The Ice Man Cometh
This is a plea to a warm-climate people, to a people who love sports but would never flip on a hockey game because hockey is that game with a lot of pushing and shoving with a punch thrown in for variety.
Watch the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin. Don't be the last person on your block to see the best thing on skates since Michelle Kwan won figure skating's world championship in Washington in 2003.
Ovie is the real deal, not someone hyped by the sports star-starved Washington media. Pick a game, any game--the Russian with the gap-toothed grin can take it, shake it and make it his own.
Don't take my word, just read accounts of last night's 4-3 playoff win by the Capital over the Pittsburgh (boo) Penguins. Or ask Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who was part of the crowd of 18,277, even if he did watch from a luxury suite.
Ovechkin scored a hat trick to account for all but one of the goals by the Capitals. The other boy wonder of hockey, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, matched him.
It was great theater. Add to the mix that the two don't like each other very much--well, not at all--and this series has the makings of a great passion play.
Crosby scored first to give his team the lead, which held up through the first period. Ovechkin answered early in the second period. Crosby scored again. The Caps added another before the close of the period.
In the final frame, Ovie fired in two before Crosby responded with his final goal in the final minute.
They play different styles. Crosby skims the ice like a drop of water on a hot skillet. Ovechkin chews it up and spits it out.
So the Caps lead the series 2-0 and head to Pittsburgh for a game tomorrow night.
The Orioles and Nationals aren't going anywhere this year. Ravens mini-camp is still on the horizon. So what do you have to lose?
If you're watching Ovechkin, not much.
in Today's Special
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Comments
Amen! Go Caps! People might want to take notice of our rookie goaltender Simeon Varlamov. He has now started more playoff games than regular season games, and he is making saves standing on his head!!! Might wanna catch the game on TV; tickets are hard to come by right now.
Posted by: Mr. Deez | May 5, 2009 1:39 PM