Swagger of the Week

I have delayed on Swagger of the Week, but honestly, no one has really stood out to me as a worthy recepient of such an esteemed award. This weeks award goes to Russian hockey sensation Alexander Ovechkin. Last Thursday he scored his league-leading 50th goal. Ovechkin has gone over 50 goals in three of the last four seasons, scoring 46 in the other season. Since his rookie season in the NHL, he has averaged 54 goals & 48 assists, good for 1.28 points per game. The scary part is that he is only 23 years old and still has plenty of upside. If you want an idea into how important he is to his team, look at his splits. In 44 wins, Ovechkin has 43g/31a/74pts, in 27 losses he only has 7g/13a/20pts. The icing on the cake is that in games in which he has multiple points, the Caps are 24-2! Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are 3rd in the Eastern Conference and are a team that can do some damage in the playoffs.

While Ovechkin obviously knows how to ruffle goalie's feathers by finding the back of the net, he has also managed to find a way to draw the ire of old-school hockey players all over. Ovechkin is not shy when it comes to displaying his swagger. His most recent post-goal celebration has been a major topic among hockey circles. Many feel his celebrations are over-the-top and meant to intentionally show up the celebrating teams. Well, they do do that, but people need to accept the fact that these days with instant information "the show" is and will continue to be a major factor in sports. Also, the guy is a clown and legitimately looks like he is having fun every night that he plays. Hockey should be embracing this guy given the state of hockey today. This especially applies to hockey's dismal TV ratings, people need to be entertained or they lose interest. Why not add some flash to the game? Hockey badly needs its own pop star. The NBA has Kobe, Dywane Wade, Shaq, etc, the MLB has A-Rod, Manny, Jeter, the NFL has T.O. and Tom Brady. Sports is entertainment, and love or hate these players, they are entertaining to watch and they stir up debate about the sport. Debate and controversy make headlines, and hockey doesn't get headlines (obviously they don't want bad headlines). The NHL badly needs a guy like this. The closest thing they have is Ovechkin, after that its Crosby, who is a god in Canada, but is not even close to being as popular in the US. Embrace this kid's swagger hockey people, you have no idea how badly you need an entertainer.