Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin decided to a do a bit more damage to his image this week.
Rather than attending the NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa this weekend, he will take a short vacation and pout. He pulled out of the game after Brendan Shanahan gave him a three-game NHL suspension for crushing Zbynek Michalek with a head shot.
“My heart is not there,” Ovechkin whined. “I got suspended, so why do I have to go there?”
This decision drew fire from all corners of the hockey world. Blues forward Andy McDonald termed it a “classless move” via Twitter.
Since Ovechkin thirsts for the limelight, his protest action falls into the Cut Off Nose/Spite Face category. Once the most electrifying talent in the sport, he slid a bit further into the pro hockey backwater with this ill-advised move.
Tipsheet's old college cohort Stu Hackel had this take for SI.com: “Poor Ovie. Really. Once a darling of fans everywhere, especially in Canada, for his electric play, he’ll probably be adding to the list of cities where fans boo him by snubbing Ottawa. Honestly, between the dip in his performance, the accusations that he’s a coach killer, his club’s mediocre play, his periodic bad acts that result in fines and suspensions, and now his avoiding All-Star Weekend (an event he admittedly loves), this guy – who used to be the game’s transcendent figure — is caught up in a morass of incidents and trends that are rendering him a mere mortal.”
Maybe Ovechkin can hook up with some Russian celebrities and tape another music video to appease his fans.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while the Mizzou basketball team deals with its harsh reality check:
Isn't it more than a little weird to see Albert Pujols in an Angels uniform?
If St. Louis lost the Rams, could a Lingerie Football League team help ease the pain for male fans?
Will the Detroit Tigers become baseball's worst-conditioned team in 2012?
Why did Colts owner Jim Irsay even consider Jim Tressel for his head coaching job?
Is it possible to paint a portrait of former NBA star Yao Ming by using a basketball as the brush?
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports: “I know (Peyton) Manning is sincere in his support for his kid brother, but as a competitor, this Super Bowl has to be killing him. Either (Tom) Brady, his chief rival for 21st century football supremacy, will take a 4-1 lead in rings, or Eli will surpass him for family bragging rights with a 2-1 advantage. Oh, and it’s all happening in Peyton’s town, albeit one which he may soon be forced to leave (if he’s even able to bounce back from his neck injury and continue his career), which is yet another reason he’s in a bad mood. I’m sure it thrills him to no end that he’ll have to clear out of the Colts’ training facility next week so that the Patriots can practice there and that New England, as the home team, will use Indy’s locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium on game day. So, it’s possible Brady will get comfortable in two of Manning’s lockers; perhaps he’ll leave him notes in both. Two years ago, in the walkup to Indy’s Super Bowl XLIV defeat to the Saints, Manning was already being anointed the greatest quarterback of all time by many people in my business. Now, even before Eli takes his shot at winning a second title, we’re already hearing garbage from people like Michael Irvin that Peyton’s the second-greatest QB in his family. Yeah, next week’s going to be an awesome experience for Archie and Olivia’s middle child.”
Rick Reilly, ESPN.com: “Here's to the little brother. Here's to the squirt. Here's to Beaver and Linus and Jim-Bob Walton. Here's to the one who never gets the top bunk, never gets shotgun, never gets the last chicken leg. Here's to Eli Manning, the ultimate little brother. Eli the Lesser, Eli the Forgotten, Eli the Oh Your Youngest Son Plays, Too? Oh, he plays.”
Chris Burke, SI.com: “This was the Year of the Quarterback in the NFL … not to mention the Year of the Tight End and the Year of the Next Generation at wide receiver. Of the 12 teams that made the playoffs, seven finished in the top 10 in total yards and points scored this season. But both the Raiders and Colts apparently have decided to buck the trend toward offense. Oakland, reportedly, is on the verge of hiring Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as its head coach; the Colts have a Thursday news conference scheduled to announce the hiring of Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. Maybe this is the influence of old-school Jim Harbaugh having so much success in his first year at San Francisco. Maybe it’s the realization by a pair of franchises that they don’t have the firepower to hang with the Packers and Patriots of the world. Whatever the reasoning behind Oakland and Indianapolis’ moves, it’s a clear signal that defense is far from dead in the NFL.”
David Steele, FanHouse: “NFL owners may have learned their lesson. Their own pool of head coaching candidates is just fine after all. They don’t have to go fishing down in the colleges … and risk winding up with an old tire or boot. And an expensive one at that. The week began with Chip Kelly holding an offer from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with Jim Tressel reported to have interviewed multiple times for the Indianapolis Colts job. But by Wednesday night, Kelly had already reversed course and gone back to Oregon, and the Colts had passed on Tressel in favor of Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. Kelly made the decision for the Bucs. Jim Irsay, meanwhile, might have had a flashback to the sight of players on the 2007 Atlanta Falcons, clutching the mass-copied, one-paragraph form letters signed by Bobby Petrino and stuck in their lockers on his way to the airport.”
Norman Chad, Washington Post: “No one in coaching annals has suffered the ignominy of Marty Schottenheimer, the star-crossed, sixth-winningest coach in NFL history. With the Cleveland Browns — after no losing seasons and a 32-15 record his final three years — he was fired. Then with the Kansas City Chiefs — where he had nine winning seasons out of 10 — he was fired. Then with the Washington Redskins, he was fired after one season, in which he won eight of his last 11 games. Then with the San Diego Chargers, he was fired after his fourth year, a 14-2 season. (Look at those last two jobs again, with the Redskins and the Chargers: Schottenheimer was fired winning a combined 22 of his last 27 games.) And now Schottenheimer has expressed interest in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head-coach opening. Really? He hasn’t had enough? I’m no shrink, but I figure the guy must like getting fired.”
MEGAPHONE
“He touched the top of my head, and I didn't like that. You know what I mean. I don't know if Pau's got kids, but don't touch my head like I'm one of your kids. I don't know what his intentions were, like, 'I'll treat him like little Chris.' I don't know if he's got kids, but I'm not one of them.”
— Clippers guard Chris Paul, explaining his skirmish with Lakers big man Pau Gasol.
