these. Guys that rise to occasion, Tom
Brady being the latest, in football, but I’m very lucky as a coach to watch him play from the bench a lot.”

Japer's Rink, Feb. 2: "Qoute of the day "

"Sid may be the game's best player, but Alex is by far the most exciting to watch." - Paul Attfield, Globe and Mail

I guess it's better to be half right than all wrong.

OnFrozenBlog, By Gustafsson, Feb. 1:

“I would pay money to watch Alex Ovechkin in a public skate.”

Ray Ferraro and Rogers SportsNet’s Rob Faulds discussed Alexander Ovechkin during the 1st intermission of last night’s Stars / Oilers game.

James Murtle, Feb. 2: An early vote for the Hart Trophy

As of 1:20pm EST Ovechkin leads with 42%, the nearest is Nick Lidstrom with 17%, Alfredsson has 13%

I think this game changed minds of many Canadians, just like BB said on Alex for MVP, "If you sitting on the fence, and watching this game? ...hmmm this guy is pretty valuable"

Alexander the Great Ovechkin

This mosaic called Battle of Issus represents Alexander the Great on his horse Bucephalus. It was found in Pompeii in the House of the Faun and is now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Naples). It is dated first century BC.

Alexander The Great Ovechkin's post game interview Jan 31, 2008

Mauree at Capitals insider blog posted:

Alexander the GR8.
He was one of the most successful military commanders in history, and was undefeated in battle. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks.
Funny thing, if you look at the historical figure paintings, mosaics, sculptures, I actually see similarities with AO lol. Look it up on wikipedia.

I did look and... you decide!