Okay Folks, It’s Seriously Time to Start Making Ovechkin “The Face”

 

Ovie Boy Tell 'Em

Editor’s Note: We’re Done For the Day After this, Unless Some Breaking News Should Pop Up.  ASG Broadcast Review, Bettman “State of the League” Review and Much Much More is coming up tomorrow on Puck the Media.  Thanks, as always for reading.

For the past couple of years, the NHL has published a book of photographs telling the story of the year in hockey.  The proceeds go to charity, and you can buy the most recent one here.  We’d bet our bottom dollar that the photo you see above is on the cover of next year’s book in some form.  Gosh, what an evening.

Now, this wasn’t about “Ooooh, Ovechkin put on a crazy hat and glasses!  And Malkin gave it to him!”  No, no, it isn’t just that.  It’s more a shock to the system.  We’ve gotten it, for a while, Ovechkin is much more fun than your average hockey player.  But it’s the way he keeps attempting to out-do himself that makes you think that it isn’t really a stunt, it’s just a 20-something guy having fun being the best athlete in the world.

We hope this All-Star Game is the time we’ll all realize that the reign of Sidney Crosby as the most-promoted player in the NHL ends.  The myth of Sidney Crosby being the most recognizable face and name of the sport are a joke. You couldn’t get the casual fan to pick out Crosby’s face in a lineup of one.  I’d put a huge wager that more people could identify Ovechkin if they gave him half the promo-time they give Sidney.  So, it’s time for everyone to get over Sidney and let Alex be the ambassador for awhile.

First of all, he will literally do anything to promote the game.  A few more English lessons, and I’d let him go on a talk show or Hell, even Saturday Night Live to show off his fun-loving attitude.  You heard Mike Emrick talk about how Ovechkin wants to be interviewed and will let you do it on your time, and not his.  Yes, we know, Crosby gives his time, but Ovechkin goes the extra mile where it counts in the minds of hockey fans.

Secondly, everyone loves him.  There isn’t this distaste for Crosby that lingers on the tongues of many hockey fans for Ovie.  He came out of nowhere.  Sidney was the fortunate son that the league had pushed it’s hopes for the next Gretzky on, when it might just be that Sidney’s just a really great player, and not a Gretzky.  It isn’t his fault at all, but we’d be willing to wager (We’re willing to wager a lot lately) that he’d put up about 20 more points a season if they gave #8 the limelight instead.

Finally, he does things that the average person can identify as being objectively awesome.  The idiot who doesn’t know blueline from clothesline saw that trick-shot thing and loved it.  He may not have had a clue what was going on, or why he went to a party to watch a skills competition, but he got that it was pretty cool.  Ovechkin makes these kinds of plays that the normal person can identify with as being cool.  Crosby does great things, but it takes the diehard to notice.  Ovie can be appreciated by all.

So there’s my rant.  It isn’t anti-Crosby in terms of the way he plays.  He’s one of the three best talents the game has right now, but I think he needs to take a step back from all the promotion, and let someone who totally wants and loves the spotlight, like Ovechkin grab it with both hands.

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