Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Making Fun of Ovechkin/Blues Preview

Jeez, how do I outdo my last post? It's not going to happen today.

First off, a new hockey-related name for those who don't get my gripe with the tv show Glee. This is a reference to the Pens' old arena, referred to as "The Igloo", and my point of view, here in frozen Erie. Or at least what should be frozen Erie. Right now it's annoyingly chilly Erie, in between heavy coat and light jacket weather. My heat's on, but it's too hot in here, so I've got the window open, which is making it cold. I'll find a balance soon enough.

I went back and read my oldest posts last night, and it's interesting how it's changed a lot in only two weeks. A bit of input from others goes a long way. Time to get down to business.
_________________________________________________________________

It was announced today that Alexander Ovechkin won't be taking his PASSIONATE brand of hockey with him to Ottawa for the all star game. That's a real shame, because I really wanted to see him get picked last in the draft. 

The Gr8 Ape and Capitals GM George McPhee have played it off as Ovechkin simply "not wanting to be a distraction" at the game. First off, this is the one time of the year where it's ok to be a distraction. It's the all star game. It is meaningless, and serves as a showcase, primarily to younger fans, of the players' personalities. Second, was this not a distraction?
Putting on sunglasses, having Malkin give him a shot of gatorade, and then using two sticks to attempt a trick shot got Ovechkin all the attention he could have possibly wanted. Hell, it even got him on ESPN, which devotes as much time to hockey as I do to changing the channel away from ESPN. 

He wears the C in Washington, and rather than deal with the situation in a dignified and mature manner, he's taking his ball and going home. He could have shown up to the game, done whatever was necessary of him to support the league that's making him rich, and then sat out the rest of his suspension. Instead, he'll be sitting on a beach, wondering why nobody wants his autograph.


Not only is Ovechkin being a bit of a sourpuss about finally getting nabbed by the league for his proclivity to attempt leaping checks, but his owner, Ted Leonsis decided to get in on the action, too. I would link to his post, but he doesn't need any more attention there. All I'll say is that Mr Leonsis, vice chairman of AOL, did not agree with the suspension. I wasted no time in being a little less than serious on the post. Behold:

"Harry Callahan on  said:
The way everybody is trying to spin this, like it’s Ovechkin’s fault. It just isn’t right. I think OV should stop doing anything for the league. Interviews, commercials, whatever. It’s obvious they don’t care about a superstar of his magnitude. Maybe, Ted, you can get involved in the KHL, and my favorite owner and my favorite player can go be dominant in a league that would respect them? Pens suck, Crosby is a whiner, and I’m proud the Capitals have a Captain who truly leads with PASSION on and off the ice. Thank you."
THEY BELIEVED ME!


Man, that site has awful mods. I left another, incredibly full of shit comment on there, and it got passed, too. I guess sarcasm doesn't really translate well on the internet. And yeah, I used "Harry Callahan" as an alias because I love Dirty Harry.
In the interest of fairness, I should be honest. In my eyes, OV is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Either way, I'm going to take the opportunity to make fun of him. I do it because I care. 
The point is, you're an NHL captain. Own up to your mistake and deal with it appropriately. Sometimes in life, young man, you're going to be told "no". 
_________________________________________________________________


Tonight, the Pens play the St Louis Blues. Honestly, I like the way the Blues play. They piss you off when they're playing your team, but it's fun to watch them beat up everyone else. I'm also a big TJ Oshie and Dave Backes fan. 
It should also be mentioned that their goaltender, Brian Elliot, leads the league in goals against average, with 1.68. Yes, 1.68. He lets up an average of less than two goals per game. Pretty good, huh? It's a strange turn of events from the Brian Elliot of old. Last time I heard Brian Elliot in a sentence that didn't include the word "sucks", was a sentence that used "blows" instead. Not anymore.
The Blues are 4th in the Western Conference, with 64 points. Statistically, that's good enough for 2nd in the West, but due to the ridiculous seeding format, they are behind Vancouver and San Jose. Their season started off poorly, until a mid-season coaching change brought in Ken Hitchcock. Since then, this young team has been on a tear through the league. Sound familiar?

Yeah, that's not happening for the Blues, but they're a damn good team. Keep an eye on them in the next few seasons.

Tonight, Malkin's tour of destruction continues into the all star break. Geno's sitting comfortably in first place in the points race, with 58, 3 ahead of Philly's Claude Giroux. He shows no signs of stopping any time soon.


Flower's in the cage tonight. Second verse, same as the first. You know the drill.



It's gonna be a good one. Short preview, because I'm on my way to dinner in a minute, and because I don't know too much about the Blues and don't feel like researching too much. They're a strong, balanced, and physical team with excellent coaching. That's all you need to know.

Go Pens.