Ovechkin, Sid the Kid Give NHL New Life

WASHINGTON -- There are times, when the house lights are down and the Verizon Center is bathed in red, that Alex Ovechkin seems like much more than a rock star and Charles Barkley's choice as the best athlete in sports (remember, LeBron James and the Chuckster are feuding). Really, it's the closest thing I've seen in an arena to a cult revival, with heavy-metal riffs tearing through the lubed-up, raucous crowd and "ROCK THE RED" stenciled menacingly on the ice.

Imagine Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin rising from their graves to see a Russian hockey star, in the cradle of American freedom, rocking the red to the worship of thousands. Ovechkin has that effect on people, and if you haven't seen him in person, do yourself a favor and pay the money to watch him rip the quickest, hardest shot in the game past baffled goaltenders and then, like a human pinball, skate in a mad rush to the nearest sideboard so he can leap, crash into the glass and chest-butt the red-clad fans. He dyed his hair red for the playoffs, though it's hard to tell on his dark-haired mop with bangs that hang into his eyes. When Capitals fans chant "Hey, you suck!" at Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to the beat of "Rock 'N Roll Part II," Ovechkin smiles and chants along as any 23-year-old would. Know another superstar who hangs his team's car flags on his Mercedes? Or gets a death threat from a Pennsylvania teenager on a computer?

He is precisely what sports needs amid a recession, baseball's endless steroids scandals and the NBA's latest officiating debacles: an electric, dynamic, fan-embracing whirl who scraps with opponents, scores with his strength as much as speed and gives the NHL -- a league with an ongoing identity problem and dubious television deal -- its first transcendent, for-the-masses icon since Wayne Gretzky. I'm not saying Ovechkin can save the league from its niche-sport status. Nor am I saying he's God and can lead the Capitals to the Eastern Conference finals without much support, a major problem as they head to Pittsburgh for Monday's Game 6 down 3-2. The only thing that can quiet the downtown D.C. din is a stunning loss, and on Saturday, two more Ovechkin goals -- his ninth and 10th of the playoffs, including a game-tying rocket with 4:08 left in regulation -- were wasted in overtime when Capitals defenseman Tom Poti deflected a puck into his own net and gave the Penguins a 4-3 victory. Only minutes earlier, Washington's David Steckel botched an opportunity to win it, sending shivers through Capitals fans who sense their team, for the third time since 1992, could be blowing a 2-0 lead and losing a series to Pittsburgh.

"First shift, Stecks missed an empty net," Ovechkin groaned. "I said, 'Jesus, where is our luck?' The puck was bouncing, and next they got a power play and scored a goal."



The series has wowed the hockey crowd with can't-miss entertainment featuring the sport's two biggest names. Crosby, 21, is the polar opposite of Ovechkin as a personality, the antithesis of flash and flamboyance, a down-to-earth young man who still lives at the home of Penguins legend/owner Mario Lemieux and has criticized Ovechkin for his post-goal celebrations. They aren't particularly fond of each other, a rarity in a sports world where megastars usually are mutual admirers. And Crosby did himself no favors during an epic game by both players last week. After both delivered hat tricks -- "Sick game. Sick goals by me and him," O.V. said -- Sid The Kid wasn't happy that Washington fans were following tradition and throwing piles of hats on the ice. "People kept throwing hats. I was asking if [the referee] could make an announcement to ask them to stop," he said. "I mean, the first wave came and then I think they were all pretty much picked up, and then more started coming. So for us, we wanted to make sure we kept kind of moving and kept the game going to try to get back in it."

But what they do have in common is their unique place in time, their strong relevance in hockey history. Maybe they aren't the next Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who raised the level of NBA prominence and prosperity in the 1980s. But in a hockey context, Ovechkin and Crosby are luring more eyeballs back to a sport that went flat among the American masses for 20 years.

"It's a war. It's a pretty cool war," Ovechkin said. "I think it's good for fans to see great players play against each other and two great teams play against each other. It's an interesting time, it's an interesting game. It's unbelievable to see how fans react, how fans go crazy."

"There has been a buildup, and I'm sure this is entertaining for people to watch," Crosby said. "But as a player, I still want to win."

Crosby probably will win this series and the chance to advance to his second straight Stanley Cup finals, possibly a rematch with Detroit. Simply, he has more help around him, including the NHL's regular-season scoring leader, Evgeni Malkin, whose pass to Crosby led to the winning goal that bounced off Poti past goalie Simeon Varlamov. "These games come down to mistakes and bounces," Crosby said. "And we got a good bounce there on the last goal."

Ovechkin wasn't as polite. In fact, he made a promise to Washington fans. "They winning right now, but it's not over yet," he said. "If somebody think it's over, it's not over. We lost and we're disappointed, but we're gonna come back here for Game 7."

He wasn't finished. "If we play the same way how we played the first two periods [on Saturday], we're gonna win this series," he declared.

His brashness breathes life into a sport with too many nice, affable guys who are bad quotes -- like, say, Crosby. Of all people to rip Ovechkin's post-goal celebrations as extravagant, how about broadcaster Don Cherry, he of the gaudy attire and motor mouth? "Over the top," said Cherry, "like those goofy soccer guys jumping up and down." Puh-lease. The last thing hockey needs is another boring superstar. I wish there were 10 Ovechkins, but for those of us who would love to love hockey, at least there is one who will be around the next dozen years.

Admittedly, I had a grand, desperate plan to save the NHL that didn't involve him or Crosby. It would revolve around those spectacularly warm-and-fuzzy outdoor classics on New Year's Day -- when the season seems to begin and end with one afternoon of mainstream hype -- and we'd simply schedule them all year long and forget about the league's actual 30 arenas. If Chicago could host a game at the Frozen Confines of Wrigley Field, the creative possibilities were boundless. Los Angeles? Venice Beach. Dallas? On the grassy knoll. Arizona? A rink suspended over the Grand Canyon. Florida? The Everglades. New York? Yankee Stadium, assuming fans aren't locked out holding $1,200 tickets. New Jersey? Bada Bing Club. Colorado? Red Rocks. Minnesota? On one of the 10,000 lakes. Atlanta? Augusta National. Columbus? The Horseshoe. Detroit? The Big House. Carolina? Dean Dome. Boston? On the dirty water. Montreal? Any strip club. Buffalo? Anchor Bar parking lot. Nashville? Grand Ole Opry house.

D.C.? Where do you think?

But then, an amazing thing happened down the street from President Obama's backyard. The two best players in the game collided in a playoff series and turned hockey into a national happening again. "It's why 'they' are 'they,' why Crosby and Alex are who they are," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When you build up the hype of superstars playing against each other, and then the superstars play like superstars, it's a neat thing."

And well worth your time, whether you're a puckhead or a hater.