Ovechkin: NHL's scariest fighters

 By John Shipley, blogs.twincities.com, Nov. 24, 2008:

Maybe Alex Ovechkin is just the undercard in tonight’s rare Wild vs. Capitals game at Xcel Energy Center. Sure, he’s probably the best player in the NHL, but did you see Donald Brashear take on Jody Shelley on Saturday?

The two traded wicked blows in the Sharks’ 7-2 victory at HP Pavilion, with Brashear eventually sending Shelley away bloody. It’s on YouTube, check it out.

Ovechkin himself sounded ready for a rare bout between true NHL heavyweights.

“(Boogaard) is big and strong, so there’s probably going to be a big matchup between those two guys,” the reigning Hart Trophy winner said.

Asked to rank the NHL's scariest fighters, Ovechkin said, “In the league, (Georges) Laraque, Boogaard, Brash — but I think Brash is the best.”

Though he has played a lot this season, Boogaard hasn’t been challenged much. The Panthers’ Wade Belak did pretty well against him Oct. 16 in Florida, but Darcy Hordichuk didn’t last long earlier this month in Vancouver.

Certainly he hasn’t had a fight like the one between Brashear and Shelley. The two traded wicked rights straight to the face and stayed nearly still on their skates.

“I’ve seen lots of fights in the NHL, but last game against San Jose, (Brashear) just destroyed (Shelley),” Ovechkin said. “He had, like, two open hits to his face; I was like, ‘Dang, if I ever have this, I can just go down and stop playing hockey.’

“But he kept on his skates; he’s a courageous guy. He probably had a broken nose.”

Ovechkin's video interview from StarTribune.com

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