Tip MY Hat TO Ovechkin

[Mothra]

You've obviously never been to Philadelphia long enough to know so let's keep the name calling alone.

I lived right off the blue route for years....Im pretty familiar with the area and the attitude when it comes to sports

Exactly that. That was totally way out of line, espically for an international tournament.

But what you said was he taunted players.....which I didnt really see him do

"a little punk who needs to taunt other players "

...and these guys looked just as pathetic. But it's one thing to be a 4th line agitator/goon/waste of roster space and do this. It another thing to be one of the guys the NHL is touting as one of their future superstars and one of the cornerstones of the sport for years to come. There's no place for any of this in the game.

So what you are saying is its a matter of skill level then? And even still these other guys are pros.....much older....and their acts were many times worse than celebrating a EN goal.....which again was the clincher in the game. There was still 2 minutes in the game and it was a 2 goal game before he scored......the goal was not totally meaningless.

Ive said this before....and now I do again...I would not have done that....but this huge deal you are making out of it is ridiculous.....

"no respect for the game"
"Anything he did to try and save face is an act"
"NHL doesn't need players like him ruining the sport"
"little punk who needs to taunt other players after scoring emprty net goals"
"hurt the integrity of the game"

and my personal fav

"I'm usually leading the charge against the people who blow things way out of proportion."

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Maybe not one incident but how many things have happened in the past 10 years that put a black eye on the sport?

Holy overreaction, batman.

A black eye on the sport? Dude, you've been posting around here for a while. I presume you've known hockey for at least a few years. This is no black eye on the sport and you damn well know it.

Now, take a deep breath, because this is just embarassing. I've seen such things (and worse things) for as long as I've been following hockey, done by pro players. Relax, the sport will be just fine if that's the worse we have to cope with. As for international tournaments, well obviously junior events are now much more under the microscope than they used to be. I've seen people have their panties in the bunch over a few things at the WJC the last few years. I'd be curious to see how it was many years ago. I suspect you'd see much the same.

I'm more preoccupied with intents to injure and by the sport turning into a pure business, where bloodsuckers gravitate around teenagers and money is king. You support the NHLPA. Quite frankly, it's something that hurts the sport way more than Ovechkin's antics.

 

[Haute Couture]

Ovechkin is a showoff and a pukett and someone who has no respect for the game. I don't care how old you are, no captain of a team does what he did in the game against the USA. Anything he did to try and save face is an act. He can stay in Russia if he really wants to the NHL doesn't need players like him ruining the sport more than it already is. Slava Fetisov should give him a talkin' to.

Save face? Are you fing kidding? A guy who's known for being a little too blunt in front of the media?

It was one game and you are willing to crucify him for something that wasn't even a big deal. Just in how many tournaments have you watched the guy participate that you're making such categorical assertions about him? So what that he pointed at his jersey? That's ALL he's done - and now he has no respect for the game? And now he's supposed to "realize" that he was openly hurting the integrity of the game - 'cause that's what "saving face" comment implies..

I think you need a huge reality check. If pointing to the back of his jersey makes a player a disgrace to the spirit of the game, then it will take a superhuman to assume the perfection you're so fervently and unflinchingly demanding..

 

[Strizzi]

I'm constantly amazed by people who find pointing to some jersey worse than intentionally trying to injure someone.

 

[Camshaft77]

Although i don't agree with the way both teams reacted in the Russia-USA game, the simple fact is, hockey is a very emotional sport and anyone who has played an elimimation game of any sorts would know sometimes u get a little dirty when your getting beat bad and then in turn the team who is winning will have a reaction that isn't really appropriate.

My thoughs are, if the American players were really insulted by it, then try and get them to drop their gloves, especially if your a 19 year old because you won't be back at the WJC. (but we all know it won't happen because the Russians don't wanna get suspended for the gold)

Im sure what both teams did, pissed each other off, but hell nothing was done about by either team, so us as fans should just let it go, theres no way we can be as intense as the players in the game.

As for AO he showed some class by getting the other players back onto the ice and im sure he respects the Canadian team, but to really believe he's congratulations are sincere hell no, he's a competitor and he wanted to win, if anything he was damn mad he lost as anyone would be.

 

[Jacob]

I'm constantly amazed by people who find pointing to some jersey worse than intentionally trying to injure someone.

What's worse is those who find the latter a reasonable response to the former.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

As for AO he showed some class by getting the other players back onto the ice and im sure he respects the Canadian team, but to really believe he's congratulations are sincere hell no, he's a competitor and he wanted to win, if anything he was damn mad he lost as anyone would be.

I don't know what was Ovechkin's mindset and I don't really care but for what it's worth, the two aren't mutually exclusive. You can be a very competitive person and sincerely congratulate your opponent when he beats you. In the moment, you probably aren't going to be happy and cheerful, but you recognize the effort, pay your respects, bury the hatchet and life goes on.

 

[Chimaera]

Hey, if this Ovechkin deal is the end of hockey as we know it, I'd hate to give a thought to what the Bertuzzi incident was.






And to think Bertuzzi's certainly not a 4th line waste of a roster space.

 

[GKJ]

Save face? Are you fing kidding? A guy who's known for being a little too blunt in front of the media?

It was one game and you are willing to crucify him for something that wasn't even a big deal. Just in how many tournaments have you watched the guy participate that you're making such categorical assertions about him? So what that he pointed at his jersey? That's ALL he's done - and now he has no respect for the game? And now he's supposed to "realize" that he was openly hurting the integrity of the game - 'cause that's what "saving face" comment implies..

I think you need a huge reality check. If pointing to the back of his jersey makes a player a disgrace to the spirit of the game, then it will take a superhuman to assume the perfection you're so fervently and unflinchingly demanding..

He not only pointed to the back of his jersey but he was also pointing to fans in the crowd and taunting players on the American bench. I watched the game. I watched it unfold and we didn't even talk about Malkin doing much of the same. I'm not the one who needs the reality check either, you obviously don't know the whole situation. So now we take into the equation that Malkin was taunting people, and Shirokov was doing some taunting in the first game as well.


Lest we not forget that Ovechkin was also the captain of his team. These are things hockey players don't forget.

 

[CanoeRider]

Eddie Belfour, a Canadian, often refused to shake hands with the opposing team after playoff losses.

Can we mercilesly criticize him now too?

I will give you a billion dollars not to

 

[Macman]

This has gone on way longer than it should have. Ovechkin, Malkin and a few others acted like arrogant jerks, but in the end had their heads handed to them. End of story. Hopefully they learned something from the fact Canada didn't run up the score when the easily could have.

 

[HockeyCritter]

Maybe not one incident but how many things have happened in the past 10 years that put a black eye on the sport? There is no reason for 20 year olds, and a captain of a team to go out and taunt other people like he did. Every coach teaches their kids that from the age of 7, espically the captain

You mean aside from McSorley, Domi, Bertuzzi, Hull, Roy?

 

[Wondercarrot]

Personally, the only part i didn't care for was Ovechkin pointing to the name on the back of his sweater. The Americans deserved what they got after they started cheap shotting guys. After you do that once all bets are off.
What goes around comes around as they say.

As for the guy who compared Crosby's lacross style goal with the various "taunting" incidents. you are

the 2 have nothing to do with each other. What you are suggesting is that Crosby suppress his skill and creativity on ice, it has nothing to do with waving at the other teams bench.

in the end i don't really mind the excess' because it adds fuel to the fire which is good, but i wouldn't like it if a lot of guys were doing it.

 

[#66]

He not only pointed to the back of his jersey but he was also pointing to fans in the crowd and taunting players on the American bench. I watched the game. I watched it unfold and we didn't even talk about Malkin doing much of the same. I'm not the one who needs the reality check either, you obviously don't know the whole situation. So now we take into the equation that Malkin was taunting people, and Shirokov was doing some taunting in the first game as well.


Lest we not forget that Ovechkin was also the captain of his team. These are things hockey players don't forget.

Ok well what about when Theo Fluery over celebrates a goal. I seem to remember him doing that even when scoring empty netters. I also remember Keith Tkachuk burning money when getting a new contract. An 80's Flyer (it might have been Propp, I'm not sure) taking off his glove and doing a zoom motion with his hand. Its always "adding personality to the game" when an NA player does it but frowned upon when a Euro player doesn't act like a robot.
The thing that gets lost in all of this is that the Americans played an overly dirty game against Russia. They didn't come out and be physical like Canada. There were chops, slashes and punches to the back of the head the whole game. While I wasn't rooting for the US because of my hatred for Sandelin, I did start rooting against them because of the blatent O'Sullivan cheapshot. We all saw in the first game that if the US had played their game they might have taken the Russains but the game plan taken was to rough up the Russains. Well after a couple of PP goals that plan came back to bite them in the ass. After all of the cheapshots the Russians rubbed the US's face in a loss. Not a classy move by any means but one that was well warrented.

 

[rt]

I will give you a billion dollars not to

:lol funniest police bribe EVER :lol

 

[Haute Couture]

He not only pointed to the back of his jersey but he was also pointing to fans in the crowd and taunting players on the American bench. I watched the game. I watched it unfold and we didn't even talk about Malkin doing much of the same. I'm not the one who needs the reality check either, you obviously don't know the whole situation.

And you know the entire situation! Yes, you saw the game... And heard the entire exchange and everything that happened on the ice! Remember, you are the one who's making the ridiculously categorical claims. I haven't seen him taunt the American bench - have no idea what the hell you were looking. There was some shouting between the benches - an American guy (possibly Fritsche) trying to say something with Shafigulin and one of the Russian coaches/guys in suits were yelling back some probably English obscenities (don't expect them to know much conversational English). The Russian suit-guy also pointed at the scoreboard. Before that Malkin was skating by the American bench. That's it.

The fans? Well, he was pointing to the back of his jersey - obviously that was the "versus fans" altercation I was talking about. That's it. And how do you even know that that altercation was "taunting" ? Have you heard every word he said?

While it could have been a possibility that he said "**** off, you American pr*cks" while pointing to his jersey (which is very unlikely), in all the uncertainty of the deal, in all the inconclusiveness and nebulousness - you are willing to aver that he has no respect for the game that we don't need players like him in the NHL? All for THAT? You obviously are in a dire need of a reality check. Sorry. (In other language this is called whining about something that isn't even a big deal. Ahem.. I thought whining was Russia's job?)

 

[GKJ]

My argument is not where this rates among the other incidents over the history of life. My arguement is about how assanine Ovechkin (and Malkin) looked and how much they are punks.


There is a difference between adding character to the game, and flat out being an ass and make yourself look like an idiot by taunting other people.

 

[bleedgreen]

i think ao's reaction with the jersey wasnt aimed at the us bemch, it was aimed at all the fans that had been ragging on him all tourney. the kid took a lot of abuse from people, and didnt back down and took the moment to stick it to those who were all over him. i think he has guts galore. good for him. im able to put aside the fact im american though, and it makes a difference apparently.

 

[Mothra]

He not only pointed to the back of his jersey but he was also pointing to fans in the crowd and taunting players on the American bench. I watched the game. I watched it unfold and we didn't even talk about Malkin doing much of the same. I'm not the one who needs the reality check either, you obviously don't know the whole situation. So now we take into the equation that Malkin was taunting people, and Shirokov was doing some taunting in the first game as well.

Maybe you were at the game....but if you watched it on ESPN like most of us in the states, I dont know how you can say he was taunting the bench. Do you have special cameras that the rest of us dont?

please explain how you know "the whole situation"?

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

My argument is not where this rates among the other incidents over the history of life. My arguement is about how assanine Ovechkin (and Malkin) looked and how much they are punks.


There is a difference between adding character to the game, and flat out being an ass and make yourself look like an idiot by taunting other people.

- So American players didn't say anything that could have rubbed him the wrong way....because a mouthy ***** like O'Sullivan would never call Ovechkin something bad.

- UND fans are known to be loud and vulger at times, many people from Minny have stated it in the past. They couldn not have been mouthing off to Ovechkin or Malkin all game...could they?

You don't know the situation, the only one who know it is the Russian bench.

 

[Macman]

Maybe you were at the game....but if you watched it on ESPN like most of us in the states, I dont know how you can say he was taunting the bench. Do you have special cameras that the rest of us dont?

please explain how you know "the whole situation"?

The TSN feed clearly showed him skating by the U.S. bench and shaking the crest of his jersey at the American players and laughing. It was taunting plain and simple. What precipitated it, who knows, and this point, who cares? The fact is he was forced to eat a large serving of humble pie a couple of days later and that should be the end of it.

 

[GKJ]

Maybe you were at the game....but if you watched it on ESPN like most of us in the states, I dont know how you can say he was taunting the bench. Do you have special cameras that the rest of us dont?

please explain how you know "the whole situation"?

I watched the game just like you. You obviously missed a lot of the stuff I saw. Or maybe you had your Ovechkin blinders on and think he did no wrong? Those are the only 2 explinations.

 

[GKJ]

- UND fans are known to be loud and vulger at times, many people from Minny have stated it in the past. They couldn not have been mouthing off to Ovechkin or Malkin all game...could they?

You don't know the situation, the only one who know it is the Russian bench.

So that makes it ok to taunt fans? Maybe Ovechkin and Malkin thought they were playing in a U-7 tourney because that's how they were acting.

 

[MrBooT]

Do you really think it was the tauting that made Sutter ask his players to go physical on the Russians? Or maybe it's that Canada stood for their american brothers?

American brothers?! bahahaha...

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

So that makes it ok to taunt fans? Maybe Ovechkin and Malkin thought they were playing in a U-7 tourney because that's how they were acting.

If I was playing in someone's rink and they were giving me a really hard time and we ended up winning then yes I would rub it in, I would really rub it in. Either you have never played the sport or encountered such situations.