Last year at this time I was an Ovechkin fan. The guy was an exciting sniper who had personality. As this season went on, Ovechkin had several questionable hits. This wasn't anything new in his career, but so many in one season was alarming. I began to grow tired of the constant excuses as to why it wasn't his fault that he hurt this player and that player. Seeing him dodge suspension after suspension while others who did similar things had the book thrown at them. It had nothing to do with the Canadiens, none of these hits happened against them, it had to do with the fact he seemed to always get a free pass, no matter what he did. Suddenly I genuinely felt bad for Crosby and the flak he has taken the past couple of seasons for diving and whining. I admit I have criticized Crosby in the past for things like this. Right from the start these two superstars have been rivals, not only on the ice but in the media where one "boring" player tries to compete with the "flashy" one.
The latest Ovechkin incident has only added to my dislike for him. Before game 4, Ovechkin did his usual pregame ritual of skating directly to the bench, stopping and jumping in. The only difference was that this time there happened to be a 6 year old child living out a dream of holding a Montreal Canadiens flag in front of a sell out crowd standing where Ovechkin usually stops. Ovechkin went on with his ritual, icing the poor kid as he stood there confused. Some may not think this is a big deal, but think of how this kid felt seeing a 225 pound NHL player barreling down on him, then snowing him with ice. His reaction appeared to be fear and confusion as he glanced at Ovechkin and then tried to move over, probably thinking he was in the wrong spot. So what could Ovechkin have done differently. If he indeed "had" to do his ritual, why not stop 2 feet over and avoid spraying snow on the kid? How about tapping the youngster on the head or shin pads if you spray him with ice so he doesn't have to worry he did something wrong?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Pv9VD_5Ew
Some will say I am over reacting, and who knows, maybe I am. But this whole incident got me thinking what the best way to determine if a situation like this is bad or not. I came up with this....anytime I am faced with a decision like this, I'm going to picture Sean Avery (the league's biggest dirt bag) doing the same thing. If Avery did this, would people stick up for him saying he was just having fun or just being "Avery"? I highly doubt it, but just like every other time Ovechkin has crossed the line, people chalk it up to him just being "Ovie". That's fine if you are shooting your mouth off in the media or performing an over the top celebration, not when you are spraying a 6 year old with snow. Time to grow up Ovechkin.
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