I didn’t expect Alex Ovechkin to say he was completely at fault for
what what happened with Brian Campbell, but I can’t believe how everyone
in Washington, D.C. seems to be completely mystified for why he was
suspended. Ted Leonsis can’t understand it, Bruce Boudreau can’t believe it
and now A.O. himself is
a bit dumbfounded.
“I am very sorry that Brian
(Campbell) was injured and I hope he is able
to return to his team soon,” Ovechkin said. “NHL hockey is a physical
game. We all play hard every time we are on the ice and have battles
each shift in every game we play so we can do our jobs and win. As
players we must accept responsibility for our actions and I am no
different but I did not intend to injure Brian and that is why I was
disappointed with the NHL’s decision (on MOnday).”“Every time I
have the honor to play for my team, I will continue to do
what I have done since I was taught to play. I will play hard, play with
passion and play with respect for my teammates, opponents and fans,”
Ovechkin added. “I look forward to returning to my team and doing
everything I can to be the best player I can be.”
Before
I continue I have to state this disclaimer: I am not a Alex Ovechkin
hater. In fact, I love watching the guy play.
The NHL did not
suspend Ovechkin because they determined he ‘intended to injure’ Brian
Campbell. In fact, if that were the case, I have to believe that his
suspension would have been much, much longer. Ovechkin was suspended
because, like he’s done in the past, was reckless and created a
dangerous play that hurt another player. Ovechkin’s all-out style of
play is great to watch and you have to respect his love of the game, but
at some point he has to realize that he is accountable for the bad
plays he creates when he’s reckless.
This is nothing more than
that. It seems that Ovechkin and the Capitals are taking this a bit
personal; the simple truth is that every time a player is pushed — or
hit — from behind and into the boards, he’s going to be suspended. The
debates about blindside hits, hits the head or even slew-foots have no
bearing in this situation; hits from behind and into the boards always
have been and always will be punished, at every level of hockey.
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- Wood-eye - Mar 16, 2010 at 2:40 PM
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We’re going to miss Campbell but OV plays hockey tough and barely controlled…that’s the attraction of the televised sport. Perhaps automatic icing calls should be implemented to reduce the end corner collisions. However, all this brouhaha should be directed immediately to the Cooke and Richards recent headhunting incidents and lcak of well-deserved suspensions. And to think Mike Richards is one of the 3 finalists for the Mark Messier Leadersip Award!!!
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- hockeyfan19 - Mar 16, 2010 at 2:43 PM
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I totally disagree, OV didn’t mean to hurt this guy and he made a play that many other players would have made, Campbell fell awkwardly because his blade caught a rut. Regardless if he has been suspended before or not the play was not intentional and did not merit a 5 min major and game misconduct let a lone a suspension. What Cooke did to Savard was MUCH worse, he lined Savard up and went at his head, OV went for the body and Campbell fell wrong. Hockey is a fast paced in your face game, if you are telling players to not finish checks or play soft it’s not hockey anymore it’s pong. I agree players need to respect each other and not play dirty, but that was not a dirty play. I am a huge hockey fan, I love playing and watching the sport, when hockey returns to the NHL maybe I will start watching again.
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- Brian - Mar 16, 2010 at 2:48 PM
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As a Caps fan, I can agree that his hit was unnecessary. He deserved a fine and a stern talking to, and perhaps a suspension.
However, Caps fans are insulted that your statement, “every time a player is pushed–or hit–from behind and into the boards, he’s going to be suspened,” is not true. Twice since December, Capitals players have been dangerously hit from behind. Ovechkin was the victim of one of those hits back in early February against Pittsburg on national television ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkQKBGAQExQ ). The other in Colorado in December, David Koci dangerously checked Mike Green from behind ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9GjQ9CsrBI ). In neither case were suspensions handed out. In the Pittsburg game, Adams was not even given a penalty. In the Koci situation, the league simply issued a fine.
So while many Caps fans are simply “suporting their guy,” there is also a history of inconsistency here. Anyone who fails to acknowledge that, fails to do justice to this story.
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- Edgar Freindly - Mar 16, 2010 at 2:48 PM
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The suspension is BS. Ovie did not hit the guy from behind in any shape or form. The fact you can READ campbell’s name and number on his jersey at the time of contact proves that. This is just the NHL’s last desperate attempt to give Sid “The crybaby” Crosby the scoring title and MVP.
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- Joe Secondbalcony - Mar 16, 2010 at 2:52 PM
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It’s his 3rd misconduct this season…likes knee to knee hits too..give me a break..
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- Rob Selby - Mar 16, 2010 at 2:54 PM
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Why is Ovechkin such a dip@hit? The guy is an ape and a dirty player.
Go Sid!! You’ve already got a CUP and a GOLD MEDAL! What do you punk cap fans have? Absolutely nothing! HA!
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- Wingnut - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:06 PM
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Sid’s a whinny turd.
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- Teri - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:14 PM
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Of course, Ovie will take the suspension like the man he is. And will be back in time for the PENS on March 24th!!! You won’t see Ovie crying in the media about how unfair his penalty is… like Cindy. Go CAPS!
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- Anonymous - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:18 PM
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Yeah, didn’t Ovechkin knee-to-knee Gonchar last year in the play-offs against the Pens, putting Gonchar out for a few games?
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- TK - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:22 PM
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Now this one made me laugh. The fact that the article has absolutely nothing to do with Sidney Crosby show how much a certain segment of fans obsess with him. Its laughable. And a little sad.
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- Rob Selby - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:25 PM
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Will the Caps choke in the play-offs, again? You Cap fans shouldn’t really be trash talking until you’ve actually WON SOMETHING!!
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- T - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:32 PM
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Your right he won’t be crying, because all his fans and team mates seem to do it for him. Just like all his fights, the man can’t even wipe himself.
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- steve shanahan - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:34 PM
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Max Lapierre was suspended for 4 games for a less dangerous hit about two weeks ago. Max Lapierre is a pest, but a clean pest and he does not have a history of injuing players. Ovie has been in the league for such a short time, but yet he has a few suspensions under his belt. Suspending Ovie for 4 games would ensure he misses the “TV” game vs. the Pens. Giving him three games would have made it obvious that they were bringing him back for the “TV” game, so he was handed a two gamer.
My Proposed rule, once a player has three suspensions in less than 3 years, they need to set a minimum 10 games as a repeat offender. 20 games if he is suspended again. 41 games next time. 82 games next time. Permanent next time.
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- Quisp - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:35 PM
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Yes, he caught a rut, I see.
What you seem to be missing is that intent has nothing to do with it. Checking from behind is an automatic five minute major penalty and game misconduct, with the potential for additional action (i.e. suspension). Checking from behind, in the rules, specifically indicates that even a “shove” from behind, whether or not it is near the boards, is punishable. It doesn’t matter if the player who is checked from behind subsequently “hits a rut” or is injured or is not injured.
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- crybabies - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:38 PM
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Everyone on here needs to grow up. If you played the game at all, what Ovechkin did was nothing. It was a push-off which happens a hundred times every night during the NHL season. Campbell caught an edge and went in wrong. It’s part of the game. He should get a penalty and that’s it. I’ve done something similar and torn up an ankle. Nothing sinister. So the whining and crying about Ovechkin versus Crosby, etc., get a life.
The NHL talks about intent but then doles out punishment which doesn’t fit the act. They are inconsistent. Just like most of the idiot fanboys on here who can’t even skate, let alone play the game at any level to understand what they’re seeing.
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- Quisp - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:40 PM
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That’s a hilarious new unworkable standard. It’s only a hit from behind if the offending player eclipses the other player’s name plate from view of the TV cameras? Sorry. The standard is, the player is in a vulnerable position and the offending player pushes, shoves, cross-checks, charges or otherwise hits the player from behind. You could be three feet tall and push him in the back of the pants, it qualifies.
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- caseyfromCalgary - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:50 PM
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Anyone who has been on skates knows that this was a dirty play….AO is a dirty player. It is disgusting as a hockey fan to hear people defending him
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- Quisp - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:56 PM
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Ah, the old “if you played hockey at all” defense. Well, I’m sure there’s no shortage of folks who will take offense at that. For myself, I have played hockey for the last forty years, including several hundred games in AA/AAA youth hockey, with several players who went on to have long NHL careers, Olympic medals, NCAA championships, etc.. My coach for several of those seasons was more than once an All-American defenseman at Michigan State, and I can still remember him beating into us that checking from behind, even shoving or pushing, was extremely dangerous and unsportsmanlike, not to mention the fact that if injury resulted (in USA hockey, kids hockey, I mean) you could potentially be expelled from the league. It has always be so, for kids and in the pros, and it used to be that every so often someone would get hurt as a result of such a play, and we would all hear talk about increasing the severity of the penalty — just like now, only the incidents happened once a year, or less, instead of every day.
As a grown-up, playing in beer leagues, I see chuckleheads (in a no-check league mind you) thinking that shoving someone from behind is totally cool. Fortunately, most of them are such poor skaters that they can’t do too much damage. but those of us who can skate and who are strong enough know how dangerous it would be to shove a player into the boards in a situation like the AO/BC check.
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- Quisp - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:58 PM
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Ah, the old “if you played hockey at all” defense. Well, I’m sure there’s no shortage of folks who will take offense at that. For myself, I have played hockey for the last forty years, including several hundred games in AA/AAA youth hockey, with several players who went on to have long NHL careers, Olympic medals, NCAA championships, etc.. My coach for several of those seasons was more than once an All-American defenseman at Michigan State, and I can still remember him beating into us that checking from behind, even shoving or pushing, was extremely dangerous and unsportsmanlike, not to mention the fact that if injury resulted (in USA hockey, kids hockey, I mean) you could potentially be expelled from the league. It has always be so, for kids and in the pros, and it used to be that every so often someone would get hurt as a result of such a play, and we would all hear talk about increasing the severity of the penalty — just like now, only the incidents happened once a year, or less, instead of every day.
As a grown-up, playing in beer leagues, I see chuckleheads (in a no-check league mind you) thinking that shoving someone from behind is totally cool. Fortunately, most of them are such poor skaters that they can’t do too much damage. but those of us who can skate and who are strong enough know how dangerous it would be to shove a player into the boards in a situation like the AO/BC check.
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- Rob Selby - Mar 16, 2010 at 3:59 PM
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Go suck your own @$$, you sack of pus. You are a retard
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- uofmcasey - Mar 16, 2010 at 4:00 PM
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I never liked the guy to begin with, but ever since he laid his stick on the ice and rubbed his hands over it and now this, NO RESPECT; he’s a skank.
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- geezstring - Mar 16, 2010 at 4:15 PM
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I totally disagree. I do not believe the hit was wrong – there are a lot worse plays than this one that happen all the time. Yes, intentionally slamming someone into the boards while they cannot see you is one thing – this was not that situation. And I can agree that NO ONE should take an action where someone can get hurt but if you look at the severity of the check O put on Campbell – I don’t see any intend or disregard for the safety of the player. I do agree that penalizing players for being involved in these kinds of plays – makes some sense but I do not believe that this particular hit was one that required a suspension at all.
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- Millsie#1 - Mar 16, 2010 at 4:22 PM
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hehe, when my sabres tear through the pens and caps on their way to the cup then we can settle this OV , Sid crap… screw em and send em home!
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- Rob Selby - Mar 16, 2010 at 4:43 PM
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Oooo. Now, I’m getting scared. The Sabres fan is talking trash..
…HA!HA!HA!
Even the Caps are higher up on the pole than you chumps.
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- hockey fan - Mar 16, 2010 at 4:51 PM
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Maybe he should’ve gotten suspended – for A game. Two games I think is a harsh. Let’s take a look at Matt Cooke and what an amazing job he did a possibly ending the season for Savard. No suspension, no penalty. The NHL is picking and choosing…the rules need to be a little more uniform if they’re going to start pulling the players’ safety card. Ovechkin is known for the hard hits, we all know that…but the NHL is trying to make a bullshit example out of him and it’s ridiculous. If the incident with Cooke and Savard hadn’t just happened with the result of NOTHING happening to Cooke, this might not be as objected by a lot of people. March 18…let’s go Boston!
