Ovechkin Wins Over the Hockey World

Think David Beckham, think Tiger Woods, think Aleksandr Ovechkin.
- Russia Today

His fellow Russians have great expectations for Alex. But North America's hockey establishment has never quite embraced him the way it fell for Sidney Crosby.

When Sid was crowned scoring champ and MVP last spring, the public personas seemed set. Crosby was the new helmsman: humble, rock-solid, his great gifts devoted to the betterment of hockey. Ovechkin was the irresistible rogue, almost too talented for his own good. Many tagged him a "pure goal scorer" with all the genius and limitation that label implies.

But now Alex has grabbed the spotlight with a dominant stretch even Crosby has yet to display. Last Thursday's offensive explosion against Montreal might be the defining moment of this NHL season:

"Today was special day. I broke my nose, I have stitches, I score four goals. Everything go to my face. It's the fifth time I broke my nose. It's okay."

Beat that, Sid.

Ovechkin smiles a lot and he's a show-off, suspect traits in a sport where personality is seen as a character flaw. But when you're scoring at a 70-goal pace and you hit as hard as anyone in the game, folks have no choice but to take notice:

Ovechkin Surges into MVP Lead with Clutch January - USA Today

Ovechkin's Riposte to Crosby's Hart - Halifax Daily News

Golden Ovie Making a Case for NHL's No. 1 Star - Hockey News

“I would pay money to watch Alex Ovechkin in a public skate.” - SportsNet, via On Frozen Blog

"Best Player in the Game" is a fluid label, with a new contender emerging in any given week. It might have been Zetterberg in October; Lecavalier before Christmas; you could make a case for Lidstrom almost any time.

Right now there's little doubt that the best player works in Washington. With Crosby on the sidelines until mid-March, his rival is threatening to lap the field.

(Photo: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)