How would you feel about Ovi going AWOL for two weeks?
by chockster on Feb 1, 2009 1:01 AM EST
11 comments
First, step away from the ledge. Next, grab your anxiety pills to calm down. Read on.
That scenario won't percolate for another five years, but really four years for it to be really resolved. As Sport-Express' Slava Malamud reported (thanks to Tuvanhillbilly), Ovechkin, as well as Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk appear to have no problem with walking out on their teams to participate in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
It's known that the NHL isn't in love with breaking for the Olympics and hoped to have shut down the league's participation after Vancouver, but having Russia selected for the following winter Olympics forced the league's hand to be fair to its European players and fans.
Malamud reported NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was uncertain during an All-Star break press conference about Sochi, and Scott Burnside's interview with Bettman leaves a lot to be desired on the Olympics (two one-sentence empty quotes from Bettman on the topic amid nine paragraphs of opinion and analysis? Really?).
The impetus of Malamud's reporting was based on part by this statement by Bettman:
"I understand from the Players' Association that the players seem to be very much in favor of continuing Olympic participation," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. "That will be something that obviously has to be taken into account. But there are lots of issues - competitive, logistical - relative to taking a break during the season. I think the break is unnatural. It disrupts the flow of our season." -- The Boston Globe
If an agreement isn't reached, a trio of Russian players appear to be ready to bolt, including our beloved Ovechkin. After speaking to Malkin about the importance of the Olympics and Sochi, Malamud turned his attention to Ovechkin.
After a few minutes, just to ease my conscience, I quoted these words to Ovechkin and asked if he was truly ready to go counter to the NHL and willfully go to Sochi. The usually talkative and cheerful Alexander answered quite laconically and quite seriously:
“Yes.”
Yeah, um, this needs to be taken care of. Sure, it is five years away, and Vancouver still hasn't been played yet. But obviously it's now on the minds of the players.
So, how many players, regardless of nationality, would bolt or bluff in 2014 if no agreement is reached?
You could look at just D.C. and its Russian contingency and you know we would have a problem without Semin, Ovechkin and Varlamov. That is unless Ovechkin's claim that a Russian machine, in fact, never breaks, then add Fedorov and Kozlov. (But they sure can wear down.)
I imagine that not every player would walk regardless of a threat of contractual violations, fines, suspensions or just because.
Despite Bettman's concerns, I think it would be best to let the NHL take a break for the Sochi Olympics and then call it quits from the Olympics for the time being.
It would avoid adding a potential riff with Russian players who could be given an easy excuse to go to the Krazy Hockey League.
One solution doesn't involve NHL players, really. Making it work is a difficult task, though.
It’s about TV production and storytelling and an amateur American superstar.
And really they go hand-in-hand.
NBC wouldn’t have had monster ratings for Michael Phelps’ swimming in Beijing if NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol didn’t convince the Olympic organizers to have swimming events changed to prime time in North America.
Ebersol wouldn’t have had to do that unless he had an athlete as All-American and competitive as Phelps going for a record (time for longest bong hit?).
Unless a Cold War is a boilin' finding a compelling team to follow isn't going to happen. You're going to have to hope for a compelling character for TV to focus on, basically America's version of Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky.
That may night happen in time for Sochi, but Americans should get to work trying to produce such a specimen in time for 2022.
If this FanPost is written by someone other than one of the blog's authors, the opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect those of this blog or SB Nation.
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I would hold nothing against any athlete that wanted to represent his/her country in the Olympics. Country first is an easy decision for anyone.
by wittcap79 on Feb 1, 2009 1:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
We’re talking about a hockey game, not enlisting in a war against fascism.
And it’s a little too early to get worked up about 2014.
by TylerG on Feb 1, 2009 7:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He’s under contract to play hockey for the Caps, and playing for someone else without the team/League’s permission would violate that contract and deserve a fine and/or suspension.
I’d rather the Caps win a Cup than the U.S. (much less Russia) win an Olympic gold, so sorry, Alex – if your union and management can’t reach an agreement that allows you to go and you go anyway, there will be consequences, and I think they’d extend beyond a couple of days off.
Good topic, though.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Feb 1, 2009 9:15 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Agreed. Practically speaking, if he were to do this, the NHL would have a big problem on its hands, and not just from the Russian players. You think the Canadians wouldn’t react to Russia bringing in their top talent? The Swedes? The Finns?
There would need to be severe consequences to prevent this from happening. That said, if Ovi brings a cup to DC, he gets a 5-year (at least) grace period in which he can do pretty much whatever he wants without worrying about my support.
by grapejoos on Feb 2, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn’t care. Maybe that’s because as a soccer fan, I’m used to players just up and leaving (Sometimes in a league cup match) to play for the national team in a friendly.
While I agree with you, J.P., and I know there’s other factors in line with the Soccer things, it really wouldn’t bug me. I’d also like to think that we have enough good players that we could win the four-to-nine games he’d miss.
Football's boring. Get over it.
by Whiter Mage on Feb 1, 2009 12:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think it would be a massive, massive failure on the part of the management, mostly.
As for AO personally… that’s harder. I understand his desire to go play for his country completely, I really do, but at the same time I think he has to honor the responsibilities he has to the team that holds his contract. I feel like there would and should be consequences for that, though it would be something of a shame for him to be punished because the league and union couldn’t get their shit in order.
So I guess I would feel conflicted, is the gist of it.
by vi on Feb 2, 2009 5:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hard for me to vote given the available choices…frankly, I think part of how I would feel about it would depend on how the majority of NHL players felt about it. If Ovie was the only one to bolt to play (or one of only a few), then I wouldn’t be very happy with his level of commitment to his professional team but, on the other hand, if many of players (European and/or American) had a desire to play and felt they should be able to, I think the NHL would have to re-evaluate it’s position on the subject.
I personally really enjoy the international game and Olympic hockey, but kinda think that the games should be limited to amateurs (or semi-pro athletes), such as the rest of non-team events.
how bout:
“If he’s following the lead of his fellow team-mates and players, well, I guess I’m OK with it”
by PaintDrinkingPete on Feb 2, 2009 6:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Noted and now available
how bout:
"If he’s following the lead of his fellow team-mates and players, well, I guess I’m OK with it"
You asked, and you received.
by chockster on Feb 2, 2009 11:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Obviously he wouldn’t be paid for the games he missed. I’m fine with him playing in the Olympics. Two weeks is what, five games? Eight max? If an NHL team can’t lose its best player for 10% of the schedule and still make the playoffs, then they’re not going to get past the second round. And I think home ice advantage is vastly overrated — just getting into the playoffs is much more important than seeding. The bottom line is that the regular season is too long and too irrelevant. I say give him the chance to do something truly entertaining.
If you love a player, set him free. If he comes back, he’s one of yours.
(And if he goes to Pittsburgh, burn his effigy. Matt Cooke, I’m looking at you)
by Gould Old Days on Feb 3, 2009 9:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Look at our Home/Away splits and tell me you don’t think home ice advantage is important to this team? Who knows how it will look in 2014 but my point is that for some teams home ice is a very important advantage. AO may only miss 5 games during Sochi, but what if he gets injured playing in Sochi? You suck it up and deal if he gets hurt playing for the Caps because that is part of the deal, but if he gets hurt playing in a meaningless (to the Caps) game then that is a different story. I think the NHL players want to play in the Olympics (See the NHL player poll on ESPN) so the league is going to seriously have to consider this decision before making any definitive statements.
(Who ever loved Matt Cooke? He’s more like the one eyed cat that never learned to shit in the litter box. We didn’t set him free, we kicked him out. Good riddance.)
by Fehr and Balanced on Feb 6, 2009 10:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Tuvanhillbilly translated an interview with Bill Daly, and here’s one Q&A from it:
Immediately after the All-Star Game, Evgeni Malkin said that he, Kovalchuk and Ovechkin were ready to go to Sochi, even if the NHL forbids them to participate in the games. This means that three Russian stars are ready to go AWOL from their teams. What is your reaction to that?
"This isn’t just a hypothetical situation; it’s one with a five year lead time. So it is very difficult for me to say… However, it is quite clear that the players have an obligation to their clubs, and there are sanctions for violating contract conditions. The clubs and the league will react to such a situation, if it arises, in the appropriate manner."
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Feb 5, 2009 7:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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