Boudreau: Ovechkin's more alive, looks quicker and sharper (update)
Starts @01:10.
Don't know who asked the question, but in the question he said, "Alex said today that he feels fresher, lighter (though he has the same weight), than in February of last year."
Update:Well, it was Dan Rosen, NHL.com Senior Writer, who asked that question:
ARLINGTON, Va. -- There's a reason Alex Ovechkin says he feels fresher and lighter heading into the stretch run of this season compared to last season. It might be due to a conscious decision he made in the fall.
Ovechkin wouldn't come out and say it directly, but he hinted after Monday's practice that he made sure to keep some energy in his tank for the post All-Star break drive to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That's not to say he wasn't playing hard and trying to be his best in the first 50 games of the season, but Ovechkin is consciously aware of what's important for him and the Capitals now that he's deep into his sixth NHL season.
It's no longer about personal statistics and individual awards.
"Of course I want to be on top, and of course I want to do my best, but the most important thing is to be in the playoffs and do what Chicago did when they won the Stanley Cup," Ovechkin told NHL.com.
Ovechkin said his weight hasn't changed, but he feels lighter and thinks it's translating into better shifts and more scoring chances. He doesn't believe it has anything to do with the new trainer he used this past summer.
"My conditioning is good getting closer to the playoffs and that's the most important thing," Ovechkin said. "That's where I want to be right now, in this kind of situation, what I'm feeling right now, how I feel right now."
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Let me pause for a moment while I catch my breath.
Yes, Ovie does look more alive, quicker and sharper. Coach BB mentions no Olympics as part of the reason, and I believe it too in terms of preparation and the enormous pressure Ovie must have felt. IMO the disappointment of the Olympics has taken a long time for Ovie to overcome, and perhaps he's "lighter" because the mental and psychological burden of representing Russia is not there anymore. I think there are other reasons for how much better he looks and is playing. IMO concentrating and focusing on just playing hockey without all the additional pressure has made a huge difference in his game.
And now, for perhaps the first time since early October, I really feel I can truly believe in Ovie and the Caps again. Like most fans, I was frustrated through the awful 8 game losing streak, frustrated at their inconsistency and lack of offensive production. Now, I feel "lighter" too, like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I am relieved and much more confident after the Caps last 2 games vs. the Bolts and Pens that they are finally back on track and are peaking at just the right time to prepare for the playoffs.
He looks better lately, but I'm not buying the reasons. Whether he made a decision to hold back during the first half of the season he certainly looked frustrated about his production and quality of play during that span.
Nor do I believe his off-season trainer was good for him. He looked out of shape during preseason and the months following. He has never looked that bad at the start of a season before.
If there is a change, I think it is mostly mental. I agree with BobbyG about the toll the Olympics took on him and the other distractions he has been dealing with this year took his mind away from just playing.
Anyone else think that the reason why he is looking a little quicker, and a little more upbeat, these days is because he ditched some emotional baggage...or a certain skinny model? :)
Is she really gone? maybe it would be better for Ovie, who knows..? i think - yes. But, i really want him to win, and go to playoffs!!!!
@Anon,
They are still together, but she is visiting family in Russia for 3 weeks.
I think she is a distraction because they are constantly texting each other and he is always sending her things. Seems more like a teenaged relationship than a mature adult one.
Oh, and two other things:
Going on vacation during NY Fashion Week = NOT GOOD
Losing weight when you're already a toothpick = BAD BAD BAD and ICK
I don't know if they are still together - haven't seen her at VC in ages, and she wasn't at Casino Night (a night when a lot of other young guys did bring a gf).
I'm not sure they're still together either. Read her recent tweets and posts on a site where someone can ask her questions. She says she and Ovie aren't dating, they're just friends. She says she is in a new relationship with a new boyfriend. Even as far back as last summer she posted on Facebook that just because she and Ovie were photographed together a lot doesn't mean they are boyfriend/girlfriend. I get the impression Ovie was more into an exclusive serious relationship than she ever was. There's a lot more I can add, but I'll leave it at that.
BobbyG,
If so, then that is a good thing. Ovie doesn't need time-consuming distractions with the way he and the team are performing this season (unless it's with Greenie's sports shrink).
I saw her a few weeks ago at VC chatting with Ovie's brother.
What she says on some of her social network sites can be misleading, so it is sometimes difficult to filter fact from evasion from song quotes.
Before I go I'll add these recent VS tweets:
Jan 6th: If someone expect from me more than I can give its not my problem but his fault
Jan 7th: Got my swag back! Wow lately I've been out of my mind(last few month) but guess what!!!? Valeria is back!!!
Jan 18th: Ridin Round Tha City Wit Some Brand New Heat
Jan 19th: Sometimes u afraid to make a move but once u do God award u for ur boldness!
Jan 19th: And once u cut some ppl off ur life u meet new who bring happiness! So HAPPY baby!
Jan 20th: Better to be hated for who u are than to be loved for what u are not.
There's more tweets where she makes lovey-dovey talk about being with her boyfriend, at the same time Ovie is on a road trip. Draw any conclusions you want. I suppose it's possible all the tweets are phony and she's just trying to confuse, in which case Ovie has an even bigger problem.
@O: how recently was she at Verizon Center? There has been talk the relationship was having big problems from early November when she moved to NYC. Then she spent lots of time in Miami too. I don't doubt she says confusing and contradictory things on social network sites. I suppose she just isn't very credible, which calls into question what exactly about her appeals to Ovie, besides the obvious of course.
Well that explains Ovi's patchy plays but what about the other guys? What's their excuse, we can't blame it all on one chick :-)
@bwitch16: I suggest reading On Frozen Blog's thread today--"Time for a Change in Culture." You will find there anything and everything about "entitlement" and "coddling" to possibly explain what's wrong with the Caps this season. And let's not forget, Ovie is the team captain, he WANTED the captaincy, and his teammates unanimously picked him. As he goes, so goes the rest of the team. The OFB piece suggests the how and why the Caps are in the situation they're in now. Some of the comments are especially enlightening--and disturbing and disappointing.
@BobbyG: Thanks, I read it and I'm not sure I agree, but some of it might have some merit. I really don't see punishing grown men like children as means of making anything better. Maybe BB is the one who needs to be punished....
@bwitch16: I don't think punishing grown men is the answer either. Still, IMO there does seem to be a huge void of leadership and accountability on this year's Caps team. I watched the LA Kings game live and also recorded it to review plays. After LA went up 4-1, BB called time out and verbally lashed out at the players. No one was listening or appeared interested IMO. And that disinterest IMO has been the emblem for the Caps too often this season.
@bwitch16: for more about accountability, see also Tarik el-Bashir's piece for Capitals Insider after the Caps loss to the Kings:
"Coach Bruce Boudreau called a timeout late in the third period and challenged the bench during a profanity-laced tirade. He sprinkled words like "pride," "passion" and "emotion" between others that can't be repeated on a family newspaper's blog.
"Boudreau didn't name names after the game. But it didn't take much imagination to figure out that he was referring to the Young Guns when he said, "It's our top guys. When you're scoring one goal a game, one-and-a-half goals a game, that has nothing to do with the system, no matter what anyone is thinking out there. It's because you're not paying the price to do the little things to get goals."
"Indeed, a skill-laden roster captained by Alex Ovechkin and boasting names such as Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Alexander Semin shouldn't have the 19th ranked offense or 20th best power play. Nor should it trail in the Southeast Division by five points or sit tied with injury-plagued Montreal for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. And it definitely shouldn't get humbled by a middle-of-the-pack, Western Conference opponent playing almost 3,000 miles -- and three times zones -- from home.
"Unacceptable. But not a complete shock, either. The Capitals' best players have underachieved dating to the team's first-round loss to the Habs last April."
It pains me to say this, but IMO it's about time BB grew a sack and stopped playing favorites with certain players. Call them out, name names, make them publicly accountable, and too f******g bad if they get angry. Maybe they will finally wake up and perform the way they are capable of.
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