RED ALERT: Get off the Ovechkin is dirty kick

Mark ButerbaughDec 3, 2009

DCPSR Dialogue: Ok. Alex Ovechkin was suspended for two games for a knee to knee hit on Tim Gleasen in Monday’s win over Carolina. It was a knee to knee hit. It was Alex being Alex. It was Alex being aggressive in choosing his hits. However, the hit was no an intentional knee to knee job. Watch the video. Put your anti-Ovechkin attitudes aside, for those of you that despise Alex Ovechkin because he is so damn good. Look at the video again. Alex was heading toward Gleasen for a legal hit, Ovechkin leaned in to make this hit, Gleasen cut to the side, knees collided. It is what it is. And here is the video again. You can see Ovechkin lean in to make the hit, but Gleasen goes off to the side away from the hit.

AS the Washington Times writes, the focus right now is on whether Ovechkin should change his style of play. We wrote here at DCPSR that Alex Ovechkin needs to tweak his level of play, but not entirely change. That’s not what we meant. Alex is Alex. Alex plays ice hockey the only way he knows how, hard, fast, aggressive, and full of intensity. Perhaps others should realize, that is why he is the Great 8. That is Alex Ovechkin, anything less, would destroy the legend he is. What we advocate is for Alex to pick and chose the aggressive hits he applies, before he more seriously injures himself.

There is no doubt that Alex Ovechkin understands and has apologized for the Gleasen hit. But Alex is also defiant, defending his style of play, declaring nothing will change.

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“I’m not going to change anything,” the Washington Capitals’ star winger said, addressing the media for the first time since the NHL suspended him for two games for a controversial hit on Carolina’s Tim Gleason Monday night.
Asked about his reaction to the suspension, Ovechkin said, “maybe it gets me more angry.”
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Two things Alex needs to put forth in his mind when he returns to the ice. One, all eyes will be on #8 to see how he reacts on the ice. Will Alex indeed continue the aggressive, and some times, reckless style of play, or will he tone it down. Alex wants to be the best, have the reputation as the best, but reckless play can tarnish a reputation. How will Ovechkin defend and protect the reputation aspect of his game? Surely you can see it coming. Yeah, Alex may be better scorer, but overall, he is reckless and doesn’t stand up to the character of the greatest players, blah, blah, blah. [Read more →]

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