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Ovechkin has a responsibility to change the way he plays

December 2, 2009 10:55 AM | Posted by   Elliotte Friedman  

Of everything that’s been written and said about Alexander Ovechkin in the last 24 hours, the most important statement is this one, from The Washington Post: “Asked earlier in the day if he would consider changing his style of play after the Gleason hit, Ovechkin was defiant.

"Why I have listen somebody to say I have to change (my) game (like) somebody going to kill me?" Ovechkin said. "Nobody can kill me. Just play my game, enjoy the time and enjoy my life. It's me and it is what it is."”

That’s not good if you’re a Capitals player who wants to win the Stanley Cup. It’s not good if you’re Bruce Boudreau, George McPhee or Ted Leonsis. It’s not good if you’re a Capitals fan. Quite simply, Washington will not win the sport’s most coveted trophy unless Ovechkin understands he must change – a little.

In the words of one GM, this great player is “out of control.” He has given the NHL no choice but to get tougher on him. If he continues the recent pattern of slew-foots, boarding penalties and knee-on-knee hits, he will spend even more time out of the lineup.

'Out of control' Ovechkin is coachable

The only question will be if it’s due to injury or suspension.

Boudreau has said before that Ovechkin is very coachable. There’ve been occasions where he’s informed his superstar that he’s going to make an example of him in front of the other players because it sends a better message.

“He just says, ‘Bring it on.’ He knows what I’m doing,” Boudreau said once.

Well, this is going to be the truest test.

Like most superstars, Ovechkin’s greatest asset is his personal pride. He is self-motivated, determined to succeed no matter what. Like Sinatra, he does it his way and that’s to be admired.

But, what the best also understand is that there’s a time to change and adapt. (See Steve Yzerman and Scotty Bowman.) And there are a few people he has a responsibility to listen to:

  • First and foremost, his teammates. During Ovechkin’s second season, I went to Washington to do an Inside Hockey on him. After a game, our crew went for a few beers. He showed up with some other players. The one thing that really stood out: How much they looked out for him. He was still new, a 20-year-old kid in a foreign country. They made sure he was taken care of. I’m not exactly a grizzled veteran of this business, but you learn to recognize teams with locker-room issues. It can really be a problem on a team with one major superstar. Not in Washington. Ovechkin is surrounded by players of varying talents, who recognize his status with no jealousy. They are happy to perform their roles. They want to win the Stanley Cup as much as he does, and recognize he is crucial to that goal.

  • Boudreau and McPhee. Quite simply, the organization does everything possible to make Ovechkin comfortable. He lives his life at 200 mph on and off the ice, while, for the most part, the Capitals pray nothing bad happens. Boudreau rarely, if ever, criticizes Ovechkin publicly. When reporters ask if the winger shoots to much, Boudreau says, “A shot from his stick is a better scoring chance than anything else we’ve got, so no.” Even now, he’s standing up for his star.

  • Leonsis. He made Ovechkin the richest player in the NHL. When someone’s paying you $50,000/game, he deserves your attention.

(One other interesting aspect to this story: Ovechkin’s agent is his mother. We’re working on a feature about agents for HNIC, and one of the reasons some GMs hate the idea of players being without them are situations like this one. They like filtering a tough message through agents to their clients. However, the Eric Lindros fiasco in Philadelphia taught that you can’t do it with parents. This is one case where Ovechkin having an agent would help the Capitals.)

Ovechkin deserves every penny, but it’s not a one-way street. He has a responsibility to treat his teammates, coaches, GM and owner just as well as they treat him. It’s not like they’re asking him to become a softie. They want him to go 180 instead of 200.

Today, Alexander Ovechkin is very lucky he’s not seriously injured. He’s one more dangerous play from a lengthy suspension. From the above quote, it doesn’t sound like he wants to listen. Hopefully for the Capitals, that’s just an immediate emotional reaction. Because, if he isn’t, Washington won’t reach The Holy Grail.

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