The NHL got their wish. Toronto office are smiling broadly. The two faces of hockey, the two most talked about and raves about NHL players, Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, face off in round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A dream come true for NHL corporate.
Mike Wilbon explains what the series means tot he NHL, as a whole. All eyes are on, all eyes are focused.
The Stanley Cup finals won’t begin for more than a month, but the
main event is now. Capitals vs. Penguins, Ovechkin vs. Crosby. It’s the
series — the best thing to happen to the NHL since the bloody
Detroit-Colorado skirmishes in the late ’90s and early oughts.
It was Bruce Boudreau’s post game comment that made the new buzz word surrounding this yet to be started playoff series, as a ‘circus’.
Boudreau, who had just gotten word that Carolina had beaten New Jersey
to set up Capitals-Penguins, smiled knowingly and said: “This wasn’t a
circus. . . . It wasn’t Ringling Bros. Now, we’re playing Pittsburgh.
Welcome to the circus.”
And the ever famous media hype shall begin on the ‘Ovechkin v. Crosby” thing.
There’s nothing quite like a rivalry where the lines are clearly drawn.
Folks with an appreciation for showmanship identify with Ovechkin, with
his celebrations and exultations. Those who revel in the notion of
“tradition” and play their cards a little closer to the vest not only
love Crosby, but tend to express a real distaste for Ovechkin. It’s
wonderful, really.On top of that, you’ve got back story. These two franchises have
played seven times in the playoffs, and the Penguins have won six of
the series. The Capitals would call it a rivalry, but the Penguins must
figure the Caps are like a mosquito that keeps showing up at a certain
time every year.
So yes, it will be a circus. A media created circus. A media driven circus. Let’s just hope, much like other things, the media doesn’t ruin this series. There is serious, real serious, hockey to be played. Put away the hype, put away the media generated rivalries, this is round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
To me, this is not Ovechkin v. Crosby, Malkin v. Semin, or any of that other media generated hype, this is round two baby, round two of the playoff march to the ultimate prize. I don’t care about Sidney Crosby. I don’t care about Evgeni Malkin. I care about an effective power play. I care about good defense. I care about close shots. I care about scoring opportunities. I care about advancing tot he eastern Conference finals. That’s what this is about for me, Pittsburgh just happens to be in the way.
So, articles like Wilbon’s and Don Daly’s, and heck, even The Hockey News X2 oh, and of coruse, the biggest OVie/Crosby pimp of all, NHL.com, will be plentiful. I suspect NHL Home Ice on Sirius and XM will hype it up. Play it up boys, play it up. The media in general will have fun. ESPN and others will love the series. Toronto will brim with glee. But for me, this is the second round, and the Caps are Alive! I know many fans out there including many readers here will absolutely eat up and love the media focus and hype of this series. And that is cool. But for me, it is still all about Capitals hockey.
Oh, and the coaches are playing the role as well, pumping it up for TV.
“We’re happy to be participating in it,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said
of the pending series. “It will be great for hockey and great for TV,
too.”Added Penguins coach Dan Bylsma: “It’s an absolute treat. …
It’s a great thing for the game. … It’s great for the sound bites.
It’s great for the advertisers. It’s just great for the game, and the
hockey will be fantastic.”
So lights, cameras, and actions, cause the NHL got its wish. Now,
let’s just get back to what the Caps need to do, Unleash the Fury and
focus on hockey, not the circus.
But I will take Spector’s hype. Because it’s true. Ovechkin is the best player in the world.
Still, if there’s a player in the NHL more valuable to his team this
season than Ovechkin, if there’s one more talented and more exciting,
I’ve yet to see him play.
Ovechkin is the Capitals. He’s the
straw that stirs the drink. Casual hockey fans or those who don’t
follow the Capitals would be hard-pressed to think of another member of
that roster.
Now, back to the reality, you know, the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Hockey News puts together a nice preview of each of the 4 round 2 playoff series. TSN has a preview of each of the four teams. Maggie’s picking the Caps.
TSN has their player rankings.
Mike Green #2 after his performance in Round 1? Stretch? Not really.
I suspect we will see an entirely different Mike Green come Saturday.
As for a media guide, if you are looking for all the playoff series schedules, here you go, Spector has it.
Sergei Fedorov scored the game winner to lift the Caps to the second round. Dan Steinberg has a great piece on Feds.
Hey Don Cherry, this article is for you — read it! And notice something. How about that, Hart Trophy has been captured by the Russians. And more for Don Cherry.
NHL.com
has a masterful piece on Great 8, Alex Ovechkin. It’s a good read.
And Alex Ovechkin is what we fans in Washington have come to know about
him, his energy and passion is for winning, not individual
achievement, and the Great 8 must be thrilled with a 2nd round berth.
His statement to Caps owner Ted Leonsis last year at the NHL Awards
show defines the Alex Washington has come to love.
“We were sitting there and he said, ‘OK, I’ve won all the awards, I get
it, but they can have them all back, I want to win a Cup. I don’t care
if I score 10 goals if we win a Cup.’”
And when I think and worry about the media circus surrounding the
series and how that will play in the heads of these Caps, Ovechkin
statements put me at ease. He knows exactly what is at stake and the
focus that is needed to advance.
“It’s done, you know,” Ovechkin said. “We look forward to the next
game, the next round. It’s going to be another second round war. We
have to realize that we have to be quiet, keep our emotions calm to
keep our energy for the next round.
“It’s all about us right now,” he added. “It’s all about what we do and
it’s all about how we’re going to keep our emotions. Right now we have
to go home, go to sleep, relax and wake up and start to realize we
moved forward, we didn’t go home. We’re still going.”
The Pittsburgh Tribune believe the fate of the Caps does not necessarily lie on the back of #8, but the glove of #40. WE agree.
For Pittsburgh Penguins coverage, we encourage you to visit our Pittsburgh Penguin MVN partners, Get Me the Brandy and Penguin Experience.
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