Zamboni Day

The Washington Post video of event...


Sergeio24 @ YouTube, September 09, 2009:

Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Russian National Team visited the NHL store in New York City on 9/9/09 for the pre-release of NHL2K10 of which he dons the cover. Ovechkin arrived on a zamboni decked out with the cover. For more news on Ovechkin and Russians in the NHL check out http://www.fromrussiawithglove.com/

Ovi for President!



Another YouTube video of Ovi's ride

WashCaps @ twitter send a barrage of tweets about Wednesday's Ovi day in NY, thanks!

I forgot who WashCaps is, is it Nate?





Video of a ride


Video of Ovi on the ice. Boy, his shot is just scary, like firing from howitzer. According to Uncle Misha, Ovechkin's Dad, they practiced in the morning at the skating facility in New Jersey.



Ovi playing 2K10


Ovi talks about the zamboni ride and playing NHL 2k10.

DC Sport Bog:

Then he put his foot down on what I assume was the gas pedal. The pedal came off, and wound up in his hand. He proudly showed it to the gathering crowd.

"I don't know, it's pretty old zamboni," he said, after finding out he was riding on an '86 model. "Twenty-two year old zamboni, are you kidding me?"

Drove like it, too. His top speed was well below that of the duck boat that cruised by on 46th.

"I can't go faster because people was in front of me," Ovechkin later told a CTV crew. "If I go fast probably I go to jail and miss my training camp."

After we finished talking, Ovechkin left the store with a police escort, and quickly attracted another mob of 40 people while he climbed into a limo.

Dan Rosen, NHL.COM:

Ovechkin, smiling the entire way down Sixth Avenue while cruising the Zamboni, was thrilled to be the center of attention here amid a large gathering of hockey fans from New York and beyond who came to see No. 8 in person.

He made a left turn from 46th Street onto Sixth Avenue and rolled down, passing the building that houses the NHL's New York offices and stopping in front of the store. Admittedly, though, the Zamboni didn't go fast enough for him.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Ovechkin said. "It's something new for me and something new for the fans. Lots of guys don't know hockey, they just see me around on a Zamboni and the police stopping the cars. It was pretty cool."

Using the Los Angeles Kings, the New York City kid beat Ovechkin, 2-0. Ovechkin, of course, was using the Capitals, but it was his first time ever playing the game and he admitted that he made some rookie mistakes.

He couldn't correct them against this gamer from NHL.com.

A year ago I used the Detroit Red Wings to go head-to-head against Columbus captain Rick Nash in NHL 2K9 and couldn't even register a shot on goal in a 1-0 loss. I went back to the well this year and again used the defending Stanley Cup champs, this time the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it worked for me against Ovechkin and his Caps.

We played two 20-minute periods and although some folks here in the NHL offices would have probably preferred I take a dive, I stood tall and knocked off Ovechkin, 3-2, outshooting him 14-7 in the process. His eight penalties helped as I scored two power-play goals.

"Too many penalties," Ovechkin said, complaining a bit during our game about some of the calls.

Ironically, both of my power play goals were scored by fellow Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin, considered to be one of Ovechkin's rivals in the League. Ovechkin, though, didn't care who scored against him, he was just disappointed that he was giving up goals.

The game, though, was fairly intense with a little trash talking going on back and forth.

Ovechkin's confidence stems from his third game of the day. He beat a writer from Deadspin, 4-1, but due to a snafu he was forced to use the Penguins instead of his Capitals. He wasn't thrilled about it, but admitted he was happy to take the victory.

"They're the Stanley Cup champs," Ovechkin said. "They have to win."

Ovechkin's 1-2 record in the game bearing his likeness couldn't spoil his afternoon in the spotlight. The only problem, he said, was that he didn't get to shake the hand of everybody that came out, but the experience is one he'll never forget.

"It's another good day to be Alex Ovechkin," No. 8 said.

More from Dan's blog...

The notes from Canes Country (are we jealous?):

Why might Washington be ripe for a fall? First of all, has any (non Cup winning team) in the history of the NHL had as much notoriety as these guys have had this offseason? Perhaps it's the media's fault, but it has been non-stop Caps news all summer long. It seems like they have gotten more attention than the Pens.

Some of the highlights:

Ovie's new tattoo, Ovie rides zamboni in NYC, Ovie featured at Russian restaurant in Manhattan, Ovie opens a clothing line in America, Ovie helping models play field hockey, Semin and Ovie partying in Russia, Ovie signs with Upper Deck, Caps to be featured on "The Real World", Green to be featured on "Cribs", Ovie enjoys sex before games, and Varlamov insults American women.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau has been working on a book.

Last but not least, defenseman Mike Green created a new website that screams, "I'm more arrogant than you!"

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