Has Ovechkin completely lost interest in the game?
Courtesy: John McDonnell/Washington Post
Mike Milbury made his feelings known about Alex Ovechkin during the Flyers/Capitals game last week saying Ovechkin should be ‘ashamed of himself’ for his lackluster play, most notably when Max Talbot lead the rush down the ice and scored against Braden Holtby while Ovechkin was spotted at the other end of the ice taking his time on the line change which helped lead the Flyers odd-man rush. Milbury went on to criticize the Capitals captain:
“When you have great talent, it comes with great expectations and accountability. If you put him up to those two standards tonight, he fails the test miserably,” Milbury said. “That’s just so disheartening to see a player with that kind of talent fall that short in terms of effort.”
Was Milbury over-the-top with his comments? Did he cross the line?
In my humble opinion, I think Milbury finally had the balls to say what everyone has been thinking for the last few seasons. He finally said what people have been talking about behind closed doors. Ovechkin just doesn’t care anymore.
The former 50 and 60 goal scorer looks to have lost his passion for the game and it is evident this season more than ever. He’s coasting a lot during games. Coughing up pucks more than ever. Falling down more than ever. Embellishing hooks and high sticks. Lackluster back checking and forechecking. When he skates for a loose puck, he’s pumping his legs, but if you pay attention it looks like he really doesn’t want to get to that loose puck – almost like he’s over-acting when he skates. What I notice the most though, and this has been going on since last year, is his goal celebrations, or lack thereof.
When Ovechkin was scoring 50-60 goals a season, he would jump into the boards and crash into his teammates, kiss the sky to his brother and get the crowd pumping. Now, may do a little fist pump and yell, but the energy seems to be missing. It almost seems like he doesn’t care that he scored. When he got his hattrick against New Jersey, it almost seemed like there was life back in him, but then the Flyers game happened and all that adreneline vanished.
So what happened? Why is Ovechkin so… empty?
You can blame it on the carousel of coaches. The ever-changing systems. The constant media scrutiny. Or even his being in Russia and learning bad habits.
For me, I think it all started when Ovechkin became captain. From 2005-06 to 2009-10 Ovechkin scored a total of 269 goals and 529 points in 396 games. He was named captain on January 5, 2010. From 2010-11 until recently Ovechkin has scored 78 goals and 166 points in 177 games – well below a point per game.
Everyone in the hockey world seems have the same opinion about Ovechkin not being captain material, and I have to agree. I’ve said many times before and I’ll echo that notion again – Alex Ovechkin should not and cannot be captain of this Washington Capitals team. It has nothing to do with him not being a leader or not being a good two-way player, but it has everything to do with Ovechkin not being able to handle the pressure and responsibility of being a captain. So why has he not been stripped of the ‘C’ like we’ve seen happen to stars like Mike Modano?
For me, it has everything to do with Ted Leonsis’ ego. He wants Ovechkin to be the one to hoist the cup when or if they ever win one. Ovechkin is his baby and what baby wants baby gets – Leonsis even said he’d let Ovechkin go to Sochi if the NHL isn’t permitting it’s players to participate. Alex Ovechkin has all the talent in the world to be star player, which we’ve seen in the past, but he cannot lead a team. If this team can’t win with 3 different coaches and 3 different systems then maybe it isn’t the coaches and the systems. Perhaps it’s the leadership.
Back to my original argument – Ovechkin has lost his passion for the game and it is obvious in the way he plays. He’s shown signs of what he used to be, but they are few and far-between. He has too much pressure on him. He wants to be the player that scores 60 goals like Stamkos can do with his eyes closed. He wants to be the face of the NHL again, but right now he’s a joke.
The team is supposed to pick the captain, not the owner. Just because Crosby got a ‘C’ so young, didn’t mean he deserved it. However, Crosby has also handled it better and had good mentors along the way. Something Ovechkin hasn’t had since Fedorov.
The Capitals shouldn’t even have a captain right now. Let them go without and see who rises to the occassion. Let the Capitals choose who they want to lead them and I promise you a dynamic team who will dominate the league.
Take away the ‘C’ and take away the pressure and you will see the old Alex Ovechkin. You will see the passion and excitement come back into his game along with the creativity and skill. You will see the Ovechkin who jumped into the boards and the Ovechkin who wore funny outfits to the All-Star game. He needs to have fun again in order to be dominant and he cannot do that with that albatross (corny I know) stiched to his sweater.
More to come…
