Alex Ovechkin A No Go Tim Thomas A No Show: Two hockey superstars drew plenty of attention to themselves yesterday, and for very different reasons.
Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was suspended for three games by the NHL’s local disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan.
Only a few hours earlier, the Boston Bruins’ goalie Tim Thomas was conspicuously absent from the traditional proceedings at the White House to honor the Stanley Cup champions.
Needless to say, both events have been heavily discussed on Twitter and hockey sites all over the internet. And no, I wouldn’t say a majority of fans have come to the players’ defense.
Starting with Ovi, the Russian appears to have done his Capitals team a great disservice taking a suspension at this point of the year. With Nicklas Backstrom still up in the press box with a concussion-related injury and Mike Green suffering a seemingly incurable groin injury, Washington needs to keep the rest of the offensive skill players on the ice. Now after a reckless hit by Alex Ovechkin on Zbynek Michalek, the Caps are all of a sudden short their three best skaters.
Perhaps just as important as the Capitals’ thinning roster is the statement sent to the league by Brendan Shanahan. There will be no double-standards for the star players if they decide they want to target the head. The Department of Player Safety is doling out blind justice, and not even Alex Ovechkin is exempt from playing inside the rules. For so many years I’ve seen Ovechkin leave his feet to make those big checks along the boards. It’s good to see that Shanahan will enforce the rules, even if it means the Capitals’ darling son will have to stay off the ice. Continue Reading…
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