Great Moments In Journalism

by J.P. on Oct 20, 2008 8:31 AM EDT

"If Ovechkin won’t respect Malkin’s status as a superstar, the Penguins can’t respect Ovechkin’s status as a superstar. If that means that Eric Godard does Ovechkin a favor by rearranging his face, so be it.

Malkin shouldn’t retaliate personally. That’s not his job. It might help Malkin’s street cred, but what if Malkin broke a finger? The reward is dwarfed by the risk." - Mark Madden, Beaver County Times

I personally don't think Malkin's the wuss that Madden paints him to be - one that can't take a little physicality or fight his own battles - but Madden covers Malkin and knows him better than I do, so I'll defer.

Oh, and Don Brennan called - he wants his clownshoes back.

H/t Kukla's Korner

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Madden tends to say things like this for the shock value and attention it brings him. A lot of times he says inflammatory things that he may not even mean.

He is deeply involved in hockey and does a lot for the sport at the youth level, so I have respect for him there...But he does grand-stand and rabble-rouse a little too much.

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 20, 2008 8:42 AM EDT reply actions

It's a pretty stupid thing to say and doesn't show a real good understanding of the sport. If Godard (who took a nice slash to Ovi's wrists the other night, btw) did some damage to Ovechkin, don't you think it would put Sid at significant risk? Who wins then? No one.

by JP on Oct 20, 2008 8:47 AM EDT reply actions

Excuse me if I make some grammatical erors, but it's hard to type when you're doubled over in laughter. Moral outrage from Mark Madden? Please. Isn't this the same Mark Madden who got fired from his ESPN radio gig for saying this about Ted Kennedy's cancer diagnosis, "I am disappointed to see Ted Kennedy get cancer, I was hoping to live long enough to see him get assassinated." So I guess wanting someone killed is OK, but taking a run at a hockey player is just beyond the pale. And this anti-violence diatribe comes from a guy who worked for almost a decade in professional wrestling. Madden's idiocy aside, there is clearly something personal going on between AO and Malkin and, imo, I though Alex went a little too far going after him, but Malkin needs to grow a pair real quick the next time the Caps and Pens play. The NHL is a league that is real big on standing up for yourself and if Malkin keeps backing down and lets the goons do his work, he'll be forever branded as a coward. Maybe Madden can show him how to hit Alex with a folding chair.

by b.orr4 on Oct 20, 2008 9:02 AM EDT reply actions

JP,

I agree, I would think that if Godard goes after OV, then someone (Clark? Bradley? Brashear?) would do their best to take out Crosby. Of course, I'm sure that Madden would be screaming at the top of his lungs about how that was wrong, what's a "goon" doing attacking a skill player, etc.

*sigh*

And I agree b.orr, if Malkin shows that he's backing down, that's going to be what teams do against him. "Just keep hitting him and he'll back off." Isn't that what the book was on Alfredsson for years?

by tg on Oct 20, 2008 9:09 AM EDT reply actions

@tg-Malkin didn't help his rep when he backed down from Ovechkin then boarded Semin from behind. Players remember that stuff.

by b.orr4 on Oct 20, 2008 9:12 AM EDT reply actions

"if Malkin shows that he's backing down, that's going to be what teams do against him. "Just keep hitting him and he'll back off." Isn't that what the book was on Alfredsson for years?"

@tg- Let it show Malkin had a goal and 2 assists that night, the physical play didn't keep him off the scoreboard by any means.

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 20, 2008 9:26 AM EDT reply actions

1) Makes one wish we didn't have to wait another 3 months before they play eachother again. LOL

by FAUX RUMORS on Oct 20, 2008 9:56 AM EDT reply actions

Hooks,

I'm not disagreeing with you. But if there's a thought out there that by checking Malkin you can "get in his head" or get him off his game, you're going to start seeing everyone doing it early in the game, and even going out of their way to do it, in the hopes of preventing him from getting going.

And although that was the "book" on Alfredsson, he always seemed to do his best work against teams like Buffalo that targeted him, didn't he?

by tg on Oct 20, 2008 10:01 AM EDT reply actions

I really think Ovie could take Goddard. Hence the reason he resorted to that pansy little slash the other night. If Brash is in the lineup, he's killing him for that.

And it seems to me that Malkin (seemingly like the rest of the Pittsburgh fanbase) has a "I can dish it out but I can't take it" complex. Least Ovie's hits were clean, anyone else would have been suspended for that hit on Semin.

by Murshawursha on Oct 20, 2008 10:09 AM EDT reply actions

And I agree b.orr, if Malkin shows that he's backing down, that's going to be what teams do against him. "Just keep hitting him and he'll back off." Isn't that what the book was on Alfredsson for years?

Sounds more like the book on Viktor Kozlov to me.

by DMG on Oct 20, 2008 10:12 AM EDT reply actions

@Faux

Oh to be in the Patrick Division again...*sigh*

by wittcap79 on Oct 20, 2008 10:15 AM EDT reply actions

Haha Madden is such an idiot. It always amuses me how Pens fans give Malkin credit for "shrugging" off the Ovechkin hit last January. Watch the you tube clip. The only reason Malkin didn't get demolished was because Green glided in between Ovechkin and Malkin at the last second, and Ovechkin had to turn away to avoid Green and clipped Malkin in doing so. You can see it best at the last replay angle they show.

As for Ovechkin "headhunting", half of the hits between the two were initiated by Malkin. Malkin just happened to be the one that got knocked down each time.

The hit along the benches looked worse than it should have because Malkin dropped to his knees like a west baltimore hooker to try and avoid contact.

This is starting to sound like Lemiux who took cheap shots on people (Todd Krygier anyone?) but expected the league to proect its stars with special treatment.

Malkin, and Pens fans, need to stop expecting special treatment. Shut the hell up and play the game.

by Sombrero Guy on Oct 20, 2008 10:34 AM EDT reply actions

I'm confused. Exactly how does Ovechkin supposedly picking on him during the Penguins game imply that Ovi doesn't respect him as a superstar? Leap of logic much?

Sombraro Guy: I think it's Madden who needs to get off his knees.

by this space for rent on Oct 20, 2008 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

"Let it show Malkin had a goal and 2 assists that night, the physical play didn't keep him off the scoreboard by any means."

No...but Malkin's points came on the power play and mostly in the first perod. You still could argue that Ovechkin's physical game wore on Malkin and that by the end of the game, he no longer was a factor. I did clearly bother him, and other NHL players will take note.

by exwhaler on Oct 20, 2008 11:49 AM EDT reply actions

Yes, I forgot that AO was "headhunting" the entire night.

Every hit AO was a clean, shoulder to shoulder bomb.

What about Evgeni "Slewfoot" Malkin boarding the crap out of Semin?

Stay classy.

by Jimmy Jazz on Oct 20, 2008 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

Just checked out the pics of the Caps at the Skins game and have to say, Nicky still looks a little Pillsbury-Doughboyish to me...maybe less moobs but more spare tire.

by dcrock on Oct 20, 2008 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

@dcrock-noticed that little spare tire around nicky's middle as well. That said, he looked real fast in the game against NJ. I think the slow start is all tied to the extra attention Ovechkin's getting. Moving Nick to another line will probably jump start his point production. And moving Feds to AO's line hopefully will do the same for Alex. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what it does for our D.

by b.orr4 on Oct 20, 2008 12:20 PM EDT reply actions

No surprise about Backstrom - Al Koken said during the Devils game that Backstrom showed up 20 pounds heavier than he was last year.

by DMG on Oct 20, 2008 12:58 PM EDT reply actions

@ DMG: Minor correction - I believe it was Lisa Hillary rinkside who gave us the '20 pounds' info. Speaking of which, why is it a month after training camp opens before we get that tidbit (and why didn't we get it from the print guys)?

by JP on Oct 20, 2008 1:01 PM EDT reply actions

@jp-Tarik probably had it in one of his stories but the editor's cut it because they needed the space for an article on a volleyball player from Delaware.

by b.orr4 on Oct 20, 2008 1:12 PM EDT reply actions

Wow... that was one of the dumbest things I've ever read. Ovechkin - who is apparently a wild, raving, vicious lunatic - is victimizing poor, innocent Malkin by hitting him. Cleanly. IN A HOCKEY GAME.

Geez, what sport does this guy think he's watching?

Maybe Ovie does have some kind of beef with Malkin, I don't know, but if the way he wants to deal with it is by flattening him cleanly him on the ice, well, that's just fine by me (and by the rules of the game for that matter).

As for Nicky, I'd be more concerned about the pudginess if he hadn't looked so sharp on the ice Saturday. Hopefully he's just getting back into the swing of things and it's irrelevant.

by Vi on Oct 20, 2008 1:22 PM EDT reply actions

@ JP,
my mistake; thanks for the correction

@b.0rr4,
It may be because it's hard to get any real information on player's heights and weights in the NHL. For example, though Backstrom is 20 pounds heavier he is listed at 20 pounds less than he was last year. Tomas Fleischmann was 180 last year (says Boudreau) and was listed at 193. This year he apparently put on 6+ pounds of muscle in the offseason but he is listed at 190.

And there's no way Chris Bourque is 5'10''

by DMG on Oct 20, 2008 1:24 PM EDT reply actions

I still think there's no beef between the two. Malkin thinks it's personal, Ovie thinks it's hockey.

If I had to choose one player on the Caps to be responsible for keeping Malkin in check, it'd be #8.

He has the size, the speed, and he's more than a little familiar with his game. It's all strategy to me.

by Brendan on Oct 20, 2008 1:48 PM EDT reply actions

It is a shame they don't play again for a while because Ovie is already in Malkin's head. He'll be looking backwards from the opening face off next time....

by Boodgiesdad on Oct 20, 2008 4:42 PM EDT reply actions

I don't really get how anyone thinks Ovechkin's hits weren't clean. A knee hit a face, but because Malkin tried to duck and dodge and failed. The only dirty hit I saw was the stick to the back of the neck boarding on Semin. Who has the right to cry foul if not Washington?

by Hazardous on Oct 20, 2008 4:55 PM EDT reply actions