Ovechkin: Montreal 2009 was the best

In Russian, translation is below.



Pavel Lysenkov talks to Ovi after All Star game:

"It was a wonderful [hockey] celebration," gave his final verdict Alexander Ovechkin. "It was a good atmosphere. Only one thing though, they just gave me a very little ice time!"

Did you try to find out how much of ice time they actually gave you?
No, I felt like it was about 15 minutes. (Actually it was 16:02 - Ed.).

And how much you would like to have?
Not less than half an hour!

In one episode you threw the stick when Matt Duchene went on breakaway. Did you want to amuse people?
Well, yes. Besides I knew that in All Star games nobody ever had a penalty shot. I wanted to go down in the history.

And did you want to grab the penalty as well?
That was unnecessary. I was only planning to plaster someone on the boards, but failed.

With the score 4:0 in favor of the team Staal did you think that it was over?
That's exactly what I thought.

And why did you lose?
You've seen it all yourself.

It seemed that as soon as you've scored, you started to play more for your partners. In one of those moments you passed the puck to Staal though you were in a better position yourself.
You got it right. I wanted Staal to score. He was playing in his arena with his fans. I remember well when Ilya Kovalchuk played in the All Stars game in Atlanta, everybody tried to set him up too. But Ilya did not score and Staal scored twice.

This is your fourth All-Star event. Which one you liked the most?
Of course, Montreal 2009, no question about it. It was a great hockey atmosphere. A huge excitement around the event. There were five Russians there, Kovalev, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Markov and I. It was a fun time!

That's the real reason why Ovi liked it. The hottest chicks in N/A. :-)

Dadonov was given the assignment by Pathers to buy 30 jerseys for the whole team. What souvenirs are you taking away from Raleigh?
Greenie and I bought baseball caps, and I always did it before. And got few more jerseys.

Do you have a tradition to collect team's autographs on your jersey?
Yes, here's my jersey, signed by everyone. I'll hang it somewhere in my home museum or maybe somewhere else.

And the mitts?
Yes, look here, the entire team signed the autographs on them. Those are not for playing, those are spare gloves. I had my jersey signed by entire team after Quebec too. I sometimes give away those as souvenirs when significant events occur. And I'd say, "Here're gold mitts. Here is a golden helmet."

The Washington Capitals are getting into the most important finishing part of a season and you don't score much. You need to start to toughen up, to prepare yourself for the playoffs...
Well, let's toughen up (agreed Ovechkin).

There haven't been more controversial season in your career like this one.
Let's talk at the end of the year, if I delivered what was expected or not. If you're trying to say that this season I failed, I wouldn't agree. Washington is in the playoffs' zone, fighting for a place in the eight. The rest will be decided in the Stanley Cup run.

In a week St. Petersburg will host the KHL's All Stars event. Are you going to watch it?
It would not be possible. I am not going to wake up at night for the sake of it. I might watch highlights on the Internet.

Gary Bettman and Bill Daley were asked recently if the league will send the teams to Russia. They said that it was not decided yet. Can you lobby for this project?
I'll vote with two hands for it. For our fans, for my family, for my friends, it will be a terrific event. NHL clubs haven't been in Russia for a long time, and even more, they never opened their regular season there.

Bettman said that Siberia scares him, too far to fly.
The flight from Moscow to Omsk takes three hours. Why it does not scare anyone when we're flying from Washington to Los Angeles for six hours?



Carolina complained that SKA played against them too physical. Can you make your Washington club to play physical against the same Dynamo?
I will not promise anything. The most important thing is to go to Russia. And there we'll figure out how to play.

Alex talks after the All-star game

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Ovechkin on a red carpet and first ever penalty shot

Heidi Androl checks in with Alex Ovechkin

Heidi: If these were the Oskar's or Grammy's red carpet, what actor would be you?
Ovi: I don't know... Worst actor? Nominee? Probably I could win in... for sure..."

LOL


Alex Ovechkin throws his stick in an effort to stop Matt Duchene on a breakaway. As a result Ovi made a history, the first ever all-star game's penalty shot was awarded to Matt.

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Alex Ovechkin: The most difficult man to stop

RotoWorld.com, Jan. 30, 2010:

Alex Ovechkin: NHLPA poll: Ovechkin most difficult to stop

According to a poll of 318 NHL players conducted jointly by the NHLPA and CBC, Alex Ovechkin is the most difficult player for goalies to stop.

The results showed that 27% of goaltenders voted Ovie as the toughest to stop, while Sidney Crosby was a close second at 24%. We suspect that if this poll had been conducted a year ago, Ovechkin would have received a much larger portion of the votes.

The fact that he led the voting despite suffering through a down season is an indication of the respect the rest of the players have for his skills.

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Ovechkin explains why he borrowed Kris Letang's stick

Ovi shoots, "swims" (turned out he stumbled on TV cable), breaks the stick, borrows Kris Letang's stick (uh-oh!)



In Russian, translation is below.

Sovetsky Sport's Pavel Lysenkov talks to Ovi after the skills competition:

"I brought 4 sticks in Raleigh," explained Ovechkin. "But the two broke during the skills competition. The first one broke when I did the breakaway, flipped the stick and hit the puck. The shaft broke. And I broke the second one broke in the hardest shot competition. I had two more sticks, but they were not prepared. And those were for the All Stars game anyway.

Were you preparing something special for breakaway competition?
Not at all, didn't practice anything. Went out without any preparation and won. It was total impromptu!

It is evident that you got tired of making something up again...
Yes, I wanted to shoot. But they didn't put me in [accuracy] shooting.

Were you surprise to your victory?
Oh, yeah! I couldn't even imagine I would win. I thought that Corey Perry would win.

When you were forced to perform "hardest shot" not once, but four times, did you have less and less power with each attempt?
On the contrary, more and more. I warmed up.

What were you thinking when the third try was not counted?
"WTF happened, how many more?"

You borrowed Letang's stick. Was it good for you?
Not really. It was longer and softer.

Did you ask to participate in the hardest shot competition?
They simply put me in. It was clear that I could not compete with Chara and Weber. Those giants are above all...

But at least you amused everyone.
Yes, as it is in the joke, "if I won't catch up with, at least I will warm up".

Did you stumble on the cable on purpose?
I didn't see it! I was skating and bam! -- I fell down.

Why you did not advise Dadonov on a breakaway? He seemed to be confused.
I gave him advice, but you could see what happened.

What was it?
Ask him.

You have won the contest for most beautiful breakaway shot for the third consecutive time. Do you agree that you are the number one NHL showman?

I'm number one in Russia too. On the front pages of the tabloids constantly (Ovechkin signs).

Interview with Dadonov:

Q: Did you have dinner with Ovechkin yesterday?
Dadonov: No.

Q: But he said yesterday that you two were going to have meal together.
Dadonov: Well, ask Ovi who he took for dinner, It was not me.
:-)

Alex Ovechkin caught on Kaner's Camera! Kane's flipcam footage from tonight is now posted on BHTV

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Ovechkin's winner of the breakaway challenge

Ovi, what are you, a Russian spy, or something? :-)



Jill Sorenson reports from the red carpet




Watch Alex Ovechkin's complete breakaway challenge from the 2011 NHL All Star Skills Competition.

Globe and Mail, Jan. 29, 2011, "Ovie dazzles NHL Skills competition";

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin brought the house down in Raleigh, N.C. during NHL all-star weekend on Saturday night with a flash of showmanship which has made him among the league’s top stars.

After three failed attempts at beating Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the breakaway component of the NHL Skills Competition, Ovechkin raced towards goal handling the puck with the butt end of his stick.

The talented Russian then made a cross-over move, flipped his stick right side up before burying a backhanded shot past a bewildered Fleury.

The move was convincing enough for the vans to vote Ovechkin winner of the breakaway challenge.

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Alexander Ovechkin at All-Star draft

Ovechkin's being selected by team Staal after Cam Ward.



Ward: Dude, where's my car, I am the number one pick!
Ovechkin: Dude, you're screwed, the car will be given to the last pick.

Slava Malamud from Sport-Express talked about texting and other stuff with Ovi after the draft:

"So many of my friends and acquaintances started to text me!" commented Ovechkin after the draft. "It was a bit boring, so I quietly pulled my cell phone."

Which one was the funniest message?
"Stop texting, you're on TV!"

Did Semin text anything?
No, he is on vacation, in New York right now. I think he didn't even watch.

Do you regret that there are so few Russians?
Of course I feel sorry. Here, Malkin didn't show up. Well, what can you do? Such is the fate of a man.

You will have to take all the rap. You'll have to do something special at the skills competition.
Maybe I shouldn't do anything? That would be cool! I'd just sit on the ice and look at the guys.

Did you have a chance to meet Dadonov?
Yes, we exchanged phone numbers. We're going to go out and have meal together.

For you this arena is very special ...
Yes, seven years ago I was chosen here at the NHL draft.

Back then you were the first pick. And now you're only the third.
Not a big deal, where it was necessary I was chosen as number one. And this is just for fun.

Can you comment on a new Semin's contract?
I am very glad that he signed, but it's a pity that it was only for one year. For him it is very important. It was evident that he was very upset about it. And now the mountain had fallen from his shoulders and he can concentrate on the most important games.

And the winner of the All-Star draft is... Phil Kessel! Really, he is the one who got Honda and $20K for charities.






Alex Ovechkin answers questions during NHL All Star Player Media Availability apart of the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend at the Raleigh Convention Center on January 28, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images via Yahoo Sports)

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Ovechkin talks after loss to Atlanta (update)

Atlanta Thrashers left wing Andrew Ladd trips Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 in Atlanta. Capitals lost 0:1. Photo AP via Yahoo Sports.


Schultz, Ovechkin, Bradley on the loss


What a boring game, welcome to the world of trap...

Update:
Ovechkin fell off the bench, apparently (Thrashers commentators are guessing) he was hit by his teammates' stick)

Joe B and Craig had no comment during broadcast on CSN feed

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Rangers and Capitals will start the next season in Russia

Well, final agreement has not been signed yet, but it seems like it's almost done deal.

The KHL president Alexander Medvedev told Sovetsky Sport that there will be the NHL game in Russia between New York Rangers and Washignton Capitals in the fall of 2011, but the final agreement with NHL has not been reached yet.

Medvedev said that if any North American teams will play in Russia, it will be the Rangers and the Washington Capitals, because KHL is not interested in any other teams.

The KHL president said that if agreement would be reached, the Rangers will play five friendlies in Russia, while the Capitals will play one exhibition game. According to Medvedev the Rangers will play that many games because the MSG arena, home of the New York club, would be under renovation, so the team has to be based somewhere.



Six Russian cities already claiming for the right to have the matches with NHL clubs. According to KHL president it is Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ufa, Minsk, Novosibirsk and Podolsk. The final decision where to hold the games will be made by the end of January.

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Ovechkin talks after overtime loss

washcaps: POST VIDEO: Ovi, Hendricks, Holtby and Beagle on the OT loss

It was a good game, Caps played really well, unfortunately Rangers played as well too.

Braden Holtby looked a bit tired in shootout.

Ovi was really good, Marcus Johansson looked really good, I think he has more potential than Backstrom. And what can you say, Hendricks was shining again, what a good acquisition for Caps! Two goals, one in the game, another in shootout, he needs to set up a shootout clinic. :-)



Ovi: Sometimes we play too cute...

Indeed. On that PP Ovi went around two (!) Rangers' players and gave a bad pass back... ugh...

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Has Ovechkin finally adjusted his game?

Watching Ovechkin's top 5 plays of the week, I'd say so. All the moves, assists and goals are uncharacteristic of Ovi we know of in the past.

He scored tons of goals in his NHL career when he'd move in the zone and shoot hiding behind the defensemen. The whole NHL adjusted, the defensemen block his stick when he shoots and stay very close. Goalies are on a higher alert when they see their defenseman's butt and Ovi's hding behind.

Did Ovi scored any of those in these top 5? The answer is no. Instead Ovi goes to the net and scores on redirection. Those goals are virtually impossible to stop, and yes, unlike Ovi's individual efforts, it requires team work, somebody has to shoot the puck first. Another adjustment for Ovi is going to the net and scoring on rebounds. Again, doing so requires a team work.

Here's what a bit delirious :) Ovi said after the win over Leafs:

Do you feel like maybe this was your best game [of the season] on both ends of the ice?
“I don’t know. … I had two lucky goals? Three lucky goals … “

Going back to the Philly game, most of [the Capitals'] goals have come from going to the net, and that’s not luck.
“No, it’s not luck. They’re hard-working goals. Like I said, I’ll take these goals and I’m going to try to do the same in every game.”

"I’ll take these goals and I’m going to try to do the same in every game," and that is an adjustment. This is what Crosby actually did last season and this season. For Crosby it was the only way, he has no wrist shot and his slap shot is non-existent. So he had to figure it out long time ago.

But I was glad to see that one of Ovi's trademarks, his explosiveness, was back. I wish we could put Ovi on the scales, he is probably under 230 pounds now. Just look how he accelerates past Tomas Kaberle! And Kaberle is a very good skater.
Scouting report on Kaberle:

Possesses tremendous hockey smarts and the ability to find his teammates with excellent passes. A good skater, he loves to join the attack.

Ovi's back, long live Ovechkin and 'Go, Caps'!



AP images

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Ovechkin and Toronto kid (update)

Before the game vs. Maple Leafs Alex Ovechkin met with this little kid who is his huge fan. The kids father was a police officer who died last year in a line of duty (car crash) on March the 1st. Ovi gave the boy an autographed jersey and the photo. The boy sat next to Capitals bench during the warm-up. "What a great gesture by the Washignton's Captain!"

Here's an update from Elliotte Friedman:

Ovechkin, however, deserves enormous praise for his treatment of four-year-old Owen Ochakovsky. Owen's father, James, was a Peel Police constable who died in a car crash last year. Ovechkin made time for him after the morning skate and during the pre-game warmup. The Russian winger knows what it's like to lose a close family member.

Owen Ochakovsky, the son of Peel Regional Police Officer Artem "James" Ochakovsky who was killed in March 2010 after his police cruiser was involved in a traffic accident, looks up at police officers holding hats on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, September 26, 2010. Owen and his mother Erin (also pictured) were attending the annual "Canadian Police and Peace Officer's Memorial Service" to honor police officers killed in the performance of their duties. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle

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Ovechkin, Caps are getting in the groove

Is Toronto the only place where Ovi is not getting booed? Well, thank you, and Ovi loves to play in Toronto, a place where hockey is truly appreciated.



Alex Ovechkin celebrates his third goal of the game with teammates Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011. The Capitals won 4-1. (Photo AP via Yahoo Sports)



Ovi gets his 10th career hat trick and is leading the NHL with 6th GWG this season (washcaps).

But it was truly team's effort with unbelievable performance from Braden Holtby and Matt Hendricks who was 1 assist short of Gordie Howe hat-trick. The team finally bought Boudreau's trap, they are playing 1-2-2, and according to Dan Bylsma switched from earlier 1-3-1 to 1-2-2 trap.

Correct me if I am wrong, but 1-2-2 is even more conservative than 1-3-1. The hockey commentators from HNIC kept saying how different Caps looked now using the words like "Classic trap, they are playing classic trap!" Finally, the moment the whole Caps community was waiting for the last 3 years has arrived. And Caps are getting in a flow for playoffs.


Flow (psychology):

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.

Colloquial terms for this or similar mental states include: to be on the ball, in the moment, present, in the zone, in the groove, or keeping your head in the game.

In an extreme state of being in the zone, time slows down and unusually higher physical performance may be achieved.

Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi identifies factors as accompanying an experience of flow:

• Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities). Moreover, the challenge level and skill level should both be high.
  
• Concentrating, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
  
• A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
  
• Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
  
• Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
  
• Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
  
• A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
  
• The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
  
• A lack of awareness of bodily needs (to the extent that one can reach a point of great hunger or fatigue without realizing it)
  
• Absorption into the activity, narrowing of the focus of awareness down to the activity itself, action awareness merging.

For Ovechkin CLEAR GOALS are now translated into doing whatever is possible to win the ultimate team's trophy, and individual trophies are no longer his goals. And he showed it tonight, scoring GWG (leads NHL) and blocking Dion Phaneuf shot (the whole Caps bench was cheering it). Ovi actually registered 3 blocked shots, I think it's his career high.



More from Wikipedia:

The concept of being in the zone during an athletic performance fits within Csíkszentmihályi's description of the flow experience, and theories and applications of being in the zone and its relationship with athletic competitive advantage are topics studied in the field of sport psychology.

The Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, who during qualifying for the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix explained:

"I was already on pole, [...] and I just kept going. Suddenly I was nearly two seconds faster than anybody else, including my team mate with the same car. And suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension. It was like I was in a tunnel."

When the team gets into the flow in playoffs, it wins the Stanley Cup.

Go, Caps!




washcaps: Holtby, Ovechkin and Hendricks on the win and efforts

By Noah Love, National Post, Jan. 22, 2011 – 10:39 pm

After the game, Ovechkin held court with the media, but a word of warning before the transcript: he seemed a little out of sorts and what followed was not exactly poetic:

Pretty good night for you personally to get your first hat trick of the season?
“Yeah, it’s always nice when you score goals. I’ve been scoring a lot of two goals, one goals. But I’ll take it.”

Talk a bit about your team’s overall effort blocking shots and playing [hard] for a full 60 minutes?
“Yeah, guys did a great job blocking shots, but still they have way too many chances to score. [Braden Holtby] kept us in the game, especially at the end … when we almost couldn’t do anything, he made some unbelievable saves.”

Do you feel like maybe this was your best game [of the season] on both ends of the ice?
“I don’t know. … I had two lucky goals? Three lucky goals … “

Going back to the Philly game, most of [the Capitals'] goals have come from going to the net, and that’s not luck.
“No, it’s not luck. They’re hard-working goals. Like I said, I’ll take these goals and I’m going to try to do the same in every game.”


You’ve scored a lot against the Maple Leafs in your career. Is there something you like about playing on this particular stage?
“It’s just a great atmosphere and a great building to play hockey in. It’s nice.”

You saw a lot of Tim Brent tonight. Where does he rank on the list of players who have covered you? [Note: Ovechkin mishears the name or doesn't know who Brent is, so he just talks about Dion Phaneuf.]
“He’s good here. Phaneuf is one of the best hitters in the league. He made some big hits. I think good tonight. He made a couple mistakes but [mumbles].”

You had a pretty big block on Phaneuf at the end of the game.
“Well, yeah, I was afraid. First shot I go down, I was a little afraid. I put my hand up to my face and I blocked it, so it was nice.”

Read more...

Ovechkin's 17th, 18th and 19th (from Russian Versus/ESPN :)


I saw the photo, but didn't realize the man was holding the waffles, lol.
By Puck Daddy:

But as odd as this waffle hat/Frisbee/whatever was, it couldn't compete with another item that hit the ice:

Car keys. For real.

It's tradition to allow the player who records the hat trick to keep whatever's thrown on the ice, should they choose to. It's only fair, then, that Ovechkin get this Leafs fan's car.

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Whole lotta more than in Kessler

By Katie Carrera, Capitals Insider, Jan. 22, 2011:

Open practice in Toronto with hundreds of kids pounding the glass as Ovechkin takes the ice at ACC.


As if there needed to be any more buzz or an atmosphere created around a game for Hockey Night in Canada, the Maple Leafs opened the morning skate up to fans today and the entire lower bowl of the arena was full for Toronto's practice with many sticking around to catch a glimpse of the Caps.

"You don't see 10,000 people at a pregame skate very often," Boyd Gordon said. Playing in Toronto for Hockey Night in Canada "is something a lot of us have watched growing up and any time you play in Canada it's pretty special. This is a special place to play and it's something everyone looks forward to."

Below is Caps pre-game warm-up vs. Islanders in Long Island, multiply it by hundreds of kinds, and you'll get the picture of today's morning skate in Toronto. :-)


Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!


In other news Mike Green (Team Staal), Patrick Kane(Team Lidstrom), Ryan Kessler (Team Staal) and Martin St. Louis(Team Lidstrom) were selected alternate Captains for All-Star game.

Kane on being All-Star alternate captain:

"I probably won't be telling guys like Crosby and Ovechkin what to do on the ice."

Green on All-Star's 'A'; Ovi, Canadian Caps on Hockey Night in Canada; Bruce Boudreau

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Ovechkin, his Mom throw up ceremonial jump ball

Celebrating "An Evening of Russian Culture" as reported by our reader BobbyG:

Q: Why a Russian Culture Night you might ask?

A: the Nets are owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov

NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 19: Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin and his mother, two times Olympic champion Tatiana Ovechkina, pose for a shot with New Jersey Nets mascot during the game against the Utah Jazz on January 19, 2011 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Getty Images via HQ Alex Ovechkin).



January 19, 2011





Bonus (better late than never :):

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Send Rangers to Siberia, Caps to Moscow

From our freelance field reporter Emily, also known in higher echelons of blogosphere as EmilyB:

Sport-Express has a good long article up about the planning for the Premiere Series.

The KHL has all sorts of great ideas, but my favorite has to be the plan for the Caps to play Moscow Dynamo, and for Ovi to switch teams halfway through. His Dynamo boss Misha Tyurkin has some interesting and perceptive comments in the interview near the bottom of the page.

I'm also kinda giggly over the offhand dismissal of the Rangers - off to Siberia with you, blueshirts! Omsk is your kind of town, trust us on this.

And I also learned we can all buy our plane tickets, as Medvedev announced at the Channel Cup that this is practically a fait accompli.

Mikhail Tyurkin: "To play against our own adviser would be really cool"

"If Capitals visit Russia, would be great if they'd play vs. Dynamo," said the president of Dynamo Moscow Mikhail Tyurkin to Sport-Express correspondent. "This is not only intriguing, but also natural. Moscow has earned such a game. In addition both clubs represent their capitals. The other argument for that is the fact that the leader of Washington Alexander Ovechkin is Dynamo's alumni. This is as good ad for this game as it could be. Ovechkin against his hometown club.

He's still an acting advisor to the Dynamo.
The fact that the advisor of the club will play against Dynamo is also very cool. The presence of Ovechkin will help to create some pretty slogans and commercials for this game. We must use it and promote it to its fullest. I have no doubt that the game and everything associated with it will be very interesting.

Would you, as Dynamo's president, really want this game?
Of course! From our side we'd vote only "Yes". Will do our best to look decent vs. the team like Washington Capitals.

Do you want to act as an initiator to invite Capitals to Moscow?
We do not negotiate, KHL deals directly with the NHL. In this situation we remain bystanders. If they decide in our favor, we'll be happy.

Does Russia need such games?
Of course! This will give us the opportunity to test our strength, to see and compare NHL and KHL and their level of play. This match will be a test for our team. Secondly I am for openness. Indeed, the iron curtain is long gone and you can move freely around the world. In hockey it should be the same. We do not need any kinds of obstacles. And the more often we meet and play, the better it would be for both leagues. And finally the most important thing is the audience's attention. We'll be sold out for this game. After all this game would be also a great show.

Talking about the freedom of movement or visas for Caps fans: Mikhail Tyurkin is also the head of Russian INS. :)

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Ovechkin is close

washcaps: POST VIDEO: Ovechkin, Hendricks and Johansson on the OT loss to the Flyers


Alex skated really well vs. Flyers, scored a game tying goal, his 16th (just two ovechtricks away from Stamkos :), was very dynamic and his dribbling has been improved. Let's hope that Ovi will step up even more in the incoming games.

Update:

Hey, I am not alone, BB says that Alex did well "he is mixing up real well now" (starts @2:50):

Gee, I thought Alex went around the defense three times last night to the outside. I thought that he was as good as he's done. Braydon Coburn stopped him [only] once when he tried to cut to the middle. It's gonna happen and you gotta mixed it up. In the last game he beat Karlsson twice to the outside, it's [more] a question of keeping his balance when goes past these guys...

Ovi's goal via "Russian ESPN" :-)




Jody Shelley of the Philadelphia Flyers and D.J. King of the Washington Capitals fight during the first period at the Wells Fargo Center on January 18, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Flyers win in overtime 3:2 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

I was happy for DJ King, I'd give him the edge.




Alex Ovechkin comments on Eric Staal being named an All-Star Captain.

Ovi looks upbeat and jokes that he will be picked late in the first round of a draft.

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Ovechkin on SNL

DC Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg:

The Alex Ovechkin mention during this Saturday Night Live skit was brief and fairly unremarkable, but any time Alex Ovechkin is mentioned on Saturday Night Live, it deserves a headline. Plus, it's not like he's had tons of other highlights lately.

The Ovi bit comes around 2:30 in.

Yeah, I saw it, I wish it could be a parody on Russian ESPN. :-) And I thought they were supposed to call him Alexander Oveja, no?

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Ovechkin talks after morning skate

washcaps: Monday practice - Ovi, Laich Knuble and Boudreau on the Flyers and road scoring


Sporting News, Jan. 17, 2011:

The NHL has picked the six teams it would like to send overseas for their annual season-opening games in Europe, according to ESPN.com.

The teams involved would be the Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, though the plan is still in preliminary stages and none of the teams have accepted the invitations.

Alexander Ovechkin could reportedly open next season playing in his home country as the NHL has sent preliminary invites to teams for its season openers abroad.

The highlight of the lineup could be the Caps opening their season in Moscow, capital city of star Alexander Ovechkin's native Russia. The NHL would like to hold six games in six different European cities, with Moscow one of the possibilities.

via Katie Carrera, Capitals Insider:

"If it happens it's going to be pretty cool," Ovechkin said. "I'll be pretty happy and Russian guys are going to be happy. American guys, who have never been in Russia, it is going to be a great experience for them and they're going to see how beautiful Russia is."

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Ovechkin: Maybe you need to watch yourself

Joe Beninati mentioned that Ovi came to the rink very early today. Ovi is really trying hard to end his slump. He didn't score vs. Ottawa, but he was very noticeable on the ice, skated very well, tried to finish all the checks, had one very nice moment when he went through a couple Ottawa defencemen and almost scored.



He is still far far away from his top shape, like in this video, but he is working on it and his day will come (hopefully at least in April :-).

His slump is the hottest topic for hockey fans all over the world on the internet. TSN (Jan. 15, 2011) asked their readers: We want to hear your theories on why Ovy's knack for going top shelf has suddenly dried up. It's Your Call.

I saw that page when they just posted it and 15-20 minutes later I couldn't believe my eyes, there were like 16 (!) pages with responses. As of now there are 38 pages and going. It was discussed on Kukla's Korner, HF Boards, hockey blogs, hockey forums all over the world. It is actually really amazing how even haters care about his slump.

So what Ovi thinks about it? Here's the answer in Mike Wise's article (Jan. 16, 2011)

No one wants to end this goal funk more than Ovie. But other than the times it's clearly cost the Capitals a victory, it might not be the worst thing to have this happen at midseason.

It says here one of the Caps' main problems the past few years is watching Ovechkin weave through five bad guys as if they were traffic cones. He almost trusted himself too much with the puck, and the result was many of his gifted teammates turning into creasemen hoping for a rebound in front of the net.

If his teammates can play tick-tack-toe a few shifts, they are only going to get better as a team. Besides, it's not like Ovechkin isn't trying.

"The most important thing for me and the organization now is not to be MVP and scoring leader," Ovechkin said outside the Caps' locker room about 30 minutes after the Ottawa game. "It's for me to help bring the championship to Washington.

"My numbers are not that good and it's surprising to me. But I don't know what else to do but keep shooting. The puck simply don't go in right now. It's a long season. If I keep playing hard, it will. I know."

Asked to dignify even the more provocative reasons theorized for scoring fewer than one goal every three games this year - poor fitness, devoting too much attention to non-hockey matters, predictable style of play, toning down his big-hit aggression - Ovechkin bristles at the criticism.

"It's people looking, trying to find something," he said. "What I want to say to them is, 'Don't say that. Instead of watching me all the time for what is wrong with me, maybe you need to watch yourself."

LOL, I think you can't find a better answer and I think Ovi shows that he is really mad. Something gotta give because Ovi is getting hungry. Speaking of which, here's this post from HF Boards. Unlike his fellow Canadians who repeatedly posted on TSN "it's because he's Russian", this poster is quite objective...

fly4apuckguy:

Let me say, I am far from an Ovechkin hater. I think the league is better when he is at his best, and I think he is as dynamic a player as I have ever seen in my life.

However, as much as it is unpopular to give reasons as to why he is not the player he was a couple of seasons ago, I think we should look at why that fact remains.

I do not buy that he is saving himself for the playoffs. Pure athletes can't turn it off and on like that. If he had it in him to go, then he'd be going.

As far as being injured, he may be, but not so bad that they keep him out. They wouldn't let him play with a serious injury, because what is the point of making the playoffs if your best player ends up too hurt to finish the deal? Nah, I think it is something else (although I admit I am not sure - just speculating).

First, I feel like he has made a common mistake made by athletes who are given the keys to the kingdom. He started reading his own press about how terrific and fun he was, and instead of working on ways to improve his game, or keep it evolving, he has stagnated and become complacent.

Now, you might ask why would a guy like Ovechkin need to work on his game?

Because other teams work on theirs, too. They are always looking for new ways to defend, new ways to shut down, and new ways to slow the best players on the other team down.

In essence, I feel like he has not kept this pace with the rest of the league. While he has been off making commercials and living the life of a rockstar, the rest of the world has been studying, practicing, and analyzing.

This is not an indictment of Ovechkin. I firmly believe that he is capable of turning his situation around. He is a smart player, an amazing talent, and if he decides he wants to be a hockey player and not just a celebrity, I think he can return to form.

However, I am not sure he will. I feel like for a lot of players, it is the celebrity they seek, not the accolades on the ice. This could be a cultural thing or it could be a way a guy is raised. It could also be a case of a young guy just sowing his wild oats, I don't know.

What I do know is that it isn't just a slump anymore, and anyone who thinks it is better pull their head out of the sand and see this guy is not the same player he was not too long ago.

As fast as he has fallen, I think he can rise again. He just needs to find the same hunger for the game that he had in the recent past.

Mark my word, he will.

I don't totally agree with fly4apuckguy, but it's a good read. An aggravating wrist injury is not a show stopper for many players, but for Ovechkin wrist shot is his deadliest weapon. When he is at his best Ovi's wrist shot bents goalie's masks, damages shin pads and breaks protective shields of goals cameras.

Also there's maybe a truth that Ovi stopped improving his game, but I think it's a combination of many things, like incomplete pre-season training, getting over 25 years old mark or Vancouver Olympics loss to Canada. By the way, someone on TSN noted that it was not just Ovi, other Russians, like Kovalchuk, Datsyuk, Malkin, Gonchar, they couldn't recover fast enough after loss to Canada. Maybe it's also the reason why Pens lost to Habs in playoffs. Maybe someone should analyze how that victory change the play of those Canadians players. It definitely helped to one guy, we all know who.

Come on, Ovi! You are only two ovechtricks away from Stamkos. :-) But it doesn't matter how much you score 'cause we still love ya!

Go Ovi! Go Caps!

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Ovi's struggling

Watching how Ovechkin plays nowadays is like a slow torture, like a slow murder suicide. And I am not alone, after tonight's loss to Vancouver I looked at Japer's Rink's recap: Canucks 4, Caps 2, writtten by Becca H. No mentioning of Ovechkin, no such thing. Can you believe it? I don't think it ever happened before. And then I looked at Capitals Insider's Katie Carrera's blog, the same!

Not a word about the Captain! So what, ladies don't like him anymore? :-) Was he traded and am I the last person to know?

Ovi is struggling and maybe the worst thing is, you feel sorry for him. He doesn't float, he doesn't disappear, he is not absent, he is there and he tries really hard, he skates hard, he works hard. He plays physical, he hits the opponents, even got in the fight with Brandon Dubinsky, but he doesn't score anymore as he used to.

Bad luck? Maybe playing through wrist injury? Or maybe bad decisions that he made last summer?

"I know what you did last summer, Ovi!" :-(

So what happened last summer? Too much partying? I don't think so. As much partying as before in his previous years when he dominated the NHL. But two things that happened with Ovi have probably affected his performance this season.

First, he lost his personal fitness trainer Dmitri Kapitonov who was with him for the last 3 years.

2009:

Ovechkin, in turn, helped Dmitry to get a job at Moscow Dynamo hockey club:
"We signed a contract with Kapitonov for the entire next season. And we are ready to extend it right now. We hope that Dmitry came to our club for a long time, after all, he is a former marathoner. He was personally recommended to Dynamo by Alex Ovechkin. They came to my the office together. But the best recommendation for Kapitonov is his last year's work with those players. All of his wards had awesome NHL seasons", said Dynamo's president Mikhail Golovkov.

Dmitri is from St. Petersburg and with demise of Moscow Dynamo he was immediately hired along with his twin brother to work as fitness trainers for St. Petersburg's hockey club SKA.

Second was the act of God, the natural disaster, the wild fires around Moscow.


Ovi still could go to St. Petersburg and train there, unless he and Dmitri had parted ways for good, but he stayed in Moscow (Lera?). It was hard even to breathe in Moscow, nevermind to run the cross country. The conditions eventually improved, but his pre-season training obviously was not the same or as intensive as in previous years.

Ovi simply couldn't adjust, couldn't find another trainer as good as Kapitonov and now he pays for it. Pre-season training is very important, it's a foundation for a long NHL season. Here's what Sergei Fedorov said about Kapitonov:

I personally really liked the training, the physical foundation that Kapitonov builds in you. I'd say his training methodology is one of the most advanced training systems I've experienced, and it is more for hockey players than for marathon runners, sprinters or weightlifters.

Dmitri Kapitonov was following Ovi through the whole NHL seasons for 3 years, last time he was in DC in April of 2010. Now Ovi doesn't have such guidance, he trained for a month with Kovalchuk's personal trainer and we know the results for Ilya as well.

"Russian machine never breaks", but it needs maintenance.



Where's your guardian angel when you need it? (Photo by Russian version of OK! Magazine)

Meanwhile Russian version of OK! Magazine, published Jan. 13 ,2011, has an interview given by Ovi when he signed a contract with Gillette. (A ton of shirtless Ovi again for female fans who read this blog :-)



Here's the translated interview conducted by Igor Skobelev:

When will you fix your tooth? Or do you intentionally not doing this to look more brutal?
No, it's just one of the most common injuries in ice hockey -- when your tooth is knocked out by a stick. That's why it makes no sense to insert an implant, it can get knock out again. By the way, many of my friends who are hockey players, apparently from a sense of solidarity also go out without teeth.

In Vancouver, during the Olympics, I watched how Canadians reacted to your appearance on the street. You just got out of the hotel, came to the car and a jubilant crowd gathered around you at once. And in Russia, are you loved just as much?
It's just because the mentality there is completely different. They are not afraid to openly show their feelings. They immediately photograph you, ask for autograph, show delight and a declaration of love. And in Russia it is not accepted to point the finger and show emotions in public in general.

Do you like living abroad? Many athletes say that Russia is cool, but not as comfortable, but in America it's other way around.
I'm used to share my life between the two countries. In America I play hockey, but here I am hanging with my friends. When I come here in the summer, you are constantly busy doing something: I'm always meeting someone, go to the night clubs. It's a bit exhausting, and it seems that every year you go in the same places, do the same things ... In America there are night clubs too where you can go and party, but my [Russian] friends are not there. (Laughs.)

They say that you can recognize a Russian by the the manner of how they dress -- we're always dressed to look luxurious, regardless of the time, place and action.
Yes, Americans are not crazy about the brands. It is only here, if you don't wear famous brands, you're dressed bad. Although the [Russian] adage "You meet a person by appearance (clothes), but you part with impression of how smart they are" has not been forgotten. In America a billionaire can go out in sneakers and jeans.

When in Moscow, are you trying to follow the fashion?
I basically don't care what to wear. I like sports clothing. I go out in sports pants or shorts with a T-shirt. If you need to dress to go somewhere, I can just put on a shirt with jeans. I can afford to buy expensive brands and I buy them. But the time when I was crazy about it, like go shopping and buy dozens of jeans, this time has long passed. In this sense, America has changed me.

Sasha, tell me, is it important how much a person earns? You are quite successful, and your friends and acquaintances -- they are probably hardly an ordinary people?
For me it was never a problem. I can communicate with people of different incomes. And with millionaires, and those who live from paycheck to paycheck. What's the difference how much a person earns? It is important what he has in his mind!

Men feel bad if they don't earn much. What is your minimum?
I agree, for a man, the more he earns, the better. Especially now that money can solve a lot. Someone rides Ferrari and someone saves for Ford. But money can also help to those who don't have much.

My cooperation with Gillette will help Dynamo's juniors hockey training facility and young and talented hockey players like I was once myself. I hope that it can help them to achieve something in life, that, like it was for me, their hard work and training will ensure their future.

And what will you do in the future?
I will relax! (Smiles)

Is that all?
Not really, of course when I'll have a family, then the priorities will be different. But as for now I would rather choose to relax.

A few years ago at the wedding of your friend Ilya Nikulin, I asked you when you were going to marry, and you just smiled and said nothing.
And now I'll just smile and say nothing. (Smiles)

And Nikulin has son now...
Someone wants to start a family earlier, someone not in a hurry. I'm only 25 years old. Let's see and never guess what will happen.

Are you just not going to say goodbye to a bachelor life or are you waiting for the only one?
Not that I am not going to... Of course, I want my parents to have grandchildren. But it's still too early in fact.

Why? Are you afraid to take responsibility?
We can say I am still a kid, just out of adolescence. I need to grow up even more. (Laughs.)

Here's more on charitable contributions in collaboration with Gillette:

WASHINGTON and MOSCOW, Dec. 7, 2010 — Ovechkin will appear in advertising and marketing activities in support of the world’s leading male grooming brand in Russia and Eastern Europe and will collaborate with Gillette to create charity programs that will contribute to youth hockey development in the region, as well as the Washington, D. C. area.

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Ovechkin's video interview to CBS Sports

Jan. 11, 2011: Alex Ovechkin's scoring may be down, but his team is playing well lately. Wes Goldstein sits down with the NHL superstar to talk about the Winter Classic and to answer viewer questions.

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Ovechkin, Green talk about All-star game

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Caps Care Casino Night

capitals.nhl.com, Jan. 9, 2011:

Want to play blackjack with Alex Ovechkin or jam with Brooks Laich in a game of Wii Rock Band? Then you won’t want to miss the second-annual Caps Care Casino Night and Auction. Fans are invited to enjoy an evening of delicious food, live music and mingling and gaming with players and coaches, all in the name of charity. Taking place on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, this exciting event will feature a raffle, silent auction with game-used equipment and autographed memorabilia and live auction with once-in-a-lifetime experiences with Caps players and coaches.
All proceeds benefit Washington Capitals Charities.

Our photojournalist Marge (Margaret McGuire, a diehard Caps fan and journalism student at Anchorage-Alaska):

Well, I had one more Caps event before I fly off tomorrow. I went to the Caps Casino Night. Ovie was dressed so nicely. He had a blue suit with red pin strips, very sharp. Here are some pictures:


Playing poker with Semin


He loves winning :)


Playing Wii Bowling


More bowling


Ovie and Marge

Thanks, Marge! Happy landing in Anchorage, Alaska!


More from Nate Ewell:

Ovi with his game-worn skates in the silent auction.

Update:

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