AP Yesterday, Capitals associate goalie coach Olie Kolzig said that Alex Ovechkin needs to work harder, get back to playing “exuberant hockey,” and stop getting “wrapped up too much in the rock star status.”
Today, Ovechkin offered a rebuttal.
Via The Washington Post:
“Yeah I just want to look like him. He is a rock star, so — actually he was a rock star. Right now he’s in retirement,” Ovechkin said. “It’s no situation. I don’t think you guys have to give lots of attention about what he said.”
Ovechkin dismissed Kolzig’s notion that he’s not having as much fun as he used to early in his career.
“He’s not on the team right now. He don’t travel. He see couple games and I was suspended when he saw it. So probably he didn’t see me lots of time like he used to see me,” said Ovechkin, who was then asked if he had spoken with Kolzig since the comments.
The star left wing offered a tongue-in-cheek response. “Yeah, we go out last night together, make some fun, happy time.”
Meanwhile, Capitals general manager George McPhee wasn’t so dismissive: “I don’t disagree with anything that Olie said.”
McPhee acknowledged that Ovechkin didn’t become a superstar without working hard, but “you have to be reminded once in a while.”
In a related story, it’s official — Ovechkin is the real-life, hockey-playing version of Willie Beamen from Any Given Sunday.
Right down to the rap videos.
“He may sell a lot of t-shirts this kid…but he’s tearing this team APART!”
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