I should start by saying that the vast majority of the time, I really enjoy watching Alexander Ovechkin play hockey. He’s easily the most exciting player in the league, an incredible combination of speed, skill and toughness. His interviews are full of life and energy and his enthusiasm is infectious.
That said, questions about the way he plays the game are becoming difficult to avoid, thanks to a plethora of nasty looking hits that have result in suspensions or injuries. The first really significant incident was his hit on Daniel Briere back in December of 2006.
This was an undeniably dirty hit; late, from behind, into the boards. Certainly Briere thought so; he was livid when asked about it afterwards:
We got stuck in our zone chasing the puck for a while. Finally, I got the puck, dumped it out and I skated to our bench, and about 3 or 4 seconds after I dumped the puck, I got hit from behind. I had no clue anyone was coming, so I wasn’t protecting myself. It was a very gutless play on his part, I was defenseless, I couldn’t protect myself, I couldn’t see him because he was coming from behind.
At the time, Ovechkin had no record of throwing these sort of hits; he was tossed from the game and fined $1,000 by the NHL.
A few months later at the World Championships, Ovechkin again found himself in hot water after a headshot on Swiss player Valentin Wirz:
The play, while obviously dangerous, wasn’t nearly as dirty as the Briere hit, because in this case Ovechkin was hitting a player who still had the puck and simply wasn’t aware of his surroundings. Ovechkin told his coach that the hit was unintentional, and the IIHF handed him a one-game suspension.
For quite a while after that, Ovechkin managed to play his physical brand of hockey and avoid anything overly controversial. In January of 2009 however, he threw this hit on ex-teammate Jamie Heward:
After the hit, Ovechkin said that he didn’t mean to hurt his old teammate, and that he just wished Heward was okay. Lightning coach Rick Tocchet exonerated Ovechkin, saying he didn’t feel the hit was dirty. Heward himself said he didn’t think it was an intentional hit. It’s hard to look at that hit and the back-story and think Ovechkin meant to hurt Heward, although of course it’s been a life-changing incident for the veteran defenceman; he hasn’t played since and now lectures on the dangers of concussions.
The hit on Heward was followed by a knee-on-knee hit on Sergei Gonchar.
Once again, I’m sceptical that Ovechkin meant to do this. While there are players (Bryan Marchment comes to mind) who specialize in this sort of hit, the risk seems way out of proportion to the reward for a player like Ovechkin. Again, Ovechkin denied that the hit was intentional; he admitted that it was knee-on-knee but said that he was trying for a shoulder check and Gonchar just moved to quickly.
November of 2009 brought a pair of ugly hits; the ugliest Ovechkin had thrown since the hit on Briere. Within a single week, Ovechkin blindsided Sabres pest Patrick Kaleta and nailed Hurricanes defenceman Tim Gleason with a knee-on-knee hit.
Ovechkin took his first NHL suspension as a result of the second hit.
As with the prior hits, Ovechkin claimed what happened was inadvertent. Once again, as with the prior hits, it’s easy to look at them individually and agree with him; things happen quickly, players move, and people get hurt. Still, while Ovechkin said he’d keep playing his game, his coach suggested that maybe it was time for him to change:
“He’s pretty reckless. It’s hard telling a guy that scores 60 goals a year to change the way he plays. At the same time, I don’t want to see him getting hurt. Maybe he has to pick his spots a little better. The open-ice hits, you just look around the league. It’s not only the hitter, it’s the guy that gets hit. … It’s something that will have to be addressed by us, I guess. … Not only as a coach, but as somebody who admires him, I just don’t want him to put himself in harm’s way, so we’ll see.”
This is the context that I think most people are viewing the hit on Brian Campbell and the subsequent suspension from. I’m in broad agreement with Tyler Dellow on the dangers of hitting from behind (I haven’t played much in the way of risky hockey, but one of the few truly scary moments was getting tripped by the opposition goaltender as I went by the net, with an opposing forward hot on my heels; thankfully he let up and I just crashed head-first into the boards without any weight behind me) and I’ve already written about that hit in detail.
The word “reckless” gets tossed around a lot in connection with Ovechkin, and I think it fits. One hit, two hits, maybe even three hits might be excusable, but part of his hit-hunting package is that he makes dangerous plays. Sometimes, opposition players pay the price; Ovechkin talked about how he was thankful he could walk after the Gleason incident, but what if he’d crippled Gleason, the way he ended Campbell’s season?
At some point, disciplinary action becomes important, because Ovechkin isn’t just putting himself at risk. I’m glad that the league has started to recognize that.
Of these hits shown, The Briere hit is the only one that really looks dirty to me. Both Knee on knees were lead with the shoulder, and the opposition avoided him. Ovie didnt stick out his leg intentionally in either I don’t believe. The headshot looked like he just missed the check, he stepped too far out of the box and the guy ran right into him. Hewards is questionable at best, but it looked like he let up and tried to avoid body contact after he first made contact.
As for the Kaleta hit, too me looks like a good check. He ran his man hard just after the puck left, and its just bad placement that kaleta hit his face of the boards. Not from behind or anything, just a solid check.
It’s very difficult to measure a players intent on plays like these because the game moves so fast as a player you hardly have time to think; what if? To me these hits need to be treated like a high-sticking penalty; meaning no matter what your intent was as a player you are responsible for your actions on ice. It doesn’t matter if your stick is lifted into an opposing players face, its going to be called for a high stick because you didn’t have control of your stick. The same should go for these hits.
Brian Campbell told TSN yesterday something to the effect of “Why would any parent in the US want their kid playing hockey with plays like these occurring?” I completely agree with him, and this is why kids across North America where the STOP signs on the backs of their jerseys. Ovechkin deserved this suspension, and anyone who says otherwise has never been chased by another player going into a corner during a full-contact meaningful game.
Ovechkin makes me vomit in my mouth. i wouldn’t be the cockiest guy around if I were also the ugliest guy around! I hope someone ends his career the way he tries to do to others!
How many times does this dirty loser have to pull this crap before people stop giving him the benefit of the doubt?
I’m glad to see your unbiased opinion on a sensitive issue that doesn’t have a black or white answer. It really contributes to an important conversation that requires strong, logical opinions in order for a compromise to be found.
From: The Internet, thanks howedy
These videos really point out what a homer Craig Laughlin is.
Aside from that – these are dirty, dirty hits. If this were a non-superstar making these hits, there wouldn’t even be an argument. Instead, his intentions get a pass because a dirty superstar is an oxymoron in the modern NHL.
If only today’s fans could remember Howe, Messier, and Richard…
I believe you missed a couple slew foots, one on Peverly.
LOL @ somenone who can’t even put a name of any sort behind words… takes shots and ducks… kind of like Ovechkin! You probably pull cheap crap like the reel above and then NEVER DROP THE MITS, kinda like your buddy Ovie too! Go Russia and cheap shots eh pal?
What more needs to be said about a so called ” sensitive issue that doesn’t have a black or white answer.”?
IMO it does have a Black and White answer… stop being a chep shot artist to Ovechkin and give this guy the punishment appropriate for ending a guys season with a filthy hit from behind to the NHL.
This isn’t a body check to the head which is not found in the rule book and is in the grey area… this is hitting from behind and boarding which are and have been in the rule book forever! The biggest no no we teach our kids in minor hockey is hitting from behind, but we treat as if its nothing in the NHL because people love off Ovechkin?
The guy is a loser… see any of those post olympic spaz out clips… but keep fighting the good fight pal LOL! And believe me, I would be disgusted if anyone in the league was pulling crap like that… so forget your bias angle, and grow a spine pal!
Go Read the rulebook for boarding. The rule is a GREY AREA and recognized as such in the. I’m not saying what Ovie did wasn’t a penalty, but the rule is grey and obviously with Cooke’s hit going unpunished the enforcement by the league is not consistent.
You missed these three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QGStjCKR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2DWw27S1NY#t=01m35s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZKRizzYshk
haha, for real? you are hilarious…Ovie drops the mitts..case and point Downie, and if bradley hadnt stepped in he woulda killed downie.
A biased opinion from a pens fan I assume, or some team that ovie lights up, which is every
ok then its clearly a hit in the numbers hence from behind… the play was complete dirt, as were the other from the collection posted on here. Hits to the head are currently legal with the shoulder, not a penalty and the player who takes the hit can be more aware of whats coming from the front or side and protect himself accordingly. Hits from behind are an attack on defenceless oppostion and are scum regardless of circumstance. The thing that kills me is why someone would defend Ovechkin for his cowardly hit from behind, citing hits to the head and lack of punishment for them as justification for a suspension that wasn’t long enough for Ovechkin… The guy has mastered every diciplin of cowardly dirty Hockey! He has slew foots, hits directly to the head and plenty from behind in his arsenal… always followed by turtling of course! Take your pick, choose your arguement, you will never convince me he is not filth… his track record speaks for itself, like matt cooke’s(who i agree is just as dirty). Obviously some Capitals fans here, sorry bash your prize pony… but he’s a cowardly cheap shot artist!
The Capitals are the biggest band wagon funboy team to be cheering for, i don’t cheer for the pens… but I was smiling and will be smiling every time they beat the Crapitols in the playoffs… I know you little washington euros fans want to get your shots in while your regular season queens are riding high in the swiss cheese eastern conference… but get ready to be sick of Sidney crosby’s grinning face when the hockey counts… and don’t ask your pal Ovie for an autograph or try to take a picture after he chokes again… he might get snarly and push you or break your camera while throwing a tantrum worthy of a 5 year old! He likes to do that you know… but like i said keep fighting the good fight! Did you cry after the Olympic quarterfinals?
My guess is that every nhl player who averages the amount of hits Ovechkin does a year has a similar list of incidents. Ovechkin’s just get highlighted more because he’s a superstar. Watching the videos they really don’t seem to be deliberately malicious, other than the Briere hit. That said, Briere is kind of a bitch (check out his retaliation when he speared ovechkin in the groin, btw. its pretty funny).
The Briere hit was obviously a penalty, but the others are pretty gray. The “boarding” hit on Kaleta was pretty clean in my opinion- Kaleta needed to keep his head up. Lesson learned, i suppose. Both the knee on knees were obviously unintentional- the guys moved at the last moment. Plus why would ovechkin be motivated to knee on knee with someone? These hits all seem to be the natural consequence of someone who is fast and very strong playing aggressive hockey- people are bound to get hurt.
Hah… tell us how you really feel there Howedy.
You never mentioned the Jagr hit during the olympics. Or is the fact that everyone just dislikes Jagr so much that nobody seemed to care.
Heres the facts. Ovechkin has been hitting hard since day 1, game 1. He’s a marked man every game so if he sits back and waits, he’ll be picking up the rest of his teeth every game.
Where’s the video of Briere SPEARING Ovechkin and several other players.
How come Mike Richards and Matt Cooke were not suspended for their hits.
Strange standards in the NHL.
Don’t single out Ovechkin if you don’t review every bad play.
Pavel: Just to be clear: you’re asking me to post the video of every bad play since Ovechkin’s been in the league?
Yes there have been a few bad hits by Ovechkin since he started playing, but I think out of all the hits the only really dirty one was on Briere, and what player does not act out sometimes.
If you think about the amount of ice time Ovie gets, and the amount of ice he covers, is it any wonder he ends up in some sticky situations? He plays hard, works his ass off to get the puck and plays with heart. He is a big guy, hitting little guys, and that’s what happens. He plays with a lot of determination in his game, but I don’t think he intends to injure other players.
Are you “Ovechkin fans” kidding me. He is THE dirtiest hack in the NHL.
He is a pretty cheap and dirty player. With his self absorded monsterous ego which he tries to make himself look good and get all the attention when he faked a injury against Boston for example. I would’t be surprised if he does another dirty hit like this that could end in a career ending injury and everyone will be like “thats ok” but if its anyone else they would all want the player to be punished, but its not ok if ovechkin is being punished. The fans who think Ovechkin isn’t dirty is STUPID and BLIND !!!!!
And he’s also as phoney as a “Three Dollar Bill.”
To the Kyle above: you’re blind, biased, or pretty dumb. I’m not sure which one it is…wait, yes I am. The knees were both led with knees, especially the knee on gleason. Ovechkin plays on the fence of dirty and aggressive, and it’s about time people took notice. I’m hoping to see a lot more of tough guys taking it into their own hands like Gaustad in the first clip. Obviously the league isn’t going to do anything about it. Just ask Steve Downie.
Briere spearing Ovechkin. Now this is dirty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxi77lWJdaw