Hockey. A sport usually reserved for toothless, bearded men whacking each other with sticks and clumsily ripping off their shirts for the amusement of the 100-or-so fans in the stands. But now, it seems that followers of hockey in my hometown of Washington D.C. have multiplied like bunnies. My theory for such a spike in Capitals followers and attendance?
Not failed birth control. Alex Ovechkin.
Forget Chuck Norris. Forget Tim Tebow. Ovechkin is the new chief on the block.
Sure, it may have something to do with the fact that the Washington Nationals charge $35 for a guaranteed loss and a bad hot dog and that the Wizards can't seem to string together an injury-free season. The Redskins just lost to the Detroit Lions, so that train is officially derailed. Soccer hasn't fully engulfed the country yet, effectively eliminating the D.C. United. And the Washington Mystics? Please.
Maybe the fans of our nation's capital had no other sport to love, no team to passionately follow and live for. Or maybe Ovechkin saved a dying sport at the right time in a city with very little else to brag about.
Beginning on Sept. 16, 2004, a 310-day NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of the league's 88th season, making it the first time since 1919 that the Stanley Cup was not awarded. The Capitals were hit especially hard, ultimately holding a fire-sale for superstars Jaromir Jagr, Sergei Gonchar and Robert Lang. Trading Lang marked the first time in league history that the top scorer was dealt midseason — not exactly the right message to send to a diminishing fan base.
Not to make him the Messiah or anything, but Ovechkin turned the Capitals from the definition of suck into a perennial contender. More importantly, he helped bring in dedicated fans. Despite the Capitals' finishing in the basement of the Southeastern Division in Ovechkin's first year, the rookie won the Calder Memorial Trophy by ranking third in the NHL in goals.
Less than three years later, the Caps won the Southeast. An ESPN article said that "Obama and McCain can only hope to change Washington the way Ovechkin has." A truer statement has never been uttered.
So what did Ovechkin do to so drastically change the way Washingtonians view hockey? Netting 163 goals in three seasons and winning the division sure helped. But at least half of his success is due to his infectious spirit and outgoing personality that energized the franchise.
Two examples highlight my point. On Sept. 9, Ovechkin stopped traffic on Manhattan's Sixth Avenue so he could drive a Zamboni down the middle of the street. Not a bass-thumping, rim-studded Hummer or a limo with tinted windows, but a Zamboni. What a champion.
And where was he going in this ultra-pimp mobile? To the NHL Store to play some Wii, because sometimes you just need to roll up to a video game demonstration for 2K Sports' NHL in style.
Second, in an interview with Russia Today, when asked how he prepares for the game, Ovechkin responded "sex really helps." When asked if it was before or after the match that he sacks up, the Capital said "before and after."
Besides the obvious charisma Ovechkin exhibits, I bring these examples up to contrast him with Washington's other prominent sports figureheads. Dan Snyder is about as interesting as a moldy bagel. And the supposed savior of the Nationals, Stephen Strasburg, is a man-child quieter than a deserted museum.
But Ovechkin? He'll flat out tell you he's ugly and that he still gets into bed. He's the Russian Hugh Hefner, gliding on an ice rink instead of bathing in a grotto. He has the talent of Wayne Gretzky, the ability to turn a franchise around like Michael Jordan and the teeth — or lack thereof — of a newborn.
When speaking to students at Moscow's New Economic School this July, President Barack Obama said "As a resident of Washington, D.C., I continue to benefit from the contributions of Russians — specifically, from Alexander Ovechkin."
Don't we all?
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Alex Prewitt is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Alexander.Prewitt@tufts.edu
