This is Ovechkin's 50th goal celebration, thanks to On Frozen Blog:
This is Nick Kypreos.
Nobody complains when Georges Laraque jumps into the boards - why do they complain about Ovie's unique take on goal celebrations? These are not the exact quotes, but they are pretty much what Kypreos said about it on the Hockey Discussion panel this morning:
"The problem is premeditation."
Firstly, what a load of crap. Nick Kypreos is full of it, to be quite honest.
Nick Kypreos wouldn't know his own tail if he was chasing it and all he is doing trying to say "let's celebrate 50 goals like a boring nana would - yea, like Sidney Crosby." Sidney Crosby didn't hide his reaction even though he didn't say it out loud to the cameras. They're both trying to play the "we're obedient to the league" card and doing what they deem to be the right P.R. move, by giving us what we expect.
Well holy smokes boys, isn't there something wrong with being a clichéd pussy like Sidney Crosby, especially in an entertainment sport? Sure, we all need professionals and role models in the game - but celebrating a goal has never been unprofessional. If the rest of the league were boring like Crosby it would be a sad day for hockey.
He spent his career taking part in fighting and nothing in hockey is more premeditated than fighting. When your star player gets hit - you fight. Two big guys line up at the face-off dot, you know what to expect.
The problem is premeditation my ass. It probably took Ovechkin all of 5 seconds to come up with that goal celebration. If Kypreos needs to do a pre-game strategization session in order to come up with that - he shouldn't be considered a hockey expert.
More crap from Kypreos:
"Look at Mike Green. He wants nothing to do with his celebration. That just goes to show you what he thinks of that."
Just because Mike Green doesn't celebrate goals doesn't mean he doesn't condone it. Whether or not he condones it doesn't matter, either, because most of the league loves it. So if Nick Kypreos or Don Cherry doesn't like it they can go tell someone who gives a rats ass because the league obviously doesn't care, either.
When Dave Semenko was dressing up to protect Gretzky, was Gretzky's non-involvement in fighting an indication of "what he thinks" about fighting? Let us remind Nick Kypreos what Gretzky "taking out the trash" actually looks like:
Yeah, like Gretzky would fight his own battles, right? Just because Gretzky doesn't take part in fighting doesn't mean he doesn't condone it, either. Mike Green makes a personal choice not to be a "goal-celebrating" kind of player, and Kypreos shouldn't twist that towards his own interpretation. When Green said he wanted nothing to do with it, it meant leave him neutral, not "skew his perspective in your favour."
They should allow goal celebrations because, let's face it, guys like Ovechkin who give it as good as they get it in every single facet of the game don't come along often. He loves the sport and that much is obvious from the passion of his celebration. People like Crosby and Kypreos are recapitulating the hockey model of their parents and forerunners - hockey before fun. Is that what fans want to see? No.
Let's be honest here, the NHL is trying to take out staged fighting. Let's remind Kypreos that his career was fighting and his career was ended by a fight. If he wants to pick his battles with premeditation I would ask him to please pay attention to something he actually knows something about and stop polluting Sportsnet with this "sucking-up to the league" crap, because premeditated fights are a way bigger issue that premeditated celebrations.
Honestly, hockey is an entertainment sport. Worse celebrations have been seen in hockey and in sports besides hockey and the only reason this is "newsworthy" is because it's Ovechkin's 5oth goal. Leave it be, and let the fans have some fun.
Some hockey panelists make me sick - their built-up importance reeks like a movie critic's inflated self-worth.
Forget the celebration - we should only care about the 5oth goal.
Now you might already know that I take Eklund's hockey rumours as seriously as I take rest on Sunday and waking up on Mondays, but he actually wrote a pretty good piece today:
"Alex Ovechkin is "God's gift to Hockey." Quite Seriously.
Remembering three All-Star games ago, in Dallas, it was all about Sid the Kid. After these last two games, all that Sid the Kid talk back then feels...Well childish. Crosby has missed two All-Star Games now, and while that really feels like no big deal, last night I went to the kids outside the Bell Centre to find out.
I did a very informal survey of 25 kids who looked to me to be under 12. I asked them one simple question. The kind of question kids ask each other...
"So who is better: Crosby or Ovechkin?"
It was our own Dan Tolensky who told me that his theory was that the All-Star game was for The Sponsors and The Kids. He is dead-on with that statement. For all of the complaining that we adults do about this game and its lack of any intensity, the kids freak out over it. I was watching them in the stands over the two days. They are star struck. They love it.
So, I figured this is Montreal Canada. Surely this is Crosby Country.
Guess again.
Of the 22 Canadian boys and 3 Canadian girls surveyed..
Ovechkin 17 Crosby 8
Yes, among the kids at least Ovechkin is King.
Now you could argue that kids are very much "what have you done for me lately beings" and they just saw him in the silly hat and all, but to be honest I think the adults as well may be tending this way. You tell me.
I really do think that it Ovechkin has made the effort to really play to the room. He knows that this is fun and truly takes life the way a man who makes a bazillion dollars to have fun should take life. The biggest reaction from the crowd last night in the first two periods came after the big screen flashed up two hot blonds who stood up and danced to the music going on during the break and then cut to Ovechkin who was looking at the screen and saying "ooooh." Caught, Alex looked away and laughed embarrassed. It was a pure and real moment.
I think that this All-Star Game in Montreal could be remembered as the All-Star game where the Russians taught us how to have some fun and take things lightly. That is an ironic statement for those of us who grew up around the Communist RED ARMY teams and were sold the Cold War concept of the "I WILL BREAK YOU" Russian.
Frankly the current Russians in the NHL are just goofy. In a good way. They lack the pretense and truly appear to be taking it in.
There was a really interesting juxtaposition last night. After Kovalev sat on the podium with his kid just beaming about how much fun he had and how important this weekend was to his repertoire, I saw Sidney Crosby walk by me with his entourage in his suit looking dead serious.
Don't get me wrong. I am not dissing Sid. It wasn't his fault that he was hurt the past two years and I have watched him as a player go through walls to win. He is amazing and all...
I just feel that Ovechkin may have taken over and may in the end, despite his accent, be the guy who leads the NHL to another level of sorts.
What do you think?
As for a few other Extra-Curricular game rumours. There of course will be no All-Star Game next year as we all head for the Olympics in Vancouver but in 2011 the word is that Phoenix, who lost the game due to the lockout, will host the game. (Won't need our great gloves there!) If Phoenix for some reason can't host the game it will be in Carolina or Chicago.
Also, as first reported back in September on this site by Howard Berger, what was once called "The Canada Cup" will return after next season, just prior to the start of the 2011-2012 season. "The World Cup of Hockey," which many believe will take the place of our Olympics needs to see the best face each other, will be played in North America and Europe.
As for NHLers at the Olympics past Vancouver. It is not dead yet. The 2014 games are in Russia and expect an all-out war as the Russians are already talking to their players in the NHL and begging them to come and play in Russia in 2014."
- Eklund
It's hard to argue that the All-Star game is trivial, but considering the marketing job it's doing on the kids, perhaps it's not such a bad thing after all. Now if only the NHL could figure out how to relocate their promotional dollars for their tried and true fans - the older generation. Remember this, the kids are the future but this is an aging population (check out the demographics, it's true) and they should figure out how to keep the fans they already have, rather than throwing money away in Phoenix and on the Island.
Last year, the Flyers got back in to the playoffs with a large overhaul, revamping their entire line-up; the Canadiens rode their superb powerplay to the top. The Penguins, young though skilled, failed to usurp the Habs in their quest for the East title. Also interesting was Washington exherting their influence on the weak Southeast division, though they would have made the playoffs regardless. Also, by fending off last minute surges by Carolina and Buffalo, the Bruins squeaked into the playoffs.
This year, I see the Penguins establishing the start of their young dynasty: contrary to some cynics, the loss of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, and Colby Armstrong will not affect the team. Last year's playoff push, though it will leave them a bit sluggish in October for a few games, will see them take the reigns and grow stronger as a team. Crosby, Malkin, and Staal will again show us why they were so dominant last year.
The Canadiens will still be as strong as always, though with Carey Price struggling at times to establish himself as more of a legitimate starting goaltender rather than a leading netminding prospect, they will have a hard time recapturing top spot. He will succeed, and the Canadiens, packed with young and exciting talent, will be near the top of the East. However, they will not be strong enough to fend off the Penguin attack.
Expect Washington to repeat the same circumstances that they were under last year. Strong within their division, they will be complacent against tougher competition in the East and in the West. However, they will have learned a lot from last year's playoff run as well as a growing stock of young but surprisingly resilient young talent. They could challenge for the semi-finals this year, IMO. Would they succeed? It would depend on the performance of Pittsburgh and Montreal. Simply, Washington's success will hinge on one word: Ovechkin.
The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, will run in circles this year. They will not advance forward nor drop back from where they were last season.
The additions to the Rangers are either aging stars or injury prone young-guns with questionable attitudes. Can they make a leader out of Zherdev? Will Naslund regain his form? Will Wade Redden be a leading PP point-man? These are some questions the Rangers need to answer. Because if they are not answered, their large payroll will look disgustingly dehabilitating once injuries kick in...
The New Jersey Devils, though not advancing forward in their quest for Lord Stanley, will have learned a lot about what works and what doesn't, from last year. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac will have good year, but whether Patrick Elias will deliver may be questionable this year.
As for changes in tune, watch for the Senators young talent, shielded by the uniting of the Alfredsson-Heatley-Spezza line, to have ample ice-time against lesser competition and they will shine. As shown in the photo above, the Nick Folignos, Antoine Vermettes, and Mike Fishers will definitely benefit from this.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, the biggest mover and shaker in this past off-season, will surprise everyone despite the "long layoff" of their head coach Barry Melrose. His fresh views and unorthodox coaching style will be take some getting used to in the short run. But as time goes on, the Lightning will be the only other team from the Southeast to make the playoffs this year. Though they might have overpaid a bit, the additions of Recchi, Malone, among other grittier folk, will guarantee a hard-nosed brand of hockey mended experience and skill. This will take some of the work off of the shoulders of the Lecavalier-St.Louis-??? (insert whatever player you prefer) line and allow the Stamkos line to flourish.
Agree? Disagree? Neutral? Post your comments below.
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