After everything Ovechkin has done with the Washington Capitals, he still hears criticism from fans of the Caps and the sport. My question is why?
Let's start by answering some common questions in the revolving debate of Alex Ovechkin.
Is his passion entertaining?
I think he's an absolute blast to watch play the game and when I'm in attendance, it feels as though all the oxygen has been sucked out of my body when he steps on the ice. You just never know what will happen. When something does happen, it usually involves an opponent flat on his back or a puck in the back of the net. I'm glad he's a Cap because he's the most entertaining player I've ever watched play the game.
Is he worth the $124 Million over 13 years?
He is absolutely worth the contract. Why wouldn't he be? He's a three time MVP. He had two seasons where his goals total dropped. Those two seasons were also a time when coaches were trying to work in a more defensive style system. To say they were down seasons isn't quite fair because he's never scored less then 32 goals in a season which is excellent. Sure he became a bit predictable but he did what good athletes do and made necessary adjustments. He came back strong after two down seasons and won his 3rd MVP title and scored more goals then anyone in the league. For anyone saying he's not worth the contract, you may want to re-evaluate the three time league MVP.
Are his goal celebrations too much?
I don't need to answer this question. Oilers coach "Dallas Eakins" already answered it and his answer expresses my feelings perfectly. Here's what he had to say: “I want to get to a place with our group that they do wear it on their sleeve a little bit, and I don’t mean being cocky hockey players. I mean having a little bit of swagger to your game and having confidence on the ice,” Eakins said. “I think Ovechkin brings that. He’s highly confident, he brings a little bit of swagger and very rarely has he gone overboard with it. For me, to be out there being a bunch of robots with no expression on your face it’s not very much fun. It is an emotional game and I think it’s okay to show emotion.”
If you thought we weren't mentioning Crosby in this section you were mistaken.
Crosby is the absolute reason this topic is up for debate around the league. When asked about Ovechkin's on ice celebration after scoring his 60th goal of the 2007-08 season, this is what Crosby had to say:
"Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't." AND: "He likes to stick out and I like to blend in."
Crosby clearly has some issues with players who don't play the game exactly the way he plays it. Crosby would REALLY dislike me because if I scored 60 goals in one season, I'd have the biggest celebration in the history of the sport. Soccer players celebrate goals, football players celebrate touchdowns, tennis players celebrate wins and etc. The emotion shown by Ovechkin on the ice gets his team fired up and changes the momentum of games. He's the captain of his team and when he celebrates a goal it charges his team with energy and confidence.
A lot of rumors were passed throughout the world of hockey recently, when he missed two games (Flyers and Panthers) and the Caps managed to win those two games. Rumors like "we don't need Ovechkin to win" and "Ovechkin is the most overrated hockey player in the league." I must remind those of you who passed these rumors along that the Caps were playing two of the worst teams in the NHL at the time of those games. The Flyers were at 3-8-0 and the Panthers were 3-8-2. We've played two games since hes been back and he has three goals in that span. Ovechkin now has 13 goals in 14 games played and is one goal shy of the leagues leader (Alexander Steen.) How can there be criticism towards the leagues reining MVP who is averaging barely under a goal a game? I'll leave that question for the hockey fans to answer.
GO CAPS !
Zach Hart
Shades Of Red
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