I remember Igor Larionov coming to one of my practices as a kid

Alexes' Night out

The Russian superstars – together the third highest-scoring pair of teammates in the NHL – visited The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Md., for several hours. They spent time skating with a group of young children just learning to play, then took part in ceremonies surrounding the Maryland high school championship games.

“I remember Igor Larionov coming to one of my practices as a kid,” Ovechkin said as he signed autographs for the five- to seven-year-olds on the Resor Rink. “That was important for me, so I am happy to come here and see the kids.”

For a night – while the rest of the professional hockey world was swirling in trades and trade rumors – Ovechkin and Semin were just kids again. Celebrities, to be sure, but at heart just a couple of kids who love the game.

read more...

Yeehaw, Alex goes country

It started as a shootout and ended up in a funeral. Oops, it started like a funeral and ended up in a shootout. It's tough, even if they pay you big bucks, to lose your friends.

from 'A view from the Cheap Seats'

Your time with us was far too brief
We wish you needn't part
We'll miss your smiles, we'll miss your frowns
But you're always in our heart

You're moving on, the deadline past
We knew this day may come
Yet part of you in us will last
You'll always be our chum

Your lanky frame a familiar sight
Your accent strong and proud
You never backed down from a fight
You made us cheer out loud

But now you're off to Buffalo
We wish you wouldn't leave
The best of luck to you my friend
We'll try hard not to grieve

Ovechkin: "If our boss says he must be traded, he's traded. We can't do nothing. We are just players and they are bosses. Right now, we have a group of guys who stick together."



Ovechkin's 1st goal ignited the team. 2 goals, 2 assists after two periods for Ovechkin.

I told you, the textbook goal scoring in the previous game was a really good sign.

Alex Ovechkin in the interview to sport-express: "The Coach told me, just continue to work, play as you can, shoot more often."

Boy, Brent Johnson really sucked tonight. Caps need to get rid of him. He is completely unreliable, one day he is better than Kolzig, another day he is worse than high school goalie. You have to expect some kind of consistency, especially from the goalie playing in NHL.

Meanwhile Sidney Crosby club (guys who score more goals than Crosby) is growing.

POS        Name        TM GP  G  A PTS
 1 Vincent Lecavalier TAM 65 41 43 84 
 2 Martin St. Louis   TAM 65 38 47 85 
 3 Teemu Selanne      ANA 64 38 37 75 
 4 Dany Heatley       OTT 63 37 44 81 
 5 Alexander Ovechkin WAS 64 37 41 78 
 6 Marian Hossa       ATL 65 36 44 80 
 7 Simon Gagne        PHI 63 35 18 53 
 8 Henrik Zetterberg  DET 63 33 35 68 
 9 Ilya Kovalchuk     ATL 65 33 28 61 
10 Chris Drury        BUF 60 33 24 57 
11 Thomas Vanek       BUF 63 32 30 62 
12 Alexander Frolov   LOS 63 32 29 61 
13 Alexander Semin    WAS 60 32 26 58 
14 Jason Blake        NYI 63 32 24 56 
15 Justin Williams    CAR 65 31 27 58 
16 Ryan Smyth         EDM 53 31 22 53 
17 Jarome Iginla      CAL 52 30 42 72 
18 Evgeni Malkin      PIT 58 29 40 69 
19 Patrick Marleau    SJS 61 29 36 65 
20 Kristian Huselius  CAL 62 29 32 61 
21 Olli Jokinen       FLA 64 28 36 64 
22 Brendan Shanahan   NYR 58 28 26 54 
23 Bill Guerin        STL 61 28 19 47 
24 Daniel Briere      BUF 63 27 50 77 
25 Joe Sakic          COL 64 27 48 75 
26 Ray Whitney        CAR 65 27 46 73 
27 Martin Straka      NYR 62 27 38 65 
28 Daniel Sedin       VAN 62 27 34 61 
29 Glen Murray        BOS 55 27 17 44 
30 Sidney Crosby      PIT 59 26 71 97 

Ovechkin's stick with french fries

...eat McDonalds burger with fries using Ovechkin's mini-sticks :-)

Thanks to Ovechkinfans forum

"Just saw a commercial... 6 players, including Ovechkin, have mini-sticks in a very nice looking case available at McD's."

And of course it's on ebay already

Alexander Ovechkin Mcdonalds 06-07 Mini Sticks. Best Mcdonald promo since the mini trophys. Beautiful silver case with action photo and mini stick inside. 16 cm high. plastic sealed.



THESE MINI STICKS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IN CANADA!!!

And yet... Another Russian interview

sport-express.ru

Q. Aren't you tired of all these questions about the slump?

A. What can you say? I have scoring chances... The Coaches will soon begin to change the lines, try me in different combinations. Now our Captain Chris Clark is injured, and I played with Richard Zednik, it was not bad, but in the finishing stage something goes wrong all the time; either I miss or the goalie gets it.


Q. Washington has recently changed not only lines, but also the game style. Now you play some form of trap ...

A. But it already gives us the results, we have fewer goals allowed.

Q. Doesn't it interfere with your game? As a result you often act in a attacking zone without the cover. In particular, in a recent game Montreal was constantly using it and the counter-attacked through your left wing.

A. It is not because of the trap, but because the other teams started to play two players against me. Pens played similarly, whenever I'd cross the blue line, Gonchar and the center were coming at me, couldn't do anything. And in the last home game with San Jose it was the same. Besides the d-man, another guy, forgot his name, was following me (Alexander was referring to Mike Grier, one of the most reliable defensive forwards in the NHL. - Note. SM). I am getting shadowed all the time.

Q. But if two players are covering you it means one of your partners should get open?

A. They are not. Something is not working out then, and what, I do not know.

Washington's trap has recently become very hot topic among fans and journalists. However, it should be noted that the emotional and sometimes hysterical cries in the press in a series of "Free Ovechkin!" are not entirely justified. Caps are playing a very light version of the trap; when the opposite player controls the puck in his zone, one player goes to forecheck, another covers him on the right wing and three others remain behind the blue line. The 1-1-3 formation differs from the classic trap of 1-4, let alone of 0-5, which is played by many NHL teams. The problem does not lie with the conservative direction of the system, but the fact that the Washington does not have enough speed in defence to properly implement it. It does not diminish Alex attacking potential any more than any other tactical system.

Q. And yet, whatever is the reason for your slump, the moral pressure got to be be present.

A. Nah, everything is fine. The Coach said to relax and ignore to what the press and the fans say. Just continue to work, play as you can, shoot more often.

Q. Do not pay attention, easy to say. But three weeks ago you had a real chance to get to the playoffs.

A. Well, what can you say? Anything can happen in the life. 'Moscow was not built in one day'.

Q. Do you think the team's slump is logical?

A. We have no slump. We play no worse than before. We just can't win.

Q. And you personally?

A. And I do not have one. I just can't score. But I don't feel any discomfort. I skate as usual, control the puck as usual, lose it rarely. I am just temporary out of luck, and it will go away, I can't give you another explanation. So the Coach is right, no need to pay attention to all the talk about the scoring slump and something will change.


read more...

Russian newspaper, part II

from sovsport.ru "Silence of Ovechkin"

I got to the locker room of Washington Caps after the home game against San Jose. Caps were leading 2:0 but managed to lose in SO. Neither Syomin nor Ovechkin had scored their shootout attempts. You can can judge yourselve about the mood of Alexander the Great and his partners...

In the locker room are Ovechkin and Zubrus. They are drawing the graphs on the wall of the playing patterns, the leaders of Washington Caps have a heated discussion of the last game. Alexandre Semin is not with them, he is at the doctor. The club owner Ted Leonsis approaches me, sighs and murmurs "not a minute of rest for them".

Then Leonsis appeals to Ovechkin :
"Sasha, keep your head high. You are really very good. We will continue to build a team around you. We want to see you here happy and always in a good mood."

Ovechkin nodes and then turns to me, asking me the latest news from Moscow. He says that his parents went to the ice-hockey game between Dynamo and Lokomotive. Zubrus joins.

- the playoffs, we have no chance, eh? asks Alexander.

- If you win 18 out of 20 last games, you'll get 90 points. Nobody got into playoffs with these numbers in the past three years. Many teams that you will be playing are above in the standings, and the points are vital for them in the fight for playoffs.

The dismal silence. Guys lower the heads.

Zubrus : Yes, they will fight. The upcoming game with NJ will be hard.

Ovechkin : They have Brodeur and the system.

- This system Devils have played in the past 12 years.

Ovechkin and Zubrus with one voice : Exactly!

Zubrus : Since they won the Stanley Cup, the team is stable. Each player picked up to match the system. That's why Victor Kozlov last year was riding the pine.

- Why Washington doesn't have such system?

This gets guys visibly annoyed. Zubrus, shaking his head goes to the showers. I continue with Ovechin.

- How do you feel psychologically?

I am ok. We had subs in the third period, changed everything. Syomin was playing with us, and Zednik too. For the first time in five games we had something going. I think the team needs some change...

- Amazing! You are in a slump and still keep the mood normal.

I don't have any slump. I feel great. Why should I be sad?

At that point Leonsis approaches again and gives the photo for autograph. The photo is from All Star game where Ovechkin stands next to Crosby. Crosby's signature is already there. Ovechkin puts his, and then makes the hand movement as if to cross Sidney. Everybody laughs.

The team's mood is normal, continues Ovechkin. We do not panic. Yes, we are losing, but the team is still in its infancy, and don't expect a lot of wins. You were right when you wrote in sovsport in a big interview with Ted Leonsys (on November 28, 2006) that Washington will mature for playoffs in three years. Many thought that we could do it this year. Alas, we can not. Of course, we are not giving up, but to go to the playoffs will be very difficult.

- Last year Washington got 70 points. Now you have 58. Will you be able to get more this year?

And what difference it makes? With 70 points still nothing is shining for us. We are rebuilding the team.

- But rebuilding around Ovechkin

One person is not a team

- But a lot of hope is placed on you. Fans say : When Ovechkin doesnt score, the team doesn't win.

But I am not a robot, am I? I try to play more for the team now, not for myself. There's nothing terrible that I have fewer points. So let it be at this stage. No need for panic.

35th

click to see the 35th goal...

Joe Beninati, "Textbook goal scoring by Alexander Ovechkin!"





Whew... Textbook goal scoring is always a good sign.







The tale of a dented mask or NJ goalie Scott Clemmensen on Ovechkin's goal (click to play):

He used defenseman Paul Martin as a screen and fired a wrist shot. The puck hit me right in the head and went in. (Shows the his goalie mask) It bent the wiring here in the the cage and went in.

Q. Pretty good wrist shot, eh?

Oh gee, I bet... I have been hit in the mask a lot, but never like this. When it hits the wiring, the wiring bents and takes the velocity out of it. I couldn't believe it went in after that.

It must have been a really hard shot.

Ovechkin's after the game interview:
I got it, finally


Q. When you get to Tuesday game you might have different teammates, have you thought about it? Obviously, you're not going anywhere.



A. Maybe I will go (in a serious tone and then laughs)





A mental note: Ovechkin is showing more hair since his last haircut and... he scored... :-)

If You Love Somebody Set Them Free

If you love someone, set them free

Free, free, set them free
Free, free, set them free
Free, free, set them free
                  Sting

from sovsport.ru "What happened to Ovechkin?"

Washington lost 14 of the last 18 matches and took the penultimate place in the East. Alexander Ovechkin scored only three (2 +1) points in 10 games.

Washington is lacking veterans. Negotiations on the contract with Dainus Zubrus prolonged. If the options would not sign the agreement until 27 February, he is likely to be traded to another club ... The big problem is with the centers. Where can they find the center for Ovechkin? How can you score if nobody puts the puck on your stick?

Not understandable is the policy of chief veteran team Olaf Kolzig. This is what he said in an interview with the newspaper Washington Post: "He (Ovechkin) must remind himself that the head of the everything is defense. Because only it could win the Stanley Cup." Sasha-player docile, he began playing defence for those who supposed to do it by their position. In Washington serious problems with good defensemen, that's why the team plays defense with all five. But to play offense, forces to attack are no longer adequate. What this leads? Caps let less goals, but stopped scoring! Results of a month and a half had fallen from 4.5 to two goals average for a game.

The same Washington Post coach Glen Henlon stated : "Ovi scored one goal in seven games. Difficult to win when this guy is silent".

Dear Coach! Would you decided either Ovechkin scored or work in defensive zone. When Ovechkin scores, the team wins, even when they allow more than 40 shots on their goals per game!

Now, the team is in the style of trap, thanks to this scheme, for example, anaheim went to the Cup finals Stanley-2003. But it turns out Ovechkin is in the trap himself. Fans have launched a campaign on the Internet : Free Ovechkin! Players such as Ovechkin and Semin don't play dump and chase. And just so, unfortunately, do a great many of their teammates.

Washington Post started discussions. Kolzig, Henlon, Manager George McFee and even famous Mark Messier express their views on the not so strong play in the defence of Ovechkin, a man who which is considered a symbol of not only the club but also the city. But remember that Sasha had phenomenal December, hit everything in a row, won games almost alone, became a player the month in our newspaper. And when the team changed tactics and threw a double responsibility on him, everything went haywire.

It may be better to ask what happened not to Ovechkin, but to Coach Henlon? In fact, he is currently working on killing the hen that lays the golden eggs.

With the help of Google beta translations

Brutal, just brutal

from Washington Post staff writer Tarik El-Bashir

Tarik:

The mental state of the team is extremely fragile. Zubrus and Zednik are wondering whether they are to be traded. Eminger and Clymer are wondering why they are being scratched every night. Everyone is wondering when Ovechkin is going to get another point.
It's not a good scene.

Q.: Are they working on on shootouts in practice...or is it not really a focus?

A.: The Caps have been working on shootouts in practice. They did it for about 15 minutes today.
And, you know what? Ovechkin (by my count) missed at least five times on Johnson. In fact, I didn't see him score once.
After missing his fourth or fifth try, he threw his stick against the boards and dropped to the ice on his stomach. He stayed there for a couple of minutes.

Q.: Ovie needs to try tripping himself and shooting the puck while he's turning over, prostrate on the ice.

A.: That's so funny you mention that. Because at the end of practice today, he tried to recreate 'The Goal' on an empty net. A couple his teammates, Semin included, also gave it a try. No one scored, though. But everyone had a good laugh.

Q.: How will Ovechkin react if Zubrus is traded?

A.: Ovechkin was very close to Zubrus last year. Zubrus was his roommate on the road and was like an older brother to him. But this season Ovechkin has been much closer to Semin. They are now roommates on the road and best friends.
So from an off-ice point of view, Zubrus getting traded wouldn't be so traumatic now. On the ice, however, it could have a big effect. Zubrus often makes up for Ovechkin leaving the zone early, which all elite goal scorers have to do. There's a trust/chemistry factor there.

Q.: Hey Tarik -- Which Cap has been the best to interview this year? Why?

A.: My favorites, in order, are:
1) Kolzig because he's as honest as they come. Due to his stature with the team, he's not afraid of offending anyone.
2) Clark because he's also very honest. And he's very good at explaining difficult situations/dynamics in the dressing room/game action.
3) Ovechkin because he's funny. He can match one-liners with anyone in the league.

Q.: With the speed that some of the Caps players have, why don't they have a more aggressive forecheck?

A.: At what cost? Giving up 38-50 shots a game? Been there, done that.
At this point, given the direction of the rebuild, playing a more defensive system (not a trap, but more cautious) and yielding 30 or fewer shots per game is probably the right strategy. Even if means the Caps score fewer goals and Ovechkin is reduced to 40 goal scorer and not a 50 goal scorer. That's what Hanlon is trying to do, and I have no problem with that.

OT: Brawl in Buffalo

               OTTAWA SENATORS 
# Per Time    Player        PIM  Penalty 
 1 1 18:03 7  J. CORVO      2:00 Holding            
 2 2  1:51 89 M. COMRIE     2:00 Tripping            
 3 2  5:07 25 C. NEIL       5:00 Fighting (maj)      
 4 2  5:13 24 A. VOLCHENKOV 5:00 Fighting (maj)      
 5 2  5:13  4 C. PHILLIPS  10:00 Misconduct (10 min) 
 6 2  5:13  1 R. EMERY     10:00 Game misconduct     
 7 2  5:13  1 R. EMERY      2:00 Goalie leave crease 
 8 2  5:13  1 R. EMERY      5:00 Fighting (maj)      
 9 2  5:13  1 R. EMERY      5:00 Fighting (maj)     
10 2 14:38 12 M. FISHER     2:00 Roughing            
11 2 19:16 24 A. VOLCHENKOV 2:00 Tripping            
12 3  2:28 19 J. SPEZZA     2:00 Roughing           
13 3 16:42 22 C. KELLY      2:00 Tripping            



               BUFFALO SABRES 
# Per Time    Player        PIM  Penalty 
 1 1  7:22 41 C. MACARTHUR  2:00 Hooking 
 2 1 10:00 38 N. PAETSCH    2:00 Hooking 
 3 2  5:07 21 D. STAFFORD   5:00 Fighting (maj) 
 4 2  5:13 36 P. KALETA    10:00 Misconduct (10 min)
 5 2  5:13 43 M. BIRON     10:00 Game misconduct  
 6 2  5:13 43 M. BIRON      5:00 Fighting (maj) 
 7 2  5:13 43 M. BIRON      2:00 Goalie leave crease
 8 2  5:13 22 A. MAIR      10:00 Misconduct (10 min) 
 9 2  5:13 22 A. MAIR       5:00 Fighting (maj)
10 2  5:13 22 A. MAIR       2:00 Instigator 
11 2  5:13 76 A. PETERS    10:00 Game misconduct 
12 2  5:13 76 A. PETERS     5:00 Fighting (maj) 
13 2  5:13 76 A. PETERS     2:00 Instigator  
14 2  5:13 76 A. PETERS     2:00 Roughing 
15 2 14:38  9 D. ROY        2:00 Diving 
16 3  2:28  9 D. ROY        2:00 Roughing 
17 3  4:37 37 M. RYAN       2:00 Hooking 
18 3 13:16  5 T. LYDMAN     2:00 Holding 
19 4  3:28 48 D. BRIERE     2:00 Hooking 

POS Name              TM  GP  G  A PTS
 1 Vincent Lecavalier TAM 62 40 42 82 
 2 Martin St. Louis   TAM 62 37 46 83 
 3 Teemu Selanne      ANA 61 36 36 72 
 4 Marian Hossa       ATL 63 35 43 78 
 5 Dany Heatley       OTT 61 35 41 76 
 6 Alexander Ovechkin WAS 61 34 38 72 
 7 Ilya Kovalchuk     ATL 63 33 28 61 
 8 Chris Drury        BUF 60 33 24 57 

Alex Ovechkin's goal vs. Canada 1 year ago today (Feb. 23, 2006)

from Eurosport

Alexander Ovechkin fired his nation into the semi-finals Wednesday as Russia stunned Canada 2-0 to eliminate the reigning Olympic champions. Ovechkin scored the game-winner less than two minutes into the third period...But the 20-year-old Washington Capitals rookie sensation proved the key to the match, flicking a wrist-shot from just in front of the net right past Brodeur for the first goal of the game.

YouTube highlights of the game


Read about Mom's reaction here...

Off Topic: Never seen before Ovechkin video

This is how Ovechkin reduced Crosby last year... (all right, it's not Ovechkin's video, but for me it gives you a feeling how Ovechkin was scoring last year, its when the TV hockey commentators called him 'Alex Ovechkin! Crazy scoring machine!')




And this is how comfy it got this year...

He'll work himself into a frenzy here if we're not careful

from Tarik's blog

Ovechkin's not hurt. He says he's not tired or worn down or frustrated by his offensive slump (he's scored only one goal in his past seven games). He's simply taking a break from the daily routine, according to Coach Glen Hanlon.

"What happens here--you know him as well as I do--he'll work himself into a frenzy here if we're not careful," Hanlon added. "He's had zero break this season. The All-Star Game was more work than a pleasure for him. I'm not even sure he's going to practice the rest of the year."

I remember I read somewhere about Alex when he was a kid. He'd get home after the game and couldn't walk another step, just lay there... His older brother would have to carry him home. So Hanlon is right, he can work himlsef into a frenzy.

Here...

Father and son began rising at 6 a.m. so the boy could skate a few hours before going, late, to elementary school. After classes, Alex had formal practice with his hockey league, then kept skating, often at a makeshift rink behind the family's apartment building. "He would skate there until his legs fell off," his dad recalled. "He'd come home every evening just completely exhausted. He would drop in the hallway, and we'd pick him up and just carry him to his room."

It's interesting what Red Wings Zetterberg is saying about the All-Star break. He decided to skip it to heal the wrist and rest and it really worked. He joined Crosby club shortly after the break. I call it 'Crosby club' for those who scored more goals than Crosby.

from Snapshots

Henrik Zetterberg: Well, he asked if the wrist was really bothering me before the break, and of course it did. But basically I learned to play with it. But when we saw the break coming up and we saw the five days that I was able to rest, it was a tough decision to make.

But when you think back, I think it was the right choice to take those days and really heal the body and be ready for the end of season.

Both Ovechkin and Crosby went through a long slump after All Star Game. I guess if you are Ovechkin or Crosby just being under microscope and constant media watch, those events alone can really wear you out...

You know you make me breakout

Foo Fighters singing "You know you make me breakout"(Click to play)

You make me dizzy running circles in my head
One of these days I'll chase you down
Well look who's going crazy now
We're face to face my friend
Better get out
Better get out
You know you make me break out

Ovechkin singing Foo Fighters "You know you make me breakout"
(Click to play)

AO new haircut interview

Click to play

About Shanahan's birthday cake presentation: "I wanted to put the cake in a face, but Sidney said, no"

Shanny shared with him the story about the bench clearing brawl between Canada and CCCP junior teams when the lights went off. It was a round-robin game, both teams they were disqualified after this game because of the brawl.


1987 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The haircut didn't help, he should've kept old one. Boy, just two days after this interview Shanny was admitted to the hospital. It's been a rough week for Shanahan — two days before getting a concussion he lost a tooth after being struck by a puck.

Win win win, only win!

Oops... Where is 6'3'' Malkin?


It's not just Ovechkin who breaks the glass.


1:1 after 1st. C'mon, boyz!



AO is hiding...

2:3 it's over... go back to stationary bike...

Life is a bitch. Sometimes you need to lose in order to win. Just check the history of Detroit Red Wings before they won 3 Stanley Cups.

C'mon guys!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mantra (Devanagari मन्त्र) is a mystical syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the NHL team and philosophy associated with the mantra. Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra.

Here's an example of Flyers vs Canadiens Pre Game Warmup mantra by monk phille22:
"Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt, Don't get hurt."

Footnote:

According to Nashvile Predators, the team and the fans are adopting this mantra. The chant will start in Wild vs Predators Pre Game Warmup tonight. Depending on intensity, Forsberg might last more than 5 games.

Ok, just kidding... but we all live in the glass houses... Here's my mantra for tomorrow's game vs. Pens:
"Alex, please score... Alex, please score... Alex, please score..."

But, really, if Caps win, it could be a great boost for Caps, basically it will define how they gonna finish this season. What is a great boost for Caps, is a huge boost for AO.


With a great head-to-head clash looming on Sunday against Sidney Crosby's Penguins (3:30 p.m., ET, NBC), SI.com had a chat with the young Russian superstar.

Q. For the casual hockey fan, what is the best part about the game?
A. When Ovechkin scores a goal.
...
Q. You seem to respect leadership. You are the Caps' best player, but are you vocal in the room, being that it is only your second year? Do you give advice?
A. Not advice. But, you know, more, I guess, like, "C'mon guys."

from pittsburgh

If Staal scores today, they'll also be the first team in the NHL this season to have three 25-goal scorers.

If this keeps up over the final 25 games, Crosby could win the scoring title and league MVP, coach Michel Therrien could be coach of the year, Malkin and Staal could be the top two vote-getters for rookie of the year and Fleury might be in contention for top goaltender.

Ted's answer

And with Chris Clark's next goal, the Caps could be the only NHL team with three 25 goal scorers with Ovechkin, Semin and Clark.

"Clarkie, please score..." :-)

      C'mon guys!

da-duh, da-duh, da-duh

He's like the shark in Jaws, circling in the water waiting for blood.
They should play that music from the movie – da-duh, da-duh, da-duh - when he's out on a shift. He doesn't just go after loose pucks, he hunts them down.

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson.

Alex needs to go back to old curve that he had last year. The curvier you go, the harder it is to handle the puck. Alex is the prove that you don't need any restrictions on the curve. Just let them have it, they all will have no chance on a deke in shootout or in a game.

Larry Wigge quoted Ovechkin who said if the team wouldn't make the playoffs, he failed(*). And the team didn't make it. This article comes at really odd time. (Wait a minute, didn't we all just complained that it's all about Crosby while almost nothing about Ovechkin? Yeah...)

* Guess what, I wrote it and checked the article. The quote is gone. That is actually a good edit because this is an upbeat article in general with one quote that gives it an opposite effect.

Ovechkin is in a cold slump, 2 points in last 6 games.

Ok, Alex did a haircut (bye Beatles hair), switched back to his old (white) skates, didn't help. He really tried, he really did.

All right, what is it? A French conspiracy? I bet if you shout "Ovechkin!" to Brodeur or Dennis while they are sleeping, you'll get automatic glove hand jerk reaction and a murmur "Keep the glove high on Ovechkin, keep the glove high on Ovechkin..."

Vinny got 5 goals in the last two games and is ahead of Ovechkin in goals scored. I am telling you, man, definitely French conspiracy.

I don't remember where I read it, it was last year. Caps lost bad, maybe to Crosby's Pens, everybody was gone, the lights were dimmed. Only Alex was there, riding on a stationary bike. At that time there was a slim chance he would win rookie of the year... and he did. All we've learned from Alex in his short career in NHL is to expect the unexpected.

Today there's no team practice. And I hope Alex is riding the stationary bike.

The shark is getting hungry... da-duh, da-duh, da-duh...



DVDs on sale

Ovechkin's V10.0 hockey gear

from en.CCMsports.com

Here's the new Alex skate (This is what the doctor ordered for Foppa long time ago)



hockey gear

A lot of guys buy Vector sticks because Ovechkin is using them. Well, Lecavalier is using them as well and right now they both leading the NHL in goals. (Why do I have a sudden urge to get V10.0 stick? :-)

CCM V10.0 catapult stick

Malkin blames Ovechkin, Cherry blames both

Don Cherry, in his Nation's address, ripped Ovechkin and Malkin. What for? In good ol' times hockey players hated each other, at least before the game. Now they are smiling! That's the intensity now.

Well, just imagine it's still lockout and Moscow Dynamo Iginla and Omsk Avanguard Lecavalier would talk like that somewhere in Siberia before the game. Nah...

This kinda funny, I orginally deleted the interview below because it was not much about Ovechkin. It was posted maybe for a few hours. Guess what? It was already cashed by Google robots. I recovered it from Google search! It is really true that nothing ever goes away once it was published on internet.

from sovsport.ru

According to Sovsport correspondent, instead of waiting on Malkin to learn English, Pens players are learning Russian. Malkin and Gonchar are teaching Pens profanity in Russian. The journalist couldn't believe what he heard from Pens players, except of course, Sid The Kid.

This interview was taken after Pens - Flyers game where Crosby scored for the team in shootout (excerpt).

Q.: Crosby was 'quieter than the water and lower than the grass'. Is he sick?

A.: No, he is just plain tired. Half of the season is behind us, maybe he doesn't have much energy left. Or maybe he was saving it for shootouts where he gave us a win.

Q.: Your ice time was more than 20 minutes, and you too played half of a season. How do you feel yourself?

A.: I am tired too. We play every other day in general. It is not enough to recover, that's why it is harder to play with each day. Now all the teams give what they can, that it turn makes every game even more intense.

Q.: At the All Stars in Dallas you said that it would be definitely hard to come back after that celebration. How was it?

A.: It was bad and that's why I started badly. I wish we wouldn't have this break at all (smiles). I met my friends and they weakened me. Yes, yes, write it, it was Ovechkin and Radulov who made me struggle after All Star break.

(Translated with the help of Babelfish translations)

click for source



Oh yeah, in case you missed it... Here's Shanny's birthday cake served by Crosby and Ovechkin at All Star event on Jan. 24, 2007 (Courtesy MSG)

Ovechkin: "I wanted that cake in the Shanny's face, but Crosby said no...".

Ovechkin!

from Washington Post, Thursday, January 25, 2007

On Tuesday, Ovechkin and Crosby taped a commercial for the NHL. In the spot, Ovechkin orders three pizzas, five orders of french fries, four lobsters and six colas, all to be delivered to Crosby's hotel room while claiming to be the Penguin. When a surprised Crosby opens his door and sees the spread, he exclaims,

Ovechkin!

Also featured are Joe Thornton, Marty Turco and others...

Ovechkin watch

from Washington Times

Normally sporting shaggy and somewhat untamed hair, Ovechkin showed up at the arena with a neatly cropped look and hair that is significantly shorter than normal.

Another prominent area sports personality who wore the same number, former Orioles great and new member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Cal Ripken, was in the building. Ripken's children are fans of Ovechkin and the family met him after the game.

from On Frozen Blog

Ovechkin again looked like he had some puck-control problems. This is certainly not a call for panic or a weather report that the sky is falling, but the roll of the puck as he went to the backhand (as called by Locker) seems like something that wouldn’t happen last season.

from TSN.CA

POS Name               TM GP  G A PTS +/- 
 1 Alexander Ovechkin WAS 57 34 38 72 -12 
 2 Vincent Lecavalier TAM 56 34 36 70   2
 3 Marian Hossa       ATL 58 33 39 72  10
...
21 Sidney Crosby      PIT 52 25 62 87  13

AO, let's go...

Do you really need Brashear (or enforcer in general)?

The Penguins, in fact, have taken their own share of heat for not featuring a full-time enforcer to protect Sid the Kid at all times.

Do you think having Brashear in their roster would prevent Habs player butt-ending Crosby? Or would it prevent him to receive high stick in the face? Last year, when Pens had Roy as their tough guy, Sid lost several teeth. This year without Roy he still didn't lose a sinlge tooth. Butt-end? Yeah, it hurts, but can you compare it to teeth loss?

Last time Caps and Rangers played, Brashear had a fight with Colton Orr and then with Shanahan. Of course everyone expects the fight between Orr and Brash tonight. That makes it fun to watch and exciting, no question about it. The question however is about having an enforcer on your roster. Does it really protect your star player?

Let's see... Last season, when Brash was not on Caps roster, Ovechkin was speared by a Pens player. This season it was Briere who speared him.

Did someone cross-checked AO in the face last season? No. This season Colton Orr did and it looked very scary, just like cross-check in a jaw by Suter that almost ended Paul Kariya's career. If it wouldn't be Brash roughing Jagr a bit, I dare to say there wouldn't be any cross-check from Orr. You do it to my star player, I'll do it to your star player.

Did someone punch AO last season? No. This season Gaustad did.

Now do you expect Brash to go and punch Gaustad and Briere into pulp? Doubt it. Maybe he'll do some damage to Orr, which is unlikely, but what it has to do with protecting Ovechkin? Orr can brush it off and make a meaner run on Ovechkin.

Do you remember Kasparaitis and Lindros saga? They were fighting each other on the national level and in the NHL. Lindros dropped them a couple of times of teach Kasparaitis a lesson, it didn't stop Kasparaitis to land a clean hit that basically ended Lindros career (yeah, he is still playing, but in what capacity)?

So having Brash in the roster is merely a bragging rights for Caps fans. On Briere incident every time the Sabres fans would open a mouth about revenge, it would be shut up by Caps fans politely reminding to them that our tough guy can beat your tough guy.

That's it.

Hockey Fights

Alexander Ovechkin Google Search Trends

...or hockey popularity in US and other regions

The hidden side of Sid

from the pressbox (cbc.ca)

They will be linked together until their NHL careers end, the two best players from the greatest rookie class in the sport’s history – the two players the league is trying to rebuild itself around.

They are Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.

Both are great, great players. Both badly want to win, to revive teams that were almost helpless when they arrived. Both are very intelligent, thoughtful people who are wise beyond their years. Both are very likeable.

...Ovechkin also didn’t shy away from one of the few lowlights of his career, the 2005 World Junior loss to Canada. He was bothered by the fact that people said he wasn’t really injured in that game, since he missed almost three months afterwards. As he watched video of himself crying during the medal presentation, his smile faded for the only time during the interview: "This is not a good memory for me."

There is no hiding his emotions. He puts himself out there for you to see.

Crosby is different.

click for more


This article definitely went unnoticed (thanks to Octopi at Caps forum.). I've searched Kukla's site that I usually read and couldn't find a trace... To my dismay I have no idea what had happened at 2005 World Juniors. Unlike spoiled Canadians all I've got is NHL Center Ice. If someone could enlighten me, I'd appreciate it.

Dynamic Duos of Eastern Conference

NHL Goal Leaders

   Name                TM  GP  G  A PTS +/-
 1 Vincent Lecavalier  TAM 55 34 36 70   4
 2 Alexander Ovechkin  WAS 56 33 38 71 -11
 3 Marian Hossa        ATL 57 33 38 71  10
 4 Martin St. Louis    TAM 55 32 40 72   3
 5 Dany Heatley        OTT 56 32 36 68  22
 6 Teemu Selanne       ANA 55 32 31 63  19
 7 Ilya Kovalchuk      ATL 57 31 27 58   0
 8 Chris Drury         BUF 55 30 23 53   7
 9 Alexander Frolov    LOS 57 29 27 56  -3
10 Alexander Semin     WAS 52 29 24 53  -3
11 Patrick Marleau     SJS 55 28 34 62  11
12 Thomas Vanek        BUF 56 28 26 54  28
13 Justin Williams     CAR 57 28 25 53  -5
14 Brendan Shanahan    NYR 54 27 24 51  -6
15 Jason Blake         NYI 55 27 20 47   0
16 Ryan Smyth          EDM 44 27 18 45   5
17 Evgeni Malkin       PIT 50 26 33 59   3
18 Glen Murray         BOS 52 26 17 43 -10
19 Simon Gagne         PHI 54 26 15 41 -10
20 Sidney Crosby       PIT 51 25 61 86  13

                                                 All eastern conference
Dynamic Duos  TM  GP  G   A PTS +/-   TM place   
1 Lecavalier TAM 55 34  36  70   4   7
  St. Louis  TAM 55 32  40  72   3
                110 64  76 142   7

2 Hossa      ATL 57 33  38  71  10   3
  Kovalchuk  ATL 57 31  27  58   0
                124 64  65 129  10

3 Ovechkin   WAS 56 33  38  71 -11  13
  Semin      WAS 52 29  24  53  -3
                108 62  62 124 -14 

4 Drury      BUF 55 30  23  53   7   1
  Vanek      BUF 56 28  26  54  28
                111 58  49 107  35

5 Malkin     PIT 50 26  33  59   3   4
  Crosby     PIT 51 25  61  86  13
                101 51  94 145  16

Google's better

Always nice to see this video again, not to mention a better Google's quality

The notion that Canadian hockey has more heart than everyone else is a fairy tale.

from FOX Sports Blogs

Not to take away anything from Sidney Crosby because Sid the Kid is a phenomenal hockey player. The best hockey player in the world today is Alexander Ovechkin. He has turned some very ordinary players into respectable players. Meanwhile Sid has capable guys like Malkin, Recchi and others.

I have a hard time saying this because I wish there was no truth to this but its hard not to shake off: hockey media is not prepare to crown a non-Canadian the best hockey player in the world. They couldn't do it for Jagr or Forsberg and they aren't doing it for Ovechkin right now.

We've been told over and over that Canada hockey has more talent, heart and grit over every other country. All of that is bullcrap and not true. If you watch Ovechkin play you'll see his passion, desire and fire he brings every game.

The notion that Canadian hockey has more heart than everyone else is a fairy tale.

click for source


You gotta post it when it comes from Canadian :-)

Mr. Crosby is being treated with velvet gloves

from ESPN

...Compared to the abuse Bobby Orr and Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy dealt with over the course of their splendid careers, young Mr. Crosby is being treated with velvet gloves.

...He's incredibly strong on his skates, can take a hit, and, if necessary, give one out. He's also a decent diver, which means enemy players have to be careful about giving him a rough ride in case he decides to deliver the half gainer and send them to the penalty box.

Some point to the fact Crosby was recently poked in the abdomen by Jason Blake of the Islanders and butt ended by Maxim Lapierre of the Canadiens as evidence of a need for protection.

Well, you'd be an absolute fool to believe none of the players who fancy themselves as "agitators" would be bothered by the presence of some big galoot in the Pittsburgh lineup, who almost certainly would not be on the ice with Crosby. The Pens, after all, have a couple of those types in their lineup (Jarkko Ruutu and Ronald Petrovicky). Last time I looked, Ruutu had absorbed more shots to the chops than Chuck Wepner and was still smiling that infuriating smile.

Ladies and gentlemen, hockey's a physical game, and until they put quarterbacks' red practice shirts on players with more than a point-per-game average, the skill players are going to get hit, and being skill players, they're not going to like it.

click for more

Benefits to not playing in a hockey town

from Washington Times,

Not only was Brunell in the house, but Caps owner Ted Leonsis took him down into the locker room after the loss. Brunell met Ovechkin and told him, "You played well tonight. Good job."

I thought Ovechkin was going to throw up on Brunell's shoes when he said that.

"Today was my terrible game in my whole career here," Ovechkin said. "It was my fault when it was 2-1 and I have penalty, so it was my fault we lose game."

The scene gave a glimpse of Ovechkin's expectations and his tolerance for failure. The expectations are high, the tolerance low. That, perhaps more than anything else, is why the Caps continue to show progress toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender. The NHL's biggest star clearly isn't going to accept losing for very long.

As Ovechkin was leaving Verizon Center with his family Tuesday night, a security guard operating the elevator smiled and said, "Good game, man."

There are benefits to not playing in a hockey town. You play the worst game of your career and almost no one notices.

click for more

As someone said about Stevie Yzerman, "When he came to Detroit, they were Dead Things, when he retired, it was hockey town..."

Slow... Speed Kills...

Excerpt of interview with Alex from ESPN the magazine,

Q.: Who picked your number?
A.: Me. My mom wore 8 when she played basketball.
Q.: How good was she?
A.: She was captain of the Russian national team and a two-time Olympic champion. She was the best playmaker in the world.
Q.: So what NBA player would she be?
A.: Michael Jordan.
Q.: Your mom was the Michael Jordan of Russia?
A.: Yeah.

Q.: How fast have you had your BMW up to?
A.: Very fast-180 mph.
Q.: Where did you do that?
A.: On the way to the airport. No policemen. I drive fast, but not the max.
Q.: You're like Michael Schumacher there.
A.: Probably better than him.

Can someone please call Michael Jordan of Russia before it's too late?
I believe she's the only authority Alex can still listen too.

And I also hope that he was kidding about 180mph just like he did about 5 beers before the game.

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom

Boy, Alex hit maybe all time low with 3 games without a point.

- Chara shut him down and Alex had only 2 shots on goal.

- Bruins made it even because Alex was in the penalty box.

- Hanlon didn't play him in the final seconds of the game.

- Alex couldn't score in shootout.

Oh, and how I could forget this...

- Alex took a slapshot off the helmet from the guy who just won the NHL All Star slapshot competition.

100+ mph flying puck in the head from Chara? Why? What did I do wrong, my Lord?

What else?

The wolfpack has closed on Alex the Grrrrrrrrrrr8.

Lecavalier scored the goal and is a new NHL goal leader with 34 goals. Crosby had his usual, 2pts and french fries.
Briere had 2g, Drury had 1a, Kovalchuk has 31 goals now, Hossa had an assist.

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. Yeah, yeah, yeah... Hopefully it was the bottom.

Ok, what can be done?

5. change roommate Semin to roommate Fehr
4. change black skates back to white ones
3. change yellow shoe laces to blue ones
2. get 5 shots of vodka before the game instead of usual 5 beers

and finally...
1. start scoring again, dammit

Name                   TM GP  G  A PTS +/-
 1 Vincent Lecavalier TAM 55 34 36 70   4 
 2 Alexander Ovechkin WAS 55 33 37 70 -14 
 3 Martin St. Louis   TAM 55 32 40 72   3
 4 Dany Heatley       OTT 54 31 36 67  20
 5 Marian Hossa       ATL 56 31 36 67   6
 6 Teemu Selanne      ANA 54 31 31 62  19
 7 Ilya Kovalchuk     ATL 56 31 26 57  -1
 8 Chris Drury        BUF 54 30 23 53   7
 9 Alexander Semin    WAS 51 29 24 53  -3
10 Patrick Marleau    SJS 54 28 34 62  12
11 Alexander Frolov   LOS 56 28 27 55  -3
12 Brendan Shanahan   NYR 54 27 24 51  -6
13 Justin Williams    CAR 56 27 23 50  -5
14 Jason Blake        NYI 53 27 20 47   2
15 Ryan Smyth         EDM 44 27 18 45   5
16 Evgeni Malkin      PIT 49 26 33 59   3
17 Thomas Vanek       BUF 55 26 26 52  26
18 Glen Murray        BOS 51 26 17 43  -9
19 Sidney Crosby      PIT 50 25 61 86  13

Reader's digest

Going thru Caps forum on Jurcina: (Score:5, Informative)

+  He owned Crosby with a slick pokecheck in the Pens game.
+  He's played extremely solid hockey.
+  I believe Jurcina is a legitamate long-term answer to our defense.
+  Boston traded him cheap to dump salary for Stuart.
    You'll see their firesale begin soon more than likely,
    this was just the start of it.
-  Nycholat too stared out hot and cooled of quickly.


On Sean Hill and Alex Semin: (Score:5, Funny)

Dear Sean Hill, I got your number b!tch. Sincerely, Alexander Semin

Dear Sean Hill, Do that again , & I'll hit you with my purse. Sincerely Donald Brashear

Alex's New Skates

Alex's new black skates didn't help, he was shut out again. Meanwhile Crosby got two more assists, but got carried away and as a result Habs went 3 on 1 and scored in OT.

Name                    TM   GP   G   A   PTS   
Alexander Ovechkin      WAS  54  33  37  70  
Vincent Lecavalier      TAM  54  33  36  69  
Martin St. Louis        TAM  54  32  40  72  
Dany Heatley            OTT  54  31  36  67 
Marian Hossa            ATL  55  31  35  66 
Teemu Selanne           ANA  53  31  31  62 
Ilya Kovalchuk          ATL  55  30  26  56 
Chris Drury             BUF  53  30  22  52 
Alexander Semin         WAS  50  29  24  53  
Alexander Frolov        LOS  55  28  27  55  
Patrick Marleau         SJS  53  27  31  58  
Jason Blake             NYI  53  27  20  47 
Ryan Smyth              EDM  43  27  18  45 
Brendan Shanahan        NYR  52  26  24  50  
Justin Williams         CAR  55  26  23  49  
Glen Murray             BOS  51  26  17  43 
Sidney Crosby           PIT  49  25  59  84 

New Sprint Center Arena in Kansas City

Kansas City has a long hockey tradition starting with Kansas City Scouts. And the future looks bright for Kansas City Penguins as well.
New generation of fans are welcoming young hockey stars Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury.
KC fans dressed in hockey jerseys flocked to new Sprint Center Arena to become first season ticket holders for KC Penguins. Surprisingly enough there were more Malkins in downtown Kansas City than in downtown Magnitogorsk or Pittsburgh.

Feb. 3, 2007 Games to Follow

Before the game.

Good play by Milan Jurcina No. 23. Crosby was almost one on one when Milan poke checked the puck away. Crosby got 0 goals and 0 assists in this game.


7:40 1st period. Ovechkin's clean hit on Talbot.
Same 12 pts still separate Sid and Alex. Malkin got 1 A. Ovechkin's scoring streak ended.

POS Name              TM  GP  G  A PTS

Washington - Pittsburgh 1:00 PM ET 0:2
LW Alexander Ovechkin WAS 53 33 37 70 
LW Alexander Semin    WAS 49 29 24 53 
C Sidney Crosby       PIT 48 25 57 82 
C/W Evgeni Malkin     PIT 47 25 31 56 

Toronto - Ottawa 7:00 PM ET
RW/LW Dany Heatley    OTT 53 31 36 67 


Philadelphia - Atlanta 7:00 PM ET
RW Marian Hossa       ATL 54 31 35 66 
LW Ilya Kovalchuk     ATL 55 30 26 56 

Kovalchuk got 1G (30g).

Buffalo - New Jersey 7:30 PM ET
C Chris Drury         BUF 53 30 22 52 

Drury got 1G (30g).

NY Rangers - Tampa Bay 7:30 PM ET
RW Martin St. Louis   TAM 53 32 39 71 
C Vincent Lecavalier  TAM 54 33 36 69

Martin St. Louis got 1A (39a)
Vinny tied Ovechkin 1G (33g)

Anaheim - Nashville 8:00 PM ET
RW Teemu Selanne      ANA 52 31 31 62 

Canadian Archaeologists Discover Remains of Ancient Shoulder Pads

Gaud, if you read my blog, you know who I like, Canadian TV hockey commentators. Tonight they came up with a story about the oldest hockey player and his shoulder pads. Bob Suter, father of Ryan Suter, hand made these
shoulder pads for Chelios in 1981. Ovechkin was not born yet. Nick Lidstrom, yes, he is a Swedish machine that never breaks too, was 11. By the way, coincidentally enough Nick has 11 hits this season.

How many hits Chelios got this season? 30.

Greek machine never breaks.


Ouch, it's gonna hurt.
Lapierre butt-ends Ovechkin's buddy Crosby into the stomack (Yesterday's Habs-Pens game).

And Hasek, Chelios pal since Chicago, gets plastered in Blues - Red Wings game tonight.

AlexTheGr8 said it

During Thursday's practice Ovechkin also wasn't showing any effects from a slapshot on the leg that left him crumpled on the ice in Denver. "It's OK," he said. "Russian machine. It never breaks."

Come on let's twist again, like we did last season

Tarik's blog:

For me, the fact that the Caps aren't challenging Philadelphia for futility is nothing short of amazing.

We all know the answer to that: Alex Ovechkin. Without Ovechkin Caps wouldn't exist on the map, without him they'd sink, without him the seats on the road would be empty. Let's appreciate that.

"First, a Monarch Butterfly from Canada somehow shows up in England. Now this.
An exotic, exciting, never-before-seen-here species was sighted yesterday in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Witnesses in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver, were initially confounded by the subject's sudden appearance, but investigators were able to identify him as Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals."

The reality is that with AHL defense that Caps have now, you've got the car combined with Porsche front and John Deere rear.

Getting burned on Jagr deal doesn't justify you to leave your fans and best NHL player in half Porsche, half John Deere truck. It is a nature of a business you are in. You are in high risk, high profile business. Don't like it? Sell the team and get out of sunlight. I know you won't do it, will you?

Washington, D.C.: Ted's reign as owner of the Capitals has been a lesson in futility - no playoff series wins in nine years and counting. Even worse, Ted claims to have lost millions of dollars on his investment. At what point does Ted give up, sell the team, and move on to a different sand box? Tarik El-Bashir: I don't see Ted selling the Capitals. He has already invested so much in them, he's pretty much past the cut-your-losses window of opportunity to get out. If what he's been telling us is the truth -- and I've got no reason to believe otherwise because he a pretty genuine guy -- he's in this for the long haul. His goal is to someday own everything -- the Caps, the Wizards, Verizon and the Mystics. (Above is online chat with Washington Post staff writer Tarik El-Bashir. According to Tarik, I was right :-)

After all, getting burned on Jagr deal was a blessing in disguise, you got Ovechkin.

I am glad that Capitals GM George McPhee finally made a trade. Any time you snatch the member of Slovakia national team, it's a winner. It's a poor man's Chara, but it's still mentioning of Chara's name! :-) He's young, he is big.

My point to George, good job, but don't you think it's too little, too late? Just one week earlier could keep Caps as contenders for playoffs. The glass is half empty, not half full :-), you've got a lot of space under the cap, but it's gotta be filled in synch with playoff race.

Unfortunately the trade is late, the playoffs are most likely out of question.

We, and I am saying it on behalf of all hockey fans all over the world, not just Washington Caps, got screwed.

No Ovechkin in playoffs, no good for hockey in general.

But don't let depression to take over.

Come along with me and let's watch Alex chasing Sid and edging him like he did last season. He and Crosby are simply doing no less than saving the league, as someone said. And they are doing their part.

Come on let's twist again, there is always next year.

   Name                 TM  GP  G  A PTS
 1 Alexander Ovechkin   WAS 52 33 37 70 
 2 Martin St. Louis     TAM 53 32 38 70 
 3 Vincent Lecavalier   TAM 53 32 36 68 
 4 Dany Heatley         OTT 53 31 36 67 
 5 Marian Hossa         ATL 54 31 35 66 
 6 Teemu Selanne        ANA 52 31 31 62 
 7 Ilya Kovalchuk       ATL 54 29 26 55 
 8 Alexander Semin      WAS 48 29 24 53 
 9 Chris Drury          BUF 52 29 22 51 
10 Jason Blake          NYI 51 27 20 47 
11 Patrick Marleau      SJS 52 26 31 57 
12 Alexander Frolov     LOS 54 26 25 51 
13 Justin Williams      CAR 54 26 23 49 
14 Brendan Shanahan     NYR 51 26 23 49 
15 Ryan Smyth           EDM 42 26 17 43 
16 Sidney Crosby        PIT 47 25 57 82 

Yeah round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again...

Thu. Feb. 1, 2007 Results

Chris Clark reaches and pokes the puck to score the goal

Drury scored two goals (29) and Briere got 2 assists.

Lecavalier gets goal(32g) and assist. Same for St. Louis. Damn.

Blake gets a goal (27g).


Ovie just scored (33g)! Yeah, baby!

He shoots...


And he scores!

Alex got 1g 1a and his scoring streak is extended to 13 games.
Crosby got 3 assists. Damn.

Still ATG (AlexTheGr8) is sitting on top of the world

   Name                 TM  GP  G  A PTS
 1 Alexander Ovechkin   WAS 52 33 37 70 
 2 Martin St. Louis     TAM 53 32 38 70 
 3 Vincent Lecavalier   TAM 53 32 36 68 
 4 Dany Heatley         OTT 53 31 36 67 
 5 Marian Hossa         ATL 54 31 35 66 
 6 Teemu Selanne        ANA 52 31 31 62 
 7 Ilya Kovalchuk       ATL 54 29 26 55 
 8 Alexander Semin      WAS 48 29 24 53 
 9 Chris Drury          BUF 52 29 22 51 
10 Jason Blake          NYI 51 27 20 47 
11 Patrick Marleau      SJS 52 26 31 57 
12 Alexander Frolov     LOS 54 26 25 51 
13 Justin Williams      CAR 54 26 23 49 
14 Brendan Shanahan     NYR 51 26 23 49 
15 Ryan Smyth           EDM 42 26 17 43 
16 Sidney Crosby        PIT 47 25 57 82 

Milan Jurcina. Finally a trade to help Caps d-men

Eric Godard vs. Milan Jurcina

Hockey Fights

A scouting report from Official 2005 Bruins Thread

Milan Jurcina:

This guy doesn't have Stuart's mobility and stellar play in the defensive end, but he is more mobile than Gill or Leach. Seems like an all around solid player who is ready for the NHL. Not known as a physical player, but he made a couple of good hits in this game.

In the first period, he pinched down to the half boards and drilled
Eric Godard as he tried to clear the puck. Godard went after him - picking up an instigator penalty and misconduct in the process - and they fought. Jurcina gave as good as he got, and the Bruins had a power play. Later in the game he crushed someone trying to go around him into the boards and got into another scrap.

As someone mentioned "the best fighter in the NHL today, by far, is Derrek Boogaard of the Minnesota Wild. Even God wouldn't square off with Derek".

Guess what? Boogaard was hurt in a rousing scrap with Flames call-up Eric Godard

So there! Jurcina fought Eric Godard. Eric Godard beat up Derek Boogaard. Do the math! :-)

A big, sturdy defenseman at 6’4 233 lbs, Jurcina is more of a stay at home defenseman, though he does have a rocket of a shot and some offensive instinct. His play was impressive enough to earn a spot on Team Slovakia in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Team Slovakia remained unbeaten (they beat Ovechkin and team Russia) only to lose to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal match, and Jurcina finished with an assist and eight penalty minutes in six games.

In Washington, Jurcina will be reunited with fellow blueliner Shaone Morrisonn. The pair played together for the P-Bruins during the 2003-2004 season.

Thu Feb 1, 2007 Games and Players to Watch

All right, Alex Ovechkin is on top of the world with 32 goals leading the NHL.

It's tough to be lonely at the top (It's lonely at the top; but you do eat better), and the wolfpack is closing on you.

Here are the games and players to watch tonight:


Sabres - Bruins
Drury (27g, 49pts)

Lightning - Hurricanes
St. Louis (31g, 68pts)
Lecavalier (31g, 66 pts)

Islanders - Thrashers
Blake (26g, 46pts)
Hossa (31g, 66pts)
Kovalchuk (29g, 55pts)

Canadiens - Penguins
Crosby (25g, 79pts)

Capitals - Panthers
Ovechkin (32g, 69pts)
Semin (29g, 51pts)

Crosby usually plays well against Habs.

Eddie The Eagle has the scouting report on Ovechkin and Semin: "Keep you glove high". He did it last game, so maybe Alex@Alex should surprise him a bit this time.

We'll see.

It was almost a year ago today...

Tatiana Ovechkina is two times Olympic gold medalist. She is now the President and Head Coach of Dynamo Moscow women's basketball team.

Sport-Express Feb. 24, 2006

It seems that if you went through the hardship of Olympic Games and felt the weight of Olympic gold medal on your neck yourself, it would be easy to understand your son doing the same to get his own Olympic medal.

To understand, yes, but to survive it? The Olympic gold medalist Tatiana Ovechkina could not even finish watching the quarterfinals of Olympic hockey tournament where her son Alexander became a national team hero. So great were her emotions that, by her own acknowledgment, Tatiana Nikolaevna barely survived a real nervous breakdown.

Alex Ovechkin's Mom recalls the smallest details of that historical for her family (and even for the whole country) day.

"I watched the game at home first and then at the country house (dacha). The day before we flew back from Samara where Moscow Dynamo played a game of the European basketball league. And the next team practice was on the same day the team Russia played team Canada...

In the afternoon my husband and my other son Mikhail went to dacha. They decided to watch and record the game there, but I decided to stay and watch the game at home because I needed to rest for the next morning team’s practice.

And here goes the first period. All of a sudden I felt very sick. When the second period started I felt even worse. I simply started to shake! You see, I know very well what it is when you play at Olympics, and I felt as if it was déjà vu all over again. I realized that in this condition I shouldn't stay alone anymore.

I called the chauffeur and said, "Listen, you’ve got to take me to the dacha". He replied "What dacha?! The third period is going on right now!"

I said, "No, I can't stay here alone, I am sick, it is bad!" And he drove me to the dacha.

When I was in the car I was thinking "Would be nice if they'd score now! Would be nice if HE would score..."

And this is when the calls started coming, "Sashka! ...He scored!!!"

it was a real nervous stress-wise breakdown for me. Later we watched the entire game again, discussed it.

I felt better, but I still couldn't make it to the team's practice next morning."

(Translated with the help of Alta Vista Babel Fish translations)