Ovechkin gets 250 of a possible 287 votes for SN's "Player of the year"

The Sporting News, May 20 ,2008:
Before the Stanley Cup finals begin, it's time to hand out Sporting News' 2008 NHL Awards. Winners were determined by a vote of their peers, and all voting was conducted before the playoffs. Individuals could not vote for themselves, and players could not vote for teammates.

Player of the year
Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals

"Alexander the Great, indeed. All Ovechkin did was score 65 goals, the most by an NHL player since 1996, win the Art Ross Trophy with 112 points and lead a charge by the Capitals from last place to a Southeast Division title. It was enough to impress his peers, who gave Ovechkin, 22, 250 of a possible 287 votes for the league's highest player honor. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin finished second with 18 votes.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin finished second with 18 votes."

Ovechkin - 250, Malkin - 18. Wow, what a difference!


Capitals Headlines, May 20, 2008

SN’s 2008 All-Star Team (also selected by vote of their peers):

Alex Ovechkin (Capitals), Jarome Iginla (Calgary), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh)
Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit), Mike Green (Capitals)
Martin Brodeur (New Jersey)

Washington is the only club with two selections to the team.

Ovechkin and Green led the league in goals and goals by a defenseman, respectively, the first teammates to do so since Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey in 1988-89. On Sunday they were both named to the all-tournament team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, where Ovechkin’s Russian team won the gold and Green took silver with Canada.

Ovechkin has been named a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player by vote of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league’s most outstanding player by vote of the NHL Players’ Association. The winners of those awards will be announced Thursday, June 12, during the 2008 NHL Awards Television Special, which will be broadcast live throughout the United States on VERSUS and in Canada on CBC from the historic Elgin Theatre in Toronto.

Ovechkin has already claimed the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top point scorer (112 points) and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the top goal scorer (65 goals). He also led the league in power-play goals (22), game-winning goals (11) and shots (446), while playing all 82 games. Ovechkin scored a higher percentage of his team’s goals than any other player (27.3%) and had a hand in more of his team’s goals than any other player (47.1%).

His 65 goals set a Capitals record and an NHL record for goals by a left wing. Ovechkin wrapped up his third NHL season as the first player since 1996 to reach 60 goals and one of only 12 players all-time to score 65 or more goals. Ovechkin shared the NHL lead with three hat tricks and had two of the league’s four four-goal games all season.

Ovechkin’s +28 rating was seventh in the league and tied for first on the team with Viktor Kozlov and he was among the league’s top 10 in hits (220) and takeaways (69).

Ovechkin, who led the Capitals to the playoffs for the first time since 2003, appeared in his second NHL All-Star Game in January. He was the NHL’s First Star for the months of January and March and was a five-time selection as one of the Three Stars of the week. Ovechkin was named the MVP and the league’s best player by The Hockey News, the “Monster of the Year” by TSN’s Pierre McGuire, the Clutch Scorer and a unanimous choice for MVP by USA Today’s panel and the “Espo Award” winner as the league MVP by Phil Esposito of XM Radio NHL Home Ice.

Green led NHL defensemen in goals (18) and ranked seventh in points (56). He led the Capitals in average ice time (23:38) and set a Capitals single-season record with three overtime goals.

Ovechkin digs out Canadian Lucky Loonie, dances in the locker room

Canadian Press: May 20, 2008:
After Ilya Kovalchuk scored the winning goal in overtime, the Russians celebrated by chipping away at centre ice and unearthing a loonie that had been secretly planted there to bring the Canadians luck.

Alex Ovechkin kissed it repeatedly and passed it around to his teammates before a group of players tried to plant a pole with the Russian flag in the hole they had made.

The lucky loonie that was buried in the ice at Salt Lake City in 2002 ended up in the Hockey Hall of Fame but one can only assume the one from this world championship went back to Moscow on the Russian charter.

Update: From Slam!Sports blog by Stephen Knight, May 20, 2008:

Now that just seems wrong. Sure, the Russians won on a cheesy call, but they mounted a whale of a comeback and put themselves in position to win, so give them props for that. What seems downright humiliating is to have Ovechkin digging up the ice -- our ice -- and commandeering the lucky loonie. Has he no shame?

Obviously Ovechkin didn't mean to offend anyone, didn't want to publicize it, but it happened. He kissed the loonie for God's sake. I think Ovechkin is the only guy who Canadians would let it do. According to SovSport Ovechkin plans to wear the loonie on his chest.

Here's how the Canadians react:

Comment from: David Newland [Visitor] Good for Ovechkin. That "lucky loonie" thing is WAY overdone. It was cool once, and that was in Salt Lake, when it was done by surprise, and became a charming story when we defeated the US on their home ice. Since then it's become a boring little habit. And other teams rightly feel it is an irritation. As superstitious as athletes are, messing with their mojo when we're supposed to be their hosts is plain unsportsmanlike. Ovechkin deserves the dollar. 21/05/2008 @ 09:24

Comment from: Jon Pressick [Visitor] Couldn't agree with you more David! On the flipside, maybe this will put some fire into the Canadian team for next year... 21/05/2008 @ 11:44

On this video Ovechkin shows all emotions, from almost crying to dancing, talking to Mom on a cell [Mom, we are the Champions! Woohoo!] and drinking champaine... :)

Fedorov and Fetisov pose for camera, these guys have been through this [Stanley Cup celebration in Detroit]

Legendary Russian coach Victor Tikhonov about Fedorov and Semin

Sport-Express, May 20, 2008:

Q.: What can you say about Sergei Fedorov?

Tikhonov: I simply do not have the words to describe his play! Nobody could expect that 38-year-old Sergei would be able to play so awesome, both in offense and in defence! I think that Fedorov is the great master who helped this team tremendously not only on ice, but also in the locker room because the younger players rubbed off Sergei's work ethic and followed him.

Q.: How does today's Fedorov differ from Fedorov debuted in your USSR team at the World Championship in 1989?

Tikhonov: Even when Sergei was 19 years old, it was clear that he will be a great master, an extra-class player. Of course he slowed down a bit, but it goes unnoticed because of his experience and wisdom. He reads the play in advance and sees all possible ways the opponent's offence is developing, and he is always at the right place.

Q. Alex Semin was another pleasant discovery...

Tikhonov: His game at the World Championship once again demonstrated that the National team's Coaches made a mistake a year ago.

[Semin was fired from the National team last year for being late to training camp]

Ovechkin's National team is greeted by new Russian President

The Russian National hockey team went to meet the President right from the airport Vnukovo upon arrival.

Alex texting to...

Katja texting to Alex? :)


Sportbox.ru: Congrats, Sasha! What do you feel now? Who is actually texting you right now?

Ovechkin:

All my friends, ton of my friends... Everybody, my family, my close friends, supported me...

I simply don't know what to say. This victory is for all Russian people, for our country.

[Talking into the camera and kissing the gold medal]
Guys, we are with you, this victory is for you! Finally we won the gold you were dreaming of, you were talking of, and we deserved it. We all love you.

Let's go, Russia! We are the Champions!

Ovechkin and his two best buddies talk

From IIHF.com, May 18, 2008

QUEBEC CITY – After Russia edged Canada 5-4 in overtime to win gold on Sunday, IIHF.com reporters caught up with players and coaches from both sides to get their thoughts and feelings.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Russia: This is great! We've been waiting for this for 15 years. It’s always great to win, but it’s a team effort, and we have a great group of guys here. The players, the coaches...everybody has been positive all the time. We felt a good pressure: we knew that I don’t know how many million people would be watching us. [For my winning goal], we have a power play, and Fedorov, he’s 38 years old, but he’s brought so much patience and intensity to the team, and he makes that great pass to me. Then, I was one-on-one with the goalie and I just shot it in. The [team’s] leaders trust us and we trust them. Now we’ll have a huge party - it’s vacation time now. We have a chartered plane to Russia tomorrow, and we’ll have a party there.

Alexander Ovechkin, Russia: I want to thank my mom and dad for always believing in me. This is a huge win for us, and I dedicate it to all the Russian fans. [kisses Kovalchuk on the cheek] I love him! We're the best in the world right now, we got the gold medal, and I think we deserved it. We played hard through the whole tournament. This gold medal is the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me.

Andrei Markov, Russia: Everybody knows [Kovalchuk] is a great player and he’s got a great shot. He started to score at the right time. He won the game and it’s great for us. You know what? I think the whole team believed from the start to finish that we could win this game. We have a great team and great players. We believe in each other. [As for Evgeni Nabokov], he’s our best player. He’s the best goalie in the world. He did a great job for us. He was just unbelievable. It’s special for defencemen to play in front of him. You know, it’s not about whether you’re tired. It’s about what’s in your heart.

The Media All-Star Team 2008:

Goalkeeper: Evgeni Nabokov (RUS)
Defencemen: Mike Green (CAN), Tomas Kaberle (CZE)
Forwards: Dany Heatley (CAN), Alexander Ovechkin (RUS), Rick Nash (CAN)

Katja, Katyusha

What Martin Merk doesn't know is that Ovechkin's girlfriend's name is Katyusha...
Name: Екатерина = Ekaterina, Yekaterina Pronounciation: yeh-kah-tye-REE-nah
Nicknames: Катя = Katya(Katja), Катюша = Katyusha Pronounciation: KAH-tyah, kah-TYU-shah

By MARTIN MERK, IIHF.com, May 16, 2008:

The organizers in Quebec City seem to do everything that would make their traditional archrivals feel right at home. Each goal scored by the Russians is followed by a club version of the famous Russian folk song Katyusha. And it’s happened no less than 32 times now. The title of the song, which was composed in 1938, was later also bestowed upon rocket launchers. The lovely melody remains popular to this day, far beyond the former Iron Curtain. And now, the only rockets are the ones in red uniforms on the ice of the “Kolizey”, as the Russian national team has become something like the home team, with the Québécois their supporters.

The song is about a lonely girl, missing her true love, a soldier who’s far away from her: “Let him preserve the motherland, same as Katyusha preserves her love.” The time of “hockey soldiers” has been over for about twenty years, and it isn’t just the Red Army Choir’s version of the song that’s available now. Alexander Ovechkin and his friends are living in luxury hotels instead of barracks, and they’re not playing for only honour and the Motherland, but also for millions of dollars. And their Katyushas are actually with them instead of writing love letters while sitting at home.

Fans in Quebec City admire the former hockey soldiers and their not-quite-so-golden successors. They’re cheering for the thus-far most successful 2008 World Championship team on Quebec ice, forgetting about old political differences and whether it’s traitorous to applaud Canada’s traditional rivals, focused on the fascination of sport. Rossiya is present everywhere: on the ice, in the stands, in the tourist sites of Vieux-Quebec, in the hotspots of the Grande Allée.

Ovechkin is recognized everywhere, but maybe even more famous is Alexander Radulov, the former record-setting star of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. He scored an impressive 207 points in his second season and is remembered everywhere he goes, two years after he left Quebec to make the NHL with the Nashville Predators. He’s brought back memories for the Québécois of the high art of Russian hockey that they saw in the old days. The speed, shots and unpredictability of the Katyusha weapons, the smoothness and skating abilities of Russian ice dancers like Katyusha Bobrova. And now, “Radu” is back with a bunch of high-calibre players from the East.

However, today could be the last day of the “Kolizey” flirtations between the Russian team and the enthusiastic crowds. They will cheer again and want to see Russia in the final against Canada. Then, should it happen, the love will wither away, the “Kolizey” will become the Colisée again. The Canadians will cheer for the Maple Leaf team just like in the old days while enjoying the clash of the two historically most successful hockey cultures. And the Russians will have to do without support here in the West. Far away from home, meanwhile, many Katyushas are hoping that Bykov’s squad will make the Motherland proud before coming back.

And the Québécois? They will hope to celebrate Canada’s title. And whatever happens, the international flair Russia’s shown on and off the ice will offer shining memories for a long while, much like Rendez-Vous ’87.

Alexander The Great wants his revenge

Photo: IIHF/HHoF/Jukka Rautio

Alexander Ovechkin, disappointed after the semi-final loss to Finland in 2007, wants his revenge on Finland.

The game is on Friday, 16th at 13:00.

Alexander Ovechkin won the game for Russia with six seconds on the clock

Long time coming, Ovechkin finally scores big.

By RISTO PAKARINEN

QUEBEC CITY – Alexander Ovechkin did it all tonight, but most of all, he won the game for Russia with six seconds on the clock, beating Henrik Lundqvist, and making it 3-2 for Russia.

Sweden got an early lead just seven seconds after Dimitry Vorobyev’s penalty ended, on an extended powerplay play when Tony Martensson found Matias Weinhandl open in the slot. Weinhandl turned and banged a wrist shot past Evgeny Nabokov, in the battle of the Vezina candidates.

The intensity of the game didn’t go down after Douglas Murray checked Alexei Morozov out of the game after just ten minutes of play. Murray received a game misconduct for the hit, as did Sweden’s Anton Stralman and Russia’s Ilya Kovalchuk for a fight that ensued.

"I thought it was a clean hit, I hit him on the chest and shoulder area," said Douglas Murray who will now face an automatic one-game suspension.

At 32:14, Russia got its chance. Alexander Semin delivered the puck to Ovechkin. Lundqvist got a piece of the shot, but dropped the puck and Semin was there to tip it in.

In the last minute, Sweden struck: Jonas Frogren’s shot from the blueline bounced to the front of the net where Martensson was waiting to lift it in for 2-1.

In the first shift of the third period, Swedish acting captain Nicklas Backstrom tripped his Capitals linemate Ovechkin, giving Russia a chance to tie the game on powerplay but Semin’s shot in the post was the closest they got to beating Lundqvist.

That goal did come, a few minutes later, at 44.57, when Sergei Fedorov grabbed Denis Zaripov’s rebound, and dumped it behind Lundqvist.

Sweden seemed to be able to push back the Russians, until their big guns hit. Alexander Ovechkin got the winner, driving frustrated and disappointed Lundqvist to break his stick on the crossbar.

Russian goalie Evgeny Nabokov was happy to be at the World Championship.

"I heard the fans cheering. It was a great atmosphere today," he said.

"Ovechkin, Semin, and Sergei [Fedorov] are our leaders. They are the backbone of our team, and I think they even have to be better, if it’s possible. I don’t know if it’s possible. But "Ovie" was the best player for about seven months! So I think he’s kind of used to it."

The Team Needs Serg Protector

By Tarik El-Bashir, Washington Post, May 8, 2008 "Capitals Seek An Extension For Fedorov":

Washington Capitals management has not yet discussed next season's roster in detail, but the team is expected to pursue a contract extension with veteran Sergei Fedorov.