A couple of things about pro hockey players: They never forget and they seldom forgive. They may not get mad immediately, but they almost always get even – no matter how long it takes.
Such appeared to be the case in Montreal last Thursday when Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban lined up Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkinwith a solid check that sent him airborne.
The highlight-reel hit was payback by P.K. On Feb. 1, 2011, Ovechkin posterized Subban, sending sent him skyward with an open-ice hip check that many considered the hit of the season.
What do players from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club do when their Washington, D.C., rink is closed for annual maintenance? They go to Ovie’s house.
Alex Ovechkin shows Fort Dupont player how NHL defenders feel (Photo/Patrick McDermott).
Thirty-five kids from the nation’s oldest minority-oriented youth hockey program hit the ice with Washington Capitals All-Star left wing Alex Ovechkin at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Virginia Monday for a clinic.
“Can you imagine having the greatest hockey player…come up and play with you?” Neal Henderson, Fort Dupont’s director and founder told USA Today. “Can you imagine what that is. To be able to touch and talk to an idol like him…is unforgettable.”
Thirty-five players from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club hang with Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (Photo/Patrick McDermott)
The clinic was sponsored by Beats by Dr. Dre, a product that Ovechkin endorses. Former Capitals players Alan May and Brent Johnson joined Ovechkin on the Kettler ice.
Ovie perhaps waiting for a pass from Caps center Nicklas Backstrom? Watch out, goalie!(Photo/Patrick McDermott).
“It’s great for the kids, and for me to spend time with the kids,” Ovechkin told USA Today. “Of course (my mind) is not 100 percent off the game or the playoffs, but to do something like that, it’s always nice, it’s always good for everybody.”
I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I still can’t resist.
Remember a few years back when hockey purists were appalled when WashingtonCapitals forward Alex Ovechkin dropped his hockey stick like it was hot and danced around it to celebrate scoring his 50th goal of the season? Mr. Ovechkin, meet AdrianAlvar Stein, a forward for Norway’s second-division Narvick Arctic Eagles.
After his team defeated Norway’s Viking Hockey earlier this month, Alvar Stein felt the need to bust a move – or two, or three. Norway may not be an international hockey power – though it’s in the running to host the 2022 Winter Olympics – but it sure is funky!
Alvar Stein’s dance was light-hearted but according to the Artic Eagles’ web site – with a rough translation via Google – how he wound up in Norway is a compelling story.
He’s 22 years old and was born in Swaziland, a landlocked country in southern Africa. He was abandoned on a church staircase moments after his birth, his umbilical cord still intact. He was adopted by a Norwegian family and moved to the Scandinavian country.
In 171 career games in Norway’s second division, Alvar Stein scored 43 goals and 63 assists. He collected 150 penalty minutes and had a plus/minus of -16.
As for his dancing, a story on the team’s web site said “Adrian danced in front of 1,000 crazy crowd as he usually does (in) the living room and locker room in front of teammates.”
Would Alvar Stein do his celebratory dance in the National Hockey League? I think not. But that’s not to say NHLers haven’t put on their boogie shoes – or skates – and done a little shake. Let’s moonwalk down memory lane and look at some of the league’s challengers to Fred Astaire, Patrick Swayze and John Travolta.
Disco’s long been dead, but not to the guy running the Los Angeles Kings public address system or then-King Jeremy Roenick. Nobody put JR in the corner.
Call this “The Ovechkin Games: Stick Catching Fire”:
Why should forwards have all the fun? Goalies like to groove:
Even old-school-era players liked to get down:
The older generation passed their Golden Slippers to the New Kids on the Block:
