7 years ago, Sid and Ovi met for first time

January 4, 2005 would be the first meeting between two young and rising superstars in the hockey world. Alex the Great vs. Sid the Kid. Russia vs. Canada in the World Junior Championship gold medal game.

Ovi got hurt and couldn't finish the game. Crosby got an assist as Canada won the gold medal. Chalk the first up for Sid. Canada also won Olympic gold in men's hockey in Vancouver. Sid scored the OT winner past USA's Ryan Miller. I still have nightmares as an American of that goal--even as a Penguins fan. Ovi doesn't have an Olympic gold. Chalk two up for Sid. The World Championships don't count.

They both have an Art Ross, a Hart and a Rocket. They were both 1st picks overall in the NHL Draft. Ovi has the satisfaction of beating Sid in a Winter Classic, but Sid has hoisted the Cup. Boom.

Here's a video on the gold medal game from 2005. Ovi is seen crying at the end. It's kind of funny.

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King Shames...

by Ted Hoag

I was sitting and watching ESPN this morning which opened the flood gates to the Lebron James aftermath and then I began to think (and laugh). Cleveland, as we know it, has been reduced to absolute rubble. Miami, known for its paradise-like beaches and armadas of yachts, will flourish even further with the arrival of James.

I am not an NBA fan or even a basketball fan, however, like many others across the nation, I found myself caught up in the hoopla known as “The Decision.” James had an entire country eating out of his hand for weeks and reaped every single benefit possible. You are probably asking, what does any of this have to do with hockey? I’m getting there, trust me.

As innocuous this whole issue may seem to a diehard hockey fan, I began to percolate my thoughts and build a stark comparison. Maybe it is not as extreme, but does the three-headed monster of James-Wade-Bosh in Miami have the tendency (definitely the audacity) to fall into the shoes (or skates) of the Washington Capitals? Think, just for a moment…

Alex Ovechkin (James). Nicklas Backstrom (D. Wade). Alexander Semin (Bosh). Is it not evident? Could the Miami Heat squabble in their talent much like the Capitals have? Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin, two of which had 100-point seasons this year, win games during the regular season at a torrid pace. But as we all know, the Capitals falter and disappoint in the playoffs year after year. What if the Miami Heat tore through their regular season schedule only to trip on their shoelaces come postseason? Two totally different sports, although, similar qualities and reputations when it comes to individuals.

And of course, coaching and role playing will affect the Heat. Maybe it will be the difference between multiple NBA championships and utter disappoint for “King” James and his circus-of-a-public-life. The experts are saying that too many superstars on one squad can hamper reputations, playoff runs and irritate egos.
In a way, I think they are correct, but when I think of teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins who have mature and responsible individual superstars like Crosby, Malkin and Staal who have the ability to play on the same page every single time they step onto the ice.

If I were a general manager, I wouldn’t be spending all my effort in finding that top shelf talent, I’d be looking for solid, well-rounded individuals who know how to play with others and manage the game like a human being. After all, there is a night and day contrast between basketball and hockey. Who knows, maybe Ovechkin and his toothless grimace will be jumping ship after next season if the Crapitals suffer yet another playoff slip up?

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Pens Lose: Ovi loves himself, and apparently his teamates.

I barely watched the game. Liah Sydney wasn't was sick to her stomach, likely because she knew the outcome before us. So in typical lazy fashion, I give you a photoshop. 

And believe it or not, I had nothing to do with this. It's not a photoshop. He's really that gay.

Self explanatory.

Flyers up next. Killadelphia...

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Dirty Chicken...

Does anyone else need anymore proof that Ovi is a dirty player?

The announcer says it best: "he created his own misery."



Remember this?

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Double Standards in the NHL?

Since the beginning of the season, there have been some controversial calls by league regarding suspensions and fines.

Let’s start with the slew foot ordeal. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was fined $2,500 by the league for his slew foot on Rich Peverly of the Atlanta Thrashers. The following Thursday Evgeny Artyukhin was suspended for 2 games for the exact same offense. Here is what Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, said about each offense:

"It is unfair to draw any parallels [about the two slew-foot incidents] other than the players that [Ovechkin and Artyukhin] tripped both fell down," Campbell told NHL.com. "Artyukhin was suspended [for two games] last season for a kneeing incident in which a player was injured. He was also fined during this preseason for slew-footing a player who didn't have the puck. Fast forward three weeks, he, in our opinion, did slew-foot Matt Niskanen, causing Niskanen's skates to fly up well above the boards and half up the glass. It resulted in an injury for Niskanen and he has missed one game so far."

Campbell then went on to say that Ovechkin is not a repeat offender and did not injury Peverley. Okay, so he does have a point about the whether the receiving players were subjected to any injury, but Ovechkin not a repeat offender? I’m sorry? Being a Pens fan I’m probably bias, but wasn’t it just this past season’s playoffs that Ovechkin charged at Sergei Gonchar hitting knee on knee causing Gonch to have to sit out of a game. Again there was a situation that nothing was done, not even a fine. How long is it going to take the league to stop using the double standard for certain players?

On to our next argument, Mike Richards’ hit on David Booth vs. Rob Scuderi’s hit on Jason Chimera. I’m sure everyone has seen both of these hits. Now please tell me which is worse. Richards knocks Booth completely out and get’s nothing but a slap on the wrist. On the other hand Scuds causes a guy to get a few stitches and gets a fine?

Here is what Campbell said regarding the Richards hit:

"He was going through the Bermuda Triangle, or Scott Stevens Triangle of heavy traffic and Richards hit him," Campbell said in trying to put into perspective what has become a very controversial topic. "He did not jump. He did not elbow him. He did not hit him in a place where he wasn't expecting it. It was an area where you expect to get hit, both the player passing the puck and the player doing the hitting."

Here is what he said about the Scuderi hit:

"Scuderi went really low and I felt it was a clip," Campbell said Hockey Night in Canada Radio. "Fortunately, he didn't injure the guy. He did hurt him on the play, as far as receiving a cut. But he came back in the game, Chimera, so I didn't think it was a fair play and we fined him."

I don’t know about you guys, but this just makes no sense to me. I guess it was fair to David Booth that he was knocked out, taken off the ice on a stretcher, remained in a Philly hospital overnight, and will be missing a few games. And all Campbell has to say is he should have been expecting it? Maybe I'm over-thinking.

What do you feel?

***quotes used from NHL.com and TSN.ca

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