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Ovechkin Snubs ASG Because He Doesn’t Want To Be A Distraction: Too Late

January 24, 2012 By 5 Comments

This is becoming the week of no shows.  Just yesterday, we had Tim Thomas staying away from the White House because of his non-political political beliefs.  Now, we have Alex Ovechkin bowing out of the All Star Game because he is currently suspended from the regular season for three games.

Ovechkin isn’t suspended for the All Star Game, of course.  He’s suspended for the regular season.  Ovechkin could go, but is choosing not to, because he doesn’t want to be a distraction at the ASG.

It wasn’t long ago that hockey fans were complaining that Ovechkin hadn’t earned a slot in the ASG, considering his numbers.  He has twenty goals and nineteen assists for 39 points, which aren’t bad numbers.  But they aren’t standard Alex Ovechkin numbers, unless you consider he is on pace for more goals than he had last season.

Ovechkin was quoted by the Washington Times (via Puck Daddy) as saying:

“My heart is not there. I suspended, so why I have to go there?” Ovechkin said. “I love the game; it’s great event. I’d love to be there, but I’m suspended. I don’t want to be a target. I feel I’m not deserving to be there right now. If I suspended, I have to be suspended. That’s why I give up my roster [spot].”

There is almost always something lost in translation with Ovechkin, so I don’t know if he actually means wondering why he has to go to the game, and more of why he should go to the game.

Is his point being made?  Does he actually have a point to make? The speculation and tin foil hats came out when Crosby didn’t go to the ASG because he was believed to be protesting the NHL’s stance on player safety and head shots.  The NHL eventually changed their policy on head shots, but if Crosby wanted to publicly protest head shots, he could have said so.  He could have eaten the potential fine for speaking out against the NHL, even if it wouldn’t have been a savvy PR move.

I don’t think there is much of a protest here.  Ovechkin was suspended for a reckless hit on Zbynek Michalek, and he seems to accept the suspension, unlike Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. From his blog, Ted’s Take:

I do not agree in any way with the suspension of Alex Ovechkin for 3 games. I support Alex Ovechkin. He is our bedrock player – our Captain; and he and his family know that we are always here to support him.

Well, isn’t that nice?  You support him?  You are paying him enough, you should support him, but what that has to do with his suspension is beyond me.

The problem is that the All Star Game is looking less and less star-studded right now.  There are more players bowing out and injured every day, and losing a player like Ovechkin certainly damages the luster of the game.  But the All Star Game is nothing more than a commercial for the league. A poorly produced one at that.  They need the stars to show up to make it a commercial worth watching.

But you can not tell me that the All Star Game is that important, when the league thinks this is a good idea for ASG entertainment.

Filed Under: NHL Tagged With: , ,
5 Comments

Varlamov to the Avs: Why I’m Not Worried

July 1, 2011 By

Semyon Varlamov is now an Av.  After making a lot of noise about going to the KHL, the Avs traded a first and second round pick for Varlamov, and the Capitals got out of a bind.

To Caps fans, the general sentiment on Varlamov is, don’t let the door hit you.  It reminds me of how fast the Avalanche faithful turned on Budaj after his stellar season that almost shoehorned the Avs back into the playoffs in 2006-07, after Jose Theodore (who signed a two year deal with Florida) tanked.  Then again, Budaj and his agent weren’t talking smack about the Avalanche either.

The knee-jerk reaction on twitter (which is where I go for my calm and well thought out analysis) is that the Avalanche overspent by a country mile on this deal.  A first and a second is a lot to give up for what was essentially negotiating rights, and word is the 2012 draft is kind of deep.  And the Avs faithful don’t think they will do much better next season than they did this season.

But then again, the Avalanche seem to be addressing some of their needs, regardless of the ‘rebuilding’ tag.  They have a much bigger defense (Liles and Shattenkirk out, Johnson, O’Byrne, and Hejda in), and from the goaltending tandem of Budaj and Elliot, we have Varlamov and (insert someone here).  It’s not like the Avalanche have been good at developing goalies anyways.  Look at the time spent on Tyler Weiman, and he was shipped off.  Vitaly Kolesnik didn’t get a legitimate shot,.  And the Avalanche system was stocked with third and fourth goalie talent last season, and doesn’t look much more promising this season.  At this point, if you were going to stick with Varlamov, and not go after Vokoun (which I am not convinced that the Avs are out of the Vokoun race yet), you might as well bring back Budaj (too late, 2 years with Montreal).  If there isn’t anything worth using in the system, why not give up a pick for a guy who at least has NHL talent?  If you can’t develop ‘em, buy ‘em.

It’s way to early to pass judgement on this deal.  People think Varlamov is washed up, but what do the fans know?  I’ll refer you to the fans in Boston who thought Tim Thomas was washed up a year after winning the Vezina.  He had lost the starting job (and justifiably so) to Tukka Rask.  One off-season hip surgery later, and he won the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and his second Vezina.  I don’t think Varlamov is going to do the same thing, but there is a lot of unknowns for those of us who are sitting behind our keyboards.

In the end, it’s going to be up to Varlamov as to how good this deal is for the Avalanche.  If he plays his ass off, he will make those two draft picks less and less valuable for the Capitals.  Since he signed a 2 year, $5.5 million contract, he’s with the Avs for the foreseeable future.  I’m happy to sit back and see how it goes.

Besides, if the Avs can get this kind of thing from Varlamov, why not?  Maybe the Avs can capture lightning in a bottle again.

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