Ovechkin watching the zamboni

[Riggins]

During the Canada-Sweden game, TSN showed a clip of Ovechkin sitting all alone on the bench during the intermission of his game against the Czech Republic. The rest of his team was in the locker room as they should be, while he was all by himself watching the zamboni clean the ice and even conversing with fans and flashing his captain's "C" to them.

Click to read more...

 

[txpd]

ovechkin apparantly takes a moment after each period to reflect or come down or whatever. not unusual. only unusual that he takes time alone. unusual only that he does it in view of the house and cameras. my guess is that the caps will ask him to at least get as far as the runway.

 

[Jussi]

This isn't that unusual. A Czech player, Tomas Kucharchik (sp?) did this all the time while he played in Finland for HPK Hämeenlinna. He sat on the bench by himself for about 5 minutes before going to the locker room.

 

[IAMCANADIAN]

PRICELESS :lol

 

[Legolas]

It may not be entirely unusual, but it's obviously not the same behaviour that the overwhelming majority of players do. Now, if his coaches and teammates don't care about it, then it doesn't really matter...but he needs to know that he's a big time player now (as if he didn't know that) and things like that don't just slide past, especially in a tournament like this one with so much attention. I don't see how he can't just reflect in the locker room at his own stall....there's surely less noise/distractions going on.

 

[MOGiLNY]

I'm sure there's a lot more "strange" stuff that players do in the locker rooms.. Tucker for example, mixes coffee with coke and drinks that before every game..

 

[puckstopper101]

I'm sure there's a lot more "strange" stuff that players do in the locker rooms.. Tucker for example, mixes coffee with coke and drinks that before every game..

that sounds really disgusting to me lol, but it probably energizes him before games lol

 

[puckstopper101]

[\ The rest of his team was in the locker room as they should be, while he was all by himself watching the zamboni clean the ice and even conversing with fans and flashing his captain's "C" to them. [/QUOTE]


Sounds a bit arrogant, doesn't it?

 

[X-SHARKIE]

I hear he does it all the time every game, not because he wants to be seen but I hear he reflects on the game before the locker room. A fan was probally calling him out so he showed him the C?

But who cares? This guy is unreal, I can't believe how explosive he is.

 

[MOGiLNY]

I hear he does it all the time every game, not because he wants to be seen but I hear he reflects on the game before the locker room. A fan was probally calling him out so he showed him the C?

But who cares? This guy is unreal, I can't believe how explosive he is.

yeah, people will look for anything to bash a player they don't like for..

 

[Larry Fisher]

...

Define Coke...lol...I knew that Tucker was up to no good...!!!

On the Ovechkin front...I find it rather humorous but I'm not reading into it too much. Maybe he'll develop into the NHLs version of Terrel Owens...one could only hope...the NHL needs that type of character.

 

[Jacob]

You must be a pretty complete package if people are looking at your between-period habits to find flaws.

I don't care if he takes a few minutes after a period to reflect. Now, conversing with fans is another story, but I didn't see him do that.

 

[MOGiLNY]

You must be a pretty complete package if people are looking at your between-period habits to find flaws.

I don't care if he takes a few minutes after a period to reflect. Now, conversing with fans is another story, but I didn't see him do that.

TSN showed him talking to the fans, and holding up either his 'C' or just his jersey.. but I wouldn't judge him on that without knowing what the fans said to him.. who knows, maybe someone asked him to pose for a photograph.. if he was showing off on the other hand, then that's not very nice

 

[littleHossa]

Ovechkin has so much energy, he's always the happiest and most energetic on the bench and the one who displays the most joy when a goal is scored, he's always been a good team player while doing that, it's hard not to consider him part of your team, and now he's the captain of the WJC team. I think that he isn't the type of person that shows leadership like a Yzerman or Sakic, he has a lot of charisma and he gets noticed for his energy.

I don't know if he's a real captain material though, he does the same things, which is probably his personality, whether he's with Dynamo Moscow trying to earn respect or he's the leader of the russian team. He probably always got ahead by showing that team attitude, and that was because he seemed like the perfect team player/proffetional, but now he wears the C and still has to bring that same things, but it doesn't work to motivate a team.

Ovechkin has a lot of charisma however, he will be captain in the way that Wayne was most likely, his "aura" will keep growing, and will have a tremendous presence in the locker room and command a lot of respect. We're just witnessing the young Ovechkin right now trying to get ahead and earn that respect in the first place.

 

[CH Wizard]

PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS ....

No , for real.I'm doing this before an important game.Like last week , I played vs Laval and it was an important game for my division.I'm the captain of my team and I sat on the bench and look at the zamboni and the fans who were cheering loudly.

 

[littleHossa]

I also wanted to add that when I watched the USA-Russia game, Ovechkin had his way every time. There's a fine line between being cocky/arogant and demanding respect the way Ovechkin is. Jagr would fit the first choice for example. A few examples to demonstrate my point, it seemed that his two linemates Pestunov and Lisin's main concern was getting the puck to Ovechkin, he would always get it and it seemed like his two linemates were always playing to get open to pass to Ovechkin, that was their mentality.

Maybe some can relate, how some people just get their way with the small things with their charisma, Ovechkin also frequently asked for the puck. This is the part that could be seen as cocky, as someone that would whine a lot(like Jagr) but Ovechkin pulled it off! If you played on the ice with him, you would of probably done everything he would of told you. He just has that "thing", but it ain't leadership, it helps him get ahead and "earn" the C, but just isn't for him yet.It's a combination of tremendous skill, work-ethic, enthusiasm and charisma.

I find myself so concentrated on Ovechkin and his small actions, just like everyone else is(we all commented on him sitting on bench and all have our ideas) that I'm even falling in whatever mystique he is able to have and command respect from others, and probably anyone near him also does. He's a really special player and individual, his personality type and charisma is the size of a war General, the kind that troops would go to the gates of hell for. Anyway, that's all that I have to say right now, maybe I will get more people freely commenting on him like this

 

[Puckhead]

This isn't that unusual. A Czech player, Tomas Kucharchik (sp?) did this all the time while he played in Finland for HPK Hämeenlinna. He sat on the bench by himself for about 5 minutes before going to the locker room.

The difference is that no one knows who Kucharchik is, and Ovechkin speaks for himself. I think when you have the type of media coverage as he does following him around, he has to be careful of how he does things, and what he does may be perceived by others. Already you get the whispers making their rounds, like he has his own agenda, he is not a team player, he wants all the attention etc...I personally don't make much out of it, but you never know what is happening behind the scenes. It does raise some eyebrows, and Washington would rather he raise eyebrows when he is on the ice.

 

[Sanderson]

Why should he change his behaviour?
If other people (or teams) want something from him, they have to take him like he is. You don't change your habbits, which you had all life long, just to accommodate someone you don't even know.

 

[London Knights]

The difference is that no one knows who Kucharchik is, and Ovechkin speaks for himself. I think when you have the type of media coverage as he does following him around, he has to be careful of how he does things, and what he does may be perceived by others. Already you get the whispers making their rounds, like he has his own agenda, he is not a team player, he wants all the attention etc...I personally don't make much out of it, but you never know what is happening behind the scenes. It does raise some eyebrows, and Washington would rather he raise eyebrows when he is on the ice.

Why? I saw absolutely nothing wrong with what he did. He was smiling when he showed it, and for all we know it could have been a couple of Russian's who made the trip for the tournament and asked for a picture so he held up his C for it. If that is his in-game ritual and you try and tell him not to do it, you are nuts because a guy that is rated that high that he is potentially going to be one of the greatest European players of all time should be allowed to have weird rituals.

I'm pretty sure that Ovechkin is pretty social with the fans and that he isn't so full of himself that he feels he is completely above them. Personally I don't read much into the situation.

On to another topic, how about those Westerner's forcing their political agenda's on TSN and Team Canada. Always trying to gain attention to themselves with their "Go Jets Go"

 

[wilka91*]

this thread is stupid

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

k

well, I think that ovechkin is a lot like kovalchuk when kovalchuk was younger. kovalchuk took liked to show off a bit and was a bit of a primadona. but kovalchuk has matured into a team player...and i think ovechkin will do the same once he gets into the nhl. lets just say i dont think ovechkin will be wearing his ROBOCOP viser in the NHL...

so stop harping on the guy so much and over-analyzing him. he is YOUNG, let him have fun and then let him mature when he gets to the NHL

 

[Foppa_Rules]

The difference is that no one knows who Kucharchik is, and Ovechkin speaks for himself. I think when you have the type of media coverage as he does following him around, he has to be careful of how he does things, and what he does may be perceived by others. Already you get the whispers making their rounds, like he has his own agenda, he is not a team player, he wants all the attention etc...I personally don't make much out of it, but you never know what is happening behind the scenes. It does raise some eyebrows, and Washington would rather he raise eyebrows when he is on the ice.

I see no reason why he should take an opinion poll to see what he should do next. He's a hockey player, and he can do basically whatever he wants. If he thinks it's OK, and his coaches have said it's OK, then it's OK with me. He shouldn't do things just to be careful of what people think. That should not be his main concern, and anyone who has that as his main concern is a fool. Ovechkin is clearly not a fool, so he does not do things just to make people like him. He shouldn't make decisions based on the opinions of others, least of all a couple of disgruntled fans on a message board or some crackpot pundit. If he wants to do it and his team doesn't have a problem with it--which they DON'T--then he can do it, and you can complain all you want because your complaining doesn't matter.

 

[Isles72]

tsn is pretty desperate for things to talk about these days

so why not pick on alex

 

[Foppa_Rules]

By the way, is there any link to that crap TSN wrote about him? Is ther any proof that they wrote this or said this or whatever they did?

 

[Crosbyfan]

By the way, is there any link to that crap TSN wrote about him? Is ther any proof that they wrote this or said this or whatever they did?

They showed it between periods last night. Their narration/slant was them questioning Ovechkin's "team" focus, especially as captain. Personally I suspect that he doesn't like spending the whole break in the dressing room, but who knows.