Ovechkin: I want to learn how to fight

 DC Sports Bog, Jan. 9, 2009:

"And even Ovie asks me at times, 'I want to learn how to fight.' "

Wait, huh? Alex Ovechkin wants fighting lessons, really?
"Ovie's that type of guy, always wants to take his game to another level," Brashear continued. "And he's a competitive guy, and he sees a good player that fights; well, he wants to learn how to fight so he can be better at it. He's just that type of guy. I mean, I didn't say no, but I said, 'Well, make sure you learn a few lessons before you start doing this. You need a little experience.' "

I wasn't sure how serious Brashear was being--and actually, I'm still not--but I asked him whether he's actually helping Ovechkin learn how to fight.

"Not yet," Brashear said. "We'll work on it. Might as well. Because he's stubborn, I know he'll do it anyway, so might as well."

Later, I briefly asked Ovechkin whether he was really trying to pick up fighting tips from Brashear, and he clarified, saying he wants to be prepared just in case anything happens, but that he has no intention of becoming a brawler.

"Show me how I have to do something if somebody grab me," he said he asked Brashear. "It's normal thing. I don't want to fight. I don't want to get hurt. I'm terrible fighter. Probably worse than Sasha [Semin]."

I know it's gonna happen sooner or later, and the best candidates are Malkin and Richards. So, yeah, "be prepared!"



If you look at Ovechkin's first fight vs. Richards during the exhibition game, he did really well, with many considered Richards a good fighter. In his NHL career Mike Richards has already 20(!) fights, but Ovechkin was very good defensively. None of Richards rights reached Ovechkin. That is pretty good. But practice, practice, practice... Ovie needs it.