Excerpts from "The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at Hockey’s Most Dangerous Player," Part II
by J.P. on Aug 19, 2010 11:30 AM EDT
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[When asked on Japers' Rink Radio this past weekend how he thought his forthcoming unauthorized biography of Alex Ovechkin would be received by Caps fans, co-author Damien Cox answered, "A hardcore fan who just wants to hear good things about their team [isn't] going to be happy," but "people who are looking for a more complete picture of this guy [will] really enjoy an independent look."
The book hits shelves in November (you can pre-order it now through the publisher or online retailers), and you'll have a chance to judge it for yourself. But to tide you over until then, here's the second of two excerpts we'll be sharing this week...]
By the end of his second season in the NHL, Crosby was still far and away hockey’s biggest moneymaker off the ice. That didn’t sit well with Ovechkin. Don Meehan’s Newport Sports agency had helped set up and negotiate signing shows and they fetched hand some sums of money for little more than attendance. Crosby didn’t do anything like that and still, with his endorsements and licensed collectibles, he made two or three bucks for every dollar Ovechkin earned away from the rink. Ovechkin and his parents were impatient with this situation and not satisfied that Newport Sports was doing everything possible to get him into the market. And the way the market had heated up for NHL player salaries, they also knew that the stakes with his next contract were going to be very high: his four-year entry-level contract called for a little under $1 million in a base salary and paid out another $3 million in bonuses and incentives, but the Ovechkins were looking at more than doubling this number as soon as they could negotiate an extension. With this looming, the Ovechkins sent word to Meehan that his services would no longer be needed. They abruptly terminated Ovechkin’s player-representation contract with Newport.
It was certainly something Ovechkin was entitled to do. Players break up with agents frequently—getting out of a standard representation agreement is not much more difficult than peeling off a sweater at the end of a game.
Still, this seemed a cold-blooded business decision. The decision put no value on Meehan’s work negotiating his entry-level contract after the lockout—the Capitals had a very brief window to sign Ovechkin before the 2005–06 season and if they had failed to get a deal done within a 48-hour period, Ovechkin was going to have to spend the entire winter in Moscow. The decision put no value whatsoever on the TLC Newport had offered Ovechkin in his rookie season with the Capitals. Anna Goruven’s daughter, Susanna, had moved to Washington back in the fall of 2005 to help Ovechkin get around town and serve as his translator—it was exactly the kind of thing that Anna Goruven had done for her clients and they had all loyally stood by her. It seemed it was going to be the same with Ovechkin and Susanna. He had made a point of thanking her when he accepted the Calder Trophy at the NHL awards night in 2005. "Susanna does a great job, support me all season," he told the audience. "She’ll be with me sometimes [to] help me buy car, food. She cooks me food, cleans my house, so thanks very much, Susie." But by the end of his second season, with his parents in Washington and Susanna Goruven’s help no longer needed on a daily basis, all she had done for him was behind him, and Ovechkin and his family weren’t looking in the rearview mirror.
Ovechkin’s dismissal of Meehan and Newport was a sharp contrast to Crosby’s story once again. … "The Crosby family had a plan and they stayed with it," hockey marketing executive Brad Robins said. In Ovechkin’s first two seasons, there hadn’t been one plan—there had been new ones all the time, because of a shifting circle of friends and advisors, mostly Russian-speaking, not affiliated with Newport. Ovechkin had been easily swayed by the last person he spoke with. Meehan, Goruven, and others at Newport had often been drowned out by the hangers-on and by the end of his second season they were cut out completely.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., from The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at Hockey’s Most Dangerous Player, by Damien Cox and Gare Joyce. Copyright © 2010 by Damien Cox, Gare Joyce.
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So is this ENTIRE book going to be “ways Crosby is better than Ovechkin?”
Because really they are going to have to gloss over a lot of actual hockey to pull that off.
I’m fine with a critical view of Ovie, but the fact that so far it’s entirely been contrasts with Crosby seems like a cop-out of a way to approach the book.
When we were discussing who the Caps’ #3 rival is behind Pittsburgh and Philly, J.P. answered “Canadian media.” He was completely right.
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by Jake Shapiro on Aug 19, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Don’t worry. We in Canada hate Cox too.
A Nation of Masochists
Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing - Vince Lombardi
I find it hard to believe the book is about Ovi as related to Crosby from cover to cover.
These are excerpts.
"Tikkanen's miss was not as dramatic as the penalty shot Joe Juneau missed in Washington's quadruple-overtime playoff loss to Pittsburgh two years [previous]." - Washington Post game recap 6/12/98
excerpts that JP said yesterday were fairly representative of the book as a whole, iirc.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
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seriously, 300 pages of character assassination via comparisons to Crosby? Sigh
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
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It’s so obvious that he wants to paint Ovechkin in a bad light, but can you fault the guy for wanting better endorsement deals than what his current PR company was providing him? Sure a lot can be said about loyalty, but if things aren’t getting done in the business world then it’s time for a change.
I also shook my head at the comparisions between the Crosby and Ovechkin families and their “plans”. Crosby is from NA and lived with Mario Lemieux to help him acclimate to the NHL. Ovechkin was on his own, in a new league, and on a new continent where he didn’t even speak the language. Seems like apples to oranges to me; but not apples to apples as Cox wants to make it sound like.
When I read the nickname Testicula, the first thing that popped into my head was a vampiristic scrotum that can only be killed with a silver cross driven through the vas deferens.
Not to mention that he gets his facts wrong.
He writes that " In Ovechkin’s first two seasons, there hadn’t been one plan—there had been new ones all the time, because of a shifting circle of friends and advisors, mostly Russian-speaking, not affiliated with Newport." I’m sorry, but Ovechkin’s family was here, in DC, and living with Ovechkin, and they were his primary advisors as reported by Tarik. And when Ovechkin fired Newport, his mother took over representing him.
There’s being criticial, then there’s being manipulative with established fact.
I thought his parents spent the majority of his first season in Russia? They came a few times, but didn’t really move in to the Arlington house until the second season.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
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IIRC Ovie’s mom was his agent in Russia and pretty much the only reason they had hired Meehan was they wanted someone experienced in NHL contracts. Once they got familiar with the NHL and made the decision to sign a long term contract with the Caps, there wasn’t really a need for an agent.
"Yes, but Rimmer Directive 271 states just as clearly, 'No chance you metal ba****d.'"
Ugh.
I don’t think I even need to read these excerpts anymore.
1.) If this is a behind-the-scenes look at Ovechkin, why why why is everything contrasted to Crosby?
2.) Any writer who uses TLC in print is just lazy, in my opinion. There’s no better way to craft that sentence so you don’t use a muddled acronym? (I assume he means tender loving care, but TLC is also the name of a band and a television network. Not that anyone would get confused, but it smacks of laziness.)
I can at least take solace in the knowledge that they hate Ovechkin so much because he is so amazing on the ice that he diminishes the Canadian Wunderkind’s standing. Everyone who wants to proclaim Crosby a hockey deity has to contend with Ovechkin’s performance over the same time period. It’s frustrating if you’re in Camp Crosby, just as Crosby’s success is frustrating to us in Camp Ovechkin.
However, that doesn’t excuse this tripe any more than it excuses “Cindy Crysby is teh gay!” nonsense.
You had me at no problem.
by Ninjak on Aug 19, 2010 11:38 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Yea I mean
Look, i’m not one to only read things that gush over Ovie, I appreciate a non-biased view…but come on. I’ve been studying for the LSAT and one of the sections is reading comprehension, 1 of the important things that I have trained myself to look for is attitude in writing, and these excerpts haven’t seemed “in the middle.” Interesting stuff though, will probably pick up a copy anyway, but still – the fact that the author calls himself unbiased seems less than true.
will probably pick up a copy anyway
I see no point in putting any money in Cox’s wallet.
"It's always good to have vikings."
Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.
Yea, I can definitely understand that – maybe I’ll see if i can find a digital copy or scanned version for free online – regardless of the perspective, i like to know little things like this about ovechkin.
I feel a sort of loyalty to Ovie, you know, read his biography.
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by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I feel for me like that loyalty is better repaid — and maybe better apreciated by him — through watching his games.
"I wake up in the middle night frustrated because we lost out in the first round and I want to see our players hoist the Stanley Cup." -Brooks Laich
by CapitalCentre on Aug 19, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
OK, is “Gare Joyce” the nom de plume for Don Meehan?
As for Crosby’s camp “having a plan,” I suspect they had a “plan” since he was ten years old. That’s what happens when you are a phenom in a Canadian sport being raised to play in its professional league (goes for basketball, football, tennis, or golf, too). It’s expected. Even if Ovechkin was identified at 15 or 16 as a likely NHL player, in what sense could his family put a “plan” together to that extent for a career on another continent, not knowing the market landscape or the players?
Was Ovechkin’s a “cold blooded business decision?” We can answer that with a question… “what business decision isn’t cold blooded?”
And I’ll ask the original again. In a book supposedly about Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby is the star?
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 11:42 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Was Ovechkin’s a "cold blooded business decision?" We can answer that with a question… "what business decision isn’t cold blooded?"
Further to that point, assume that Meehan was taking a typical sports agent’s cut of 3-4%. Had he negotiated the same deal that AO ended up with, that’s between 3.72 and 4.96 million pre-tax dollars – that’s hardly an insignificant amount of cheddar.
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I wonder if Meehan would have negotiated a 13 year deal for $124 million, or gone the conventional route at the time (five or so years, maybe $40-45M). Even if the idea came from Caps management, Meehan’s presence on the other side of the table would have offered a completely different negotiating dynamic from square one.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
And could have been not as easy with more dollars involved. To net the same dollars after the agent’s fee, the contract would have needed to be for $128 million. Would an additional 300k per year been a contract killer? Probably not, but who knows? And how hard really was the entry level contract? Of course it was going to have the max bonuses in it. Might there have been different targets that were harder to achieve (hah!)?
"It's always good to have vikings."
Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.
No question. Likely, that different negotiating dynamic would’ve been more focused on maximizing the player’s career earning potential. Not saying that that wasn’t a factor (even the primary one) of Ovechkin’s camp when they signed the deal they did, but my guess is that it would’ve been much shorter if Meehan had negotiated it. Just a guess, though.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Which was kind of my thinking when Ovechkin signed the deal. The back half of it is really a futures deal in which the Caps were bullish on the movement of the cap (and, by extension, the revenue potential of the league). In the last five years of that deal, Ovechkin doesn’t encumber 16 percent of the cap (as he will this season), but maybe 10-12 percent. For the Caps, a nice deal (if the market moves that way). But it’s nice for Ovechkin, too, in that the money is guaranteed (all other things being equal).
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Right. But for an agent with a stable full of contracts, would that back end be as desirable versus free agency when the player is still at the end of his prime? Who knows.
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Good point, Peerless. Allen Iverson, Andre Aggasi, Bryce Harper, all those guys had families with a plan. In fact, given the commitment in terms of time, effort, and money that it takes to get a kid through youth hockey and into the juniors, I suspect that, say, Dave Steckel’s family had a plan.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
by fat_daddyo on Aug 19, 2010 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
As for Crosby’s camp "having a plan," I suspect they had a "plan" since he was ten years old. That’s what happens when you are a phenom in a Canadian sport being raised to play in its professional league (goes for basketball, football, tennis, or golf, too)
But I’m sure the plan from Crosby’s camp had nothing to do with maximizing earnings. Not like those greedy Ovechkins.
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
you don’t need to maximize earnings when you live rent-free in Mario’s basement!
Go Flyerz!
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
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That’s not as facetious as it sounds. I would think it entirely likely that any plan would include “image control.” You doubt this happens? I have but two words…
Tiger Woods (pre-November 2009).
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Woods is the ultimate example of pure image control. Hell, even when he was 3 and on the Mike Douglas show he was a spectacle.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Peerless, did you get that off my new site? Here’s a piece that might catch your interest from my contemporary (who’s going to be a force here soon).
"Game's the same. Just got more fierce."
by Hooks Orpik on Aug 19, 2010 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
From what I’ve read, Ovie was projected as the top draft pick at age 14. At age 10 people had already told the Ovechkins that he would be something special and they had to focus on his training. They did. I’m certain the Ovechkins had as much of a plan as the Crosbys just without first-hand knowledge of N. America and the NHL.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
Forgot to add: what I don’t think the Ovechkins were prepared for was how to promote him. Marketing – what to do, what not to do – is still the weak area. IMG should lead to improvement in this area.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
JP, you’ve mentioned before you thought your two excerpts capture the spirit of the book.
Is Crosby as major of a character in the book as these two excerpts make it seem?
"Game's the same. Just got more fierce."
He certainly makes his fair share of appearances, but how could he not?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I would expect comparisons, and in fact I would be niether surprised nor offended if the comparisons on-ice favored Crosby. Crosby has been, in the context of a team sport, the more successful of the two. He has more team hardware than does Ovechkin and has almost as much individual hardware. But the character comparisons are value judgments (in this instance painting Ovechkin as a grasping sort who viewed endorsements as a proxy for measuing one’s manhood) that leave me alomst thinking I’d be blinded by a halo were I ever to stand in Crosby’s presence.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Of course their stories are largely linked, just found it curious that you had two chances to illustrate anything in the book and you zeroed in on two passages that seemed fairly Crosby-centric.
They didn’t have anything of interest about AO’s Phoenix goal, the NYR comeback game, the big-time game v. Montreal with the broken nose or anything else? Nothing good about his MVP years or interactions off the ice?
Granted, I haven’t read the book so I don’t know exactly what it contains, but your passage selection seems to indicate, to me, a showing of pro-Crosby sentiment in the book that is going to rile people up around here. Not sure if that was your intent, but I know you’re a smart guy and chose these specific entries for some reason.
"Game's the same. Just got more fierce."
by Hooks Orpik on Aug 19, 2010 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Read the book before you start criticizing my excerpt choices, k?
And this passage isn’t “Crosby-centric,” it’s Ovechkin-centric, with Crosby mentioned at the end as a point of reference.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
If by “end” you meant “twice in the first fours sentences”, than I agree.
"Game's the same. Just got more fierce."
Good point – Crosby was offered at the beginning and the end as a point of reference.
Still, I resent your implication of a sinister notion. What do I have to gain by pissing off my readers and starting a riot in the comments?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Page views?
/Deadspin’d
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Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Because there’s a lot of interest in 500 words on an athlete severing ties with his agent?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yes?
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Guess we’ll see.
FWIW, I tried to pick excerpts that I thought were interesting, somewhat new to our readers and fairly representative of the book in terms of tone, style, etc. That Crosby appears in both is not a coincidence, I suppose, given those criteria. But to think I picked the only two Sid passages in the book to paint a picture that I wanted everyone to see is silly.
Also worth noting – upon review, neither the publicist nor the author both had a problem with the passages I selected or the way I am presenting them.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Like I said, I haven’t read the book, I don’t know it’s contents. I found it curious that some of Ovechkin’s more memorable career events (like the eye-popping goals or huge on the ice games) weren’t highlighted here. I didn’t mean to imply anything sinister, maybe these were the best two passages to highlight in your eyes to showcase the book. Can’t and won’t pass judgment on that.
I, like many commenters, found the overwhelming theme of both excerpts to be (in general terms) “Ovechkin = shady, weak dark Russian compared directly to Crosby being the golden boy”. Considering how much Ovechkin’s accomplished, would have thought there would be something more interesting to showcase.
Again, I do not know if this is a reflection of the author’s tone, or just what you decided to spotlight as some of the most interesting parts from your perspective.
"Game's the same. Just got more fierce."
Read. The. Book. See if you can find anything about “eye-popping goals” or "huge on the ice games’ that every single reader of this site hasn’t already read every written word on.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Does the book have a chapter on all the animals Ovie has rescued and brought home? Were the animals interviewed?
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
Do you mean the box of puppies he burned then threw into the freeway?
The guy is Peter Schumpmaker. Lord knows what a schump is, but you can bet your bippy his ancestors made them. What he's doing is far worse than crafting fine schumps.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Aug 19, 2010 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Well what “new light” could he really shine on anything else Ovi has done? Again, he never had access, and those have already been gone over a million times by other people. What could he possibly add?
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I would argue that an excerpt on Ovi’s agent and leading up to his big contract is worthwhile.
We all know the big goals and watch them endlessly as gifs and on youtube. The contract extension was a major event in Ovi’s career from a biographical standpoint as well as one from the development and growth of the Caps’ franchise.
I realized I just made that selection sound boring and dry whereas Ovi and Crosby going mano-a-mano for endorsement deals is much juicier. But I have no problem with an excerpt from this chapter of Ovi’s life.
The question for you is why Cox chose to highlight Crosby in this manner in this section of Ovi’s life. Is this a relevant place to compare the two athletes? I would hope that he compares the two contract deals as well.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
The gratuitous comparison to Sid certainly sets your teeth on edge. And the whole “ungrateful client” thing is a cheap shot – you hire agents, you fire them when it makes sense.
However, the most interesting thing I see here is that Camp Ovechkin was disorganized before he signed his extension. Now that he’s with IMG, I hope (and suspect) that isn’t the case.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
You know, listening to Cox on JRR I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I have no interest in a nothing but positive, Ovechkin is the greatest thing type of book. However, I have even less interest in how does Ovechkin measure up to Crosby in any way. So, in short, thanks for the advance warning. This one is off my to read list.
Cox was worried that the discussions comparing Crosby and Ovechkin were starting to die down because people finally started realizing they’re both fantastic players. So he brought this along to create all sorts of new comparisons.
The guy is Peter Schumpmaker. Lord knows what a schump is, but you can bet your bippy his ancestors made them. What he's doing is far worse than crafting fine schumps.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Aug 19, 2010 11:47 AM EDT reply actions
The Ovechkins
This excert didn’t make Ovechkin look bad as much as it made his parents look greedy and stupid.
greedy, yes. Stupid? i dont know, saving money on an agent and getting their own contract done with a family lawyer that just happend to be the most lucrative contract in NHL history.. agree to disagree
which is pretty funny considering how Troy Crosby is a pretty well-known douchebag. The details are hazy but I seem to remember him bombarding writers with emails about how Sidney deserved the Calder, etc etc
by MattBradleyKO on Aug 19, 2010 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep, that’s correct. There was a Montreal Gazette article by Jack Todd in June of 2009 where he wrote about this incident:
At his worst moments, Crosby is still the son of Troy Crosby, the man who sent me a couple of abusive, quasi-literate emails after I dared to suggest it was possible Sid the Kid might not win the Calder Trophy his rookie season. The elder Crosby slagged the other candidates, especially Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin – the eventual winner – in a manner that suggested a man with a chip on his shoulder the size of Nova Scotia.
Unfortunately, the article is no longer available so I can’t link it, but I pasted this quote from the Caps boards when the article was originally talked about.
I knew I wasn’t crazy, I knew I had read that, but I’ve been searching the internet for it and could not find it. I feel a little better knowing the article is no longer online.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
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This is totally new information to me. After all, isn’t the propaganda that the entire Crosby family is perfect?
"It's always good to have vikings."
Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.
I have an acquaintance whose brother played hockey with Sid when they were kids. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a good word from her about Tory Crosby.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
So target audience for this book is people who don’t like Ovechkin and are looking for confirmation he’s as bad a person off the ice as the Canadian media makes him out to be on it.
by Stormblue on Aug 19, 2010 11:49 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Can’t “The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at Hockey’s Most Dangerous Player” just be a scrapbook filled with pictures of cars, women, and unbelievable Russian parties?
by Alex Reed on Aug 19, 2010 11:49 AM EDT reply actions 8 recs
I think that would require the kind of access that Cox and Joyce weren’t able to get.
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by J.P. on Aug 19, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I have a feeling that the level of access had a serious impact on how the book was written.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
by RedBirdie on Aug 19, 2010 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I could get behind this idea. Orec’hkin.
A Capital Wasteland - art & hockey from Washington, D.C.
by Jake Shapiro on Aug 19, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
That market is cornered over at http://alexovetjkin.blogspot.com.
The ice will show everything.
by cuqui on Aug 19, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
…getting out of a standard representation agreement is not much more difficult than peeling off a sweater at the end of a game.
sniff.
"Those things happen in sport," McPhee said. "It's not like it's anything chronic."
And despite this allusion apparently disrobing is shrewd and cold blooded.
I’ll think twice about putting on clothes from now on.
I’d rewrite it as “Losing a free agent from an entry contract is about as difficult as it is to use a block in Tic-Tack-Toe but it still seemed like a cold, shrewd business move. If you can’t win and don’t want to lose, you tie as this was the case and as it is with most sports professionals.”
Hey look “sophisticated” writing with comas, literary devices, and criticism.
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
Wow, a bunch of homers. Seriously, folks, what’s the big deal? You can love AO on the ice and as a member of the Caps’ hockey team, doesn’t mean you need to idealize him as a person or his family as a big influence on his decisions. Let’s keep things in perspective.
The comparisons to Sid are completely fair here. When they both joined the NHL in 05-06, they were both seen as future superstars, future faces of the NHL. This isn’t referring to what they did on the ice, but their business plans as they developed their marketability as celebrities. Point is, Crosby’s family apparently had a plan, OV’s were more improvisational. Understandable – OV’s family comes from a completely different world, and hadn’t had exposure to the North American celebrity culture and business.
The nitpicking on grammar and word choice is petty. Seriously, folks – I found this interesting. OV’s a complex individual, if you thought a bio would paint him as the second coming of Gandhi, probably your expectations were a little inflated. He’s a great hockey player, we should be happy to root for him, but let’s not reject outright some truth about his life off the ice that may not conform to our preffered image.
I don’t think people are whining about the topic – I think the problem is the fact that the author is selling it as an unbaised view of the man – when really it’s a collection of potshots and comparisons to Crosby. 2 things no Caps fan REALLY wants to read. So, maybe we just aren’t the target audience that they think we are.
But nothing here is potshots – they are genuine and factual (assuming Cox did his research) comparisons to a legitimate reference point. I don’t see anything he wrote there as unfair. OV and Sid are comparable business entities, and he’s making a point about their families’ approach to the business.
well, perhaps potshots was a poor choice of words, the attitude of the article isn’t what I, and apparently most, caps fans would agree to be a good thing targeted to caps fans to read.
I think there could be more context provided. How many players change agents during their careers? Tons. And the implication/assertion that AO placed no value on what Meehan et. al. did for him is probably a bit much, given that there’s no first-hand account from AO to that end.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Did Meehan get paid his agent’s commission on the contract Ovechkin signed under his negotiation?
Yes?…Then his value was appreciated.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-O.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
No, come on, that’s not what he’s saying. It’s possible to get paid for what you did, but still get screwed over. What Cox is saying is that Meehan was dropped unceremoniously, and without appreciation for what he’d done so far. That’s legit. Sure, he made his $$, but from a personal angle, that doesn’t preclude being treated like a dick.
but what evidence is there that Meehan was treated like a dick? Athletes are well within their bounds to seek out new representation. Cox certainly doesn’t provide any evidence, quoted or otherwise, that Meehan was treated in anything less than a professional manner.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
When agents are fired, they’re dropped unceremoniously. That’s what “fired” means. Meehan was doing a job, not a favor to Ovechkin. And in his family’s eyes, he wasn’t doing the job they wanted him to.
Also, as I mentioned before, Cox misrepresents what happened, by saying Ovechkin was listening to a “shifting circle of friends and advisors”—completely ignoring the fact that Ovechkin was being guided by his family, who were living in the DC area with Ovechkin. His mother took over representing him, and Ovechkin negotiated his own contract under her advice. There was no shifting circle of friends and advisors, but that doesn’t fit Cox’s narrative of a mercenary player.
Based on these two excerpts, it appears that Cox has a thesis and is running with it, actual events be damned.
Meehan was dropped unceremoniously, and without appreciation for what he’d done so far. That’s legit.
Is that a fact?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
My sources say that AO dumped him through a text message. He should have taken him out to a nice steak dinner to show his appreciation and then broke the news.
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I heard he wanted to tell Meehan when he met him at a bar, but Meehan accidentally let slip his daughter was pregnant. Later, Ovi talked him into giving him the keys to 6 million worth of business.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
and given the rookie contract structure he had to work with, his value was over appreciated. such a narrow window to negotiate in..yeah. like GMGM was NOT going to give him as much as possible to come over here after the lockout, what with the team doing so well going into the lockout and the lack of any need for a real star… i mean, we just signed brian muir…muir = butts in seats…
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
but why does it have to be compared to Crosby? Certainly, that’s the easy way to do it, but Cox and Joyce could have written about the Ovechkin family’s “plan” (or lack thereof) without being quite so lazy. If this passage is representative of the book as a whole it’s lacking in any depth and nuance. It’s not providing any deeper understanding of Alex. It’s trafficking in the same old “Saint Sid vs. Crazy Alex” nonsense that is seen far too often.
In short, I’m not impressed by the writing and analysis of Cox and Joyce so far. It’s lazy, it’s incomplete, it’s not covering any new ground.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
i think passages like this:
It was certainly something Ovechkin was entitled to do. Players break up with agents frequently—getting out of a standard representation agreement is not much more difficult than peeling off a sweater at the end of a game.
Still, this seemed a cold-blooded business decision.
is an example of the issues i have with the way this book is written. on the one hand, what ov did was something that is done frequently and yet when ov does it, it’s cold blooded. never mind that ov had more on the line when negotiating his new deal than most rank and file players.
also, no quotes from ov nor meehan about what went down. how does he know it was due to all the advice he may have been getting from others? maybe meehan was screwing up? a supposedly fact based book with no supporting sources and totally unsubstantiated speculation.
again, i like the cover picture.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
It’s highly unlikely that Cox would rail on AO for dumping Meehan unceremoniously and then go on to point out how Meehan fucked up. It’s clear from this passage that Cox’ stance is that Meehan did nothing wrong but the greedy Ovechkins fired him.
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
A legitimate reference point could of been any other star hockey player, or from another sport. Using Crosby as this “reference point” is as obvious as Eddie Van Halen riding a unicorn on top of a rocket shooting lasers while also mounted onto a flying shark.
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
If the book is going to center around Ovechkin-Crosby comparisons, it shouldn’t be billed as an Ovechkin “biography”.
You had me at no problem.
Agreed. Do you recall the CTV special called “Sid The Kid vs. Alexander The Great” that came out before the Olympics? This book is beginning to sound the same.
"HISTORY DOESN’T MATTER!!! .... Who cares if it’s never been done? We aren’t those teams who failed before. We are in control of our own destiny, and we will make it happen our own way.." - A Gordon, June 2010
please, don’t remind me of that. biggest hack job ever.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Point is, Crosby’s family apparently had a plan, OV’s were more improvisational.
That’s fine to write about, but these authors add their own value judgments (“cold-blooded”). I’m not a Caps fan, but I think the spin here is atrocious. It is tailor-made to feed the over-hyped “Sid is a Good Canadian Boy™” attitude that’s already prevalent in his country.
In Dinglebarn We Trust
The nitpicking on grammar and word choice is petty.
…
It’s a book, being published with the intent to have some sort of credibility. If there were ever a time to get nitpicky THIS WOULD BE IT.
by CaptainAwesome on Aug 19, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
For me it’s how the facts are interpreted and what kind of questions he asked himself as he was writing about the topic highlighted in this excerpt in a chapter that appears to be leading up to: “The Big Contract and How it Came About.” The signing of this contract was a huge deal for both a non-North American player maximizing his potential (contract-wise) and for a franchise in rebuild mode around said player. The Crosby/Ovi comparison here for me is term. Both signed for big dollars. Why did Crosby choose 5 years whereas Ovi chose 13? What did that signify in their individual longterm plans? Was it money or term that was more important to Ovi? Security versus going for the even bigger dollars when he would be UFA—that’s the crux of the contract decision for me. Give me time and I could brainstorm a hundred more questions I could ask myself about his contract if I were trying to write this chapter. And I would use the facts and statements by Ovi and family, both published and unpublished, both print and video, to back up my interpretation. Or come out and say that despite Ovi’s and Mama Ovechkin’s assertions, Cox believes otherwise and write a persuasive argument. As opposed to writing about “feelings” and “opinions” as though they were facts.
From the snippet above it appears that the thrust of the chapter is going to be about endorsements and how Ovi’s goal was to make as much money—more than Crosby—as he can. Now I have no problem with Ovi wanting more endorsements but I do have a problem with statements about him feeling like he was in competition with Crosby for the most endorsements—kinda an off-ice mirror of the Richard goals race. Cox has to back up somehow that Ovi felt or said or intimated somehow that he measures his successes including endorsements against Crosby’s success. From the snippet above I can see no evidence that he has even tried to explain his take on Ovi’s “feeling” or “thoughts” or “opinions” about these events.
Or provide a counter view. For example, did he interview the agent or others involved about why they thought they were fired? Or use statements made by that camp that have appeared in print? It would be a one-sided view but at least it would be from an actual participant.
Perhaps it wasn’t about endorsements at all. Has Cox asked himself that?
Perhaps it was about the kind of contract Ovi felt he should sign and for how long versus what his agent recommended? And is it Ovi or Mama Ovechkin who was having the issues+ From the skeletal bits I recall reading Ovi put the contract negotiations in Mama Ovechkin’s hands, and she and Ted negotiated for awhile before eventually finalizing the details as they played a game a basketball. I got the impression back then that the duration of the long-term contract was as important for the Ovi camp as the money.
Perhaps the agent wanted the more typical 5 years? Not seeing eye-to-eye with the agent doing the negotiations on the details of a major contract is enough reason for me for the Ovi camp to fire her.
As GOD pointed out it is ultimately a business decision—sentimentality has no place in a business transaction.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
The nitpicking on grammar and word choice is petty.
No it most certainly is not. Damien Cox is, or at least purports to be, a professional writer. I also write professionally (although I wouldn’t call myself a professional writer), and I would be appalled to use such a casual abbreviation. This isn’t a blog entry or comment, this is a published book that has presumably gone through multiple edits and copy-editing. To have something like this slip through represents a lack of focus and professionalism.
'Cause the end of what it was is what it is right now...
by D'ohboy on Aug 19, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
Agreed wholeheartedly. This book should have been edited thoroughly and many times. Typos and abbreviations and etc. shouldn’t not be in a published book. Nor magazine articles. Nor anything published. Mistakes creeping in means that the job was rushed through the editorial and printing process.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
“shouln’t not” = I need an editor.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
The book’s not coming out until mid-November — three months from now. There are plenty of more rounds of corrections and fact checking, and JP likely got these quotes (and read) an uncorrected proof.
And, really, you’re complaining about TLC? This isn’t the New Yorker.
It’s an astounding idea to me that somehow we’re being “petty” for criticizing the manner in which the book is written. No, it’s not the New Yorker. It’s a book, and allegedly not a fictional one at that. Somehow we’re not allowed to critique his writing style?
And things like using a colloquialism such as TLC point to a much deeper matter at play here, namely that the book is lazy reporting at best. If he can’t deign to write full phrases then that leads me to wonder how careful he was in his interviews, in his note-taking, in his overall research of the entire piece. It matters.
I didn’t say people were being petty.
What I said was, don’t worry too much about grammar before a book is published as there will be plenty of time to fix it before it goes to press, and let things like TLC go (because everyone in America knows what you’re talking about) as they really don’t mean a writer’s lazy.
i like this one..
Anna Goruven’s daughter, Susanna, had moved to Washington back in the fall of 2005 to help Ovechkin get around town and serve as his translator—it was exactly the kind of thing that Anna Goruven had done for her clients and they had all loyally stood by her. It seemed it was going to be the same with Ovechkin and Susanna…. But by the end of his second season, with his parents in Washington and Susanna Goruven’s help no longer needed on a daily basis, all she had done for him was behind him, and Ovechkin and his family weren’t looking in the rearview mirror.
so she expected ov to keep her around even after he learned to speak a bit of english and figured his way around town? huh, now i feel bad about no longer buying diapers at costco cause my kid is potty trained. i should have remained loyal to the nice folks at costco even though i no longer needed their goods.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 11:54 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs
i blame it on my circle of hangers on (kids) who advised me. those 160 packs of huggies are so in the real view mirror..
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well, looks like everyone has the exact same thoughts as I was just about to post….
Why not just write a book about Crosby, since this author is clearly infatuated with Crosby. Or he at least seems to think that Crosby is an integral part of Ovi’s biography.
And poor Susanna. I guess she was out on the streets after the cruel Russian sent her packing. Too bad she wasn’t working for a nice, clean cut Canadian boy. Heavens knows he wouldn’t have been so mean to her…… sigh
I'm rockin' the red... shoes!
“On Ovechkin’s 19th birthday, he ate a giant bowl full of human babies after sipping champagne out of a champagne flute carved from the skull of his former, now impoverished, agent.
On that same night, Crosby saved a bus full of girl scouts from a near-annoying trip by curling into the fetal position inside of a pothole so that the bus could easily glide over his god like gluteus maximus. "
by Brainumbc on Aug 19, 2010 12:07 PM EDT reply actions 11 recs
without a doubt, your finest post.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
“So I descended from first to second circle— Which girdles a smaller space and greater pain, Which spurs more lamentation. Ovechkin the dreadful Snarls at the gate. He examines each one’s sin, Judging and disposing as he curls his tail: That is, when an ill-begotten soul comes down, It comes before him, and confesses all; Ovechkin, great connoisseur of sin, discerns For every spirit its proper place in Hell, And wraps himself in his tail with as many turns As levels down that shade will have to dwell”
And he did so with Angelic grandeur only befitting to the most brilliant of men. Indeed the magnitude of his decisions here can only be compared to the choices Crosby makes every day – mango or orange for breakfast?
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
Aw, Brain made a funny!
"Do you see my fist? It was fists like these that built quaint Canadian cities out of the harsh Canadian wilderness, etc. etc."
by SeattleCapsFan on Aug 19, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This seems like the predictable end-result of a process largely lacking in any source material from the person (and family) in question outside of second-hand info. Not that it should be dismissed out of hand or anything but without responses it takes on the tone of an all-out expose, at least based on the excerpts posted so far.
I’m not looking for Ovechkin to be painted as perfect. Part of the reason he’s so effective as an athlete is that he’s reckless, impulsive and aggressive to the point of being dangerous at times. He’s also gaudy with his money and immature in his behavior at times. I’m also aware that he’s 24 and in a high-pressure situation, and that that’s not always going to manifest itself in the most squeaky-lean of ways.
What I take exception to is that this biography doesn’t appear to be approached with a non-biased eye. Sentences like “this seemed a cold-blooded business decision” tell us quite clearly that the author not only has an opinion but that he’s passing judgment based on that opinion. He’s even bringing Crosby in as a foil to this decision when it really have no relevance. If Crosby’s publicity was going so much better than he is not in the same situation.
The authors can present the facts here — that Ovechkin had an agent he was unhappy with and fired them — without any of this and allow the reader to pass their own judgment.
Maybe it makes me a homer, but this to me is just poor writing.
by Videre on Aug 19, 2010 12:08 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
He (admittedly) had no access, so he pretty much gets to make up the whole narrative. Nothing anyone should take seriously, other than if you’re looking for an example of someone with a definite axe to grind as members of the Canadian media do in this situation.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
you can have no direct access and still produce a better manuscript than that. There’s an absolute wealth of stuff out there just from the Post and Times that could be refashioned and the results still would have been better.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
by RedBirdie on Aug 19, 2010 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
As well as personal interviews that he conducted with anyone and everyone who has ever known Ovi—trying to get as many from intimates for as close of an insider’s view of Ovi’s world. And for any event such as the agent one, interview the agent etc in question and use that agent’s words in the text. I can’t even tell if he did get the agent’s perspective on what went down in the firing and all of the whys and wherefores. T
hat’s the sloppy writing part. Why not say “according to his agent, Ovi felt….”
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m assuming here that as part of his research he did conduct interviews with others who know Ovi in some manner. Big assumption on my part.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Two things immediately came to mind after reading this
1) I’m supposed to feel sorry for Don Meehan when Ovechkin dropped him? A freaking AGENT? Let’s say Ovi had been a flop…how quickly would he have been out of the picture?
2) It seems like he’s upset somehow with Ovechkin for wanting to maximize his earnings. And? What’s the point?
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:14 PM EDT reply actions
Re: #1, a Bob Sugar is on the line for you.
Hasta siempre Jaime.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 19, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I was upset the other day I made a Bob Sugar/Frank Cushman reference and no one got it.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I was on the road in the 302, sorry about that.
Hasta siempre Jaime.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 19, 2010 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The decision put no value on Meehan’s work negotiating his entry-level contract after the lockout
Meehan: “I want a max rookie contract”
GMGM: “Ok”
Heck of a job, Donny.
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 12:20 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
At the risk of beating a comparison into a puddle of unrecognizable goo, I keep thinking of another comparison of player to player in their early professional careers from another sport…
Ovechkin gets agent fired; gets bad press (or book write-up)
Earvin Johnson gets coach fired; gets bad press
Ovechkin is too glitzy
Johnson is too Showtime
Ovechkin compares badly to Mr. Brave, Clean, and Reverent of the sport from Cole Harbour
Johnson compares badly to Mr. Aw-Shucks from French Lick
Now… if Ovechkin can win those five titles.
If you've read this far...seek help.
I hope he can avoid AIDS.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
If it hasn’t been said yet, I would like to thank the authors and the publisher for making these excerpts available at Japers’ Rink.
They are not easy to read and there is a certain audacity to excerpting in this forum, where they know the reception would be mixed at best.
From the previous working title of the book, I think they had a different direction in mind when the project started. But events overtook the narrative, and the most disappointing year in Ovie’s career took center stage.
I wouldn’t mind if there was an excerpt detailing what the authors felt Ovechkin did get right, or do well, but ultimately the fact remains that Alex Ovechkin still has some mountains to climb.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
I’ll give the publisher the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t think the excerpts were going to be incendiary. I’m thinking an advance reader copy to Japers’ Rink was probably not their smartest move this year.
Idiots.
"It's always good to have vikings."
Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.
by gfcaps fan on Aug 19, 2010 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I’ll give Cox the benefit of the doubt. I probably won’t run out to buy the book. Through 2 excepts so far, this book reads exactly like that “Lance Armstrong: I’m pretty certain he doped” book that came out a couple years ago. Honestly, Caps fans are not his targeted audience with this one.
Honestly, Caps fans are not his targeted audience with this one.
Then who the hell would want to buy it? Who buys books about players they don’t like?
People who want to find out how Alex’s devil horns fit under his helmet?
In Dinglebarn We Trust
by Niesy on Aug 19, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
that’s why there are vents on helmets
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
But what about hockey fans who don’t consider Ovi the best player in the world?
Rocking the Red since 1975
facepalm
One of the best
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
ARGUABLY one of the best
"Do you see my fist? It was fists like these that built quaint Canadian cities out of the harsh Canadian wilderness, etc. etc."
by SeattleCapsFan on Aug 19, 2010 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
As Europeans go, he’s pretty much okay.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
by EmilyB on Aug 19, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
To me, it seems like a very poor decision from a business standpoint, to write a book about an athlete, to not target the fans of that team as potential customers.
Rocking the Red since 1975
On the other hand, we aren’t exactly Toronto or Montreal.
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Even a poorly written book with no sources on how much Derick Jeter sucks wouldn’t sell well in Boston. I don’t see how this will sell considering how much less popular hockey books are than baseball books in general.
"Have you ever played?" "Yes, I was a goalie"
This book most certainly has sources.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Ooh I can’t wait. Evaluating his selection of sources.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, lots of them are familiar names, like Laich, Knuble, Pothier and so on.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
So they gave him interviews? Or is it based on other interviews (post-game, etc)?
"Do you see my fist? It was fists like these that built quaint Canadian cities out of the harsh Canadian wilderness, etc. etc."
by SeattleCapsFan on Aug 19, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
My sense is that most of it is from scrums and some short interviews, but Cox and Joyce did spend a good amount of time around the team last year and got some stuff that I hadn’t seen elsewhere.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
OK yea. I figured they didn’t make things up. But again, it sounds like this whole book is just sort of a compilation/their interpretation of past reportings on Ovi. Doesn’t sound like there’s much original content (other than their spin on it all)…is that fair?
"Do you see my fist? It was fists like these that built quaint Canadian cities out of the harsh Canadian wilderness, etc. etc."
by SeattleCapsFan on Aug 19, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s certainly a lot of material with which die-hard Caps fans will already be familiar.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I could have used 2 or 3 quotes from Meehan in that section, or anyone for that matter.
"Have you ever played?" "Yes, I was a goalie"
I doubt Meehan has or would be willing to talk publicly about it – not good business for a guy who’s livelihood depends on relationships.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yes, I agree but for a book like this to have a take that is worth reading, I want information from insiders, not just information from insiders that then gets confused with cox’s own opinion.
What is frustrating is that there is no way to tell what came from an interview with Meehan and what is Cox’s own opinion
"Have you ever played?" "Yes, I was a goalie"
doesnt cox’s job also depend upon relationships and cultivating sources within the nhl. if he’s viewed as a guy who writes unauthorized bios with unsubstantiated commentary, how does that affect his ability to cover the league?
for example, did brooks or pothier know that their interviews with cox would end up in a book such as this? not sure what the protocol is in that situation. if he sits down with a guy for an interview, is he obligated to tell them exactly what its going to be used for? if not, how likely is it that those players would talk with him going forward, particularly if the subject is ov? i would think it might impact his ability to do his day job.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think his job will suffer too terribly if the Caps never allowed him in the locker room again. There are still 29 other teams.
"It's always good to have vikings."
Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.
i doubt he’s going to get much readership doing exposes on the panthers. the caps right now are part of a handful of teams with buzz in the nhl and losing access to their locker room and the trust of its players would not be good for someone who covers the nhl.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Good.
I was being snarky of course, but I’m serious as well. I would expect that he interviewed Ovi’s teammates—that would be a glaring omission—but I hope he has interviewed others outside of the team as well.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
The tone of these excerpts now enrage me.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
I dunno…the whole thing is just starting to feel like arguing about Jeff Schultz. I just don’t have the willpower to do it any longer.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I can save Caps fans some money. Instead of shelling out $25 or whatever to buy this book to read about how Ovechkin sucks in every aspect of life compared to Crosby, just go over to http://www.thepensblog.com/ for free.
I believe in JC.
by patred48 on Aug 19, 2010 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Pensblog has the add bonus of bad photoshops!
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
The arena in Washington is filled with bells and whistles and sirens when they score a goal. That makes them bad.
Hey look at our new arena!!
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s absolutely something I’ve been thinking of since they announced they were building this new thing – what are their goal horns going to sound like? Flashy new building with all the latest technology? My guess is it’s not going to be subtle.
when everything associated with the building ends in 66 or 87, I don’t think “subtle” was a guiding principle.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
what are their goal horns going to sound like?
FYI: They brought the Mellon Arena goal horn over to Consol. As far as I know, that’s about it.
You can’t take the Pens Blog guys too seriously.
I actually like the Caps goal horn, it’s a little different but in a good way.
So when's October you ask? Well, here's your answer.
A lot of people don’t like it, but I think it’s great. Maybe they don’t like the team or maybe they don’t like that the organization went away from what would be considered “a normal goal horn,” but the Caps can celebrate however the hell they want.
So when's October you ask? Well, here's your answer.
I liked yesterday’s excerpt. It was interesting to read how well-scouted Ovechkin was so early in his career; and that Crosby went after him hard enough to separate his shoulder – in their first meeting ever – adds a pretty fierce dynamic to their on-ice rivalry.
This one today, on the other hand, reads like a persuasive piece on Ovechkin’s character.
gotta be the least-persuasive persuasive eassy ever. Eighth graders can produce better work than Cox and Joyce.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
If only it were true that Crosby separated AO’s shoulder…
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s telling that I’m sitting here thinking Mike Wise could have produced a better book on the same subject.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Mike Wise could produce and excellent book on the subject. Because he’d do, you know, actual research on his subject. Might even get cooperation up to a point. Wise has his faults, and they are many, but he’s still an excellent journalist. Just a noob when it comes to hockey.
"It's always good to have vikings."
Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.
For all of his faults, Mike Wise is a hell of a reporter when he’s working with the original source material. I have no doubt that Cox could have used some of that ability in this book, regardless of the content of the excerpts.
"Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful" George E.P. Box
by Knee high to a duck on Aug 19, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
yes, I have to admit, when it comes to the human interest pieces, few are better than Mike Wise. The man has one hell of a gift with words (which is what pisses me off so much when he utterly wastes it on half-assed “analysis” of hockey games).
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
Huh. I always saw Mike Wise as just another guy who gets interest in his stories by being deliberately inflammatory.
Which are these great human interest stories?
Read his most recent one on Rafer Johnson. A helluva good piece of writing.
If you've read this far...seek help.
Here’s the Rafer Johnson piece.
He also did a piece on the guy at Baylor who shot his own basketball teammate and the gut-wrenching impact on his mom. It’s collected in Best American Sports Writing 2009 (I think, I might be off by a year). Wise has said numerous times that was the most difficult piece he’s ever written. You’d never believe it’s the same guy who regularly makes a fool out of himself on the radio.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
This one was my favorite. It was about a dinner many of the players attended after losing to the Pens in game 7.
"HISTORY DOESN’T MATTER!!! .... Who cares if it’s never been done? We aren’t those teams who failed before. We are in control of our own destiny, and we will make it happen our own way.." - A Gordon, June 2010
Sigh. This book appears to be worse than I had feared. I don’t think it is unreasonable to discuss Ovi’s contract without bringing in Crosby. I had worried that Crosby was going to the leitmotif for North American hockey as compared to Ovi’s Euro method (sudden lateral move at the blue line while dangling the puck). Now it appears that Crosby is the gold standard by which Ovi will be evaluated for every personal and business decision he made off the ice. I have issues with statements such as
By the end of his second season in the NHL, Crosby was still far and away hockey’s biggest moneymaker off the ice. That didn’t sit well with Ovechkin.
Okay the first part is verifiable fact. But how does know that Ovi was dissatisfied with his endorsements. He can’t without asking Ovi. Or did he find in an interview in which Ovi specifically said he wanted to have has many endorsements as Crosby. He made a personal evaluation on Ovi’s feelings.
I should ask does Cox reference his assertions at all? Usually in book like this there should be sources used for each chapter placed at the end of the book. Does Cox include them? How can I judge his interpretation if I don’t know where he got the information on how Ovi felt about his agent, endorsements, and extension signing hopes.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
What I need to do is read these two excerpts late at night while enjoying a pepperoni and anchovy pizza. The dreams…. the dreams….
Scene: an arena in Toronto, dark, foreboding. A clean sheet of ice brightly lit. A door opens…
Out skates Alex Ovechkin in a blood red uniform to a chrous of boos… cut to scenes of fans booing, holding up signs telling him to go back to Russia, A chant of “NO-vie! NO_vie” goes up, when…
The other door opens, and out skates Sidney Crosby in an other-worldly white uniform, skating long slow circles as the cheers of the crowd wash down upon him. He waves, and the crowd cheers louder…
The PA announcer takes the microphone… “In this corner… six feet, two inches tall… 233 pounds… from Moscow, Russia…” the rest is drowned out by boos that shake the walls of the ancient arena.
He turns, and the boos turn to cheers as he announces, “and in this corner… five feet, eleven inches… 205 pounds… from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada… Sidney…. CRO-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
The crowd stands… the music begins…
“Oh, Canada…. our home and native land….”
And as the anthem is played, a giant poster rises at one end of the rink… it is the Canadian flag, and superimposed upon it, an image of Sidney Crosby, his unblemished, boyish face gazing upon the flag confidently, but respectfully. Sitting high above the other end of the rink, the Canadian Prime Minister and his cabinet look upon the proceedings, sure in the knowledge that their champion… their way of life… will triumph over the challenger from Russia….
…and then my alarm clock goes off.
(Too Ivan Drago?)
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Aug 19, 2010 12:53 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This excerpt is about 500 words of supposition based on one fact (Ovechkin changed agents). Let me see if I can write 200 words based on one fact (Cox wrote a book on Ovechkin).
In 2010, Damien Cox left Vancouver, British Columbia with a glowing sense of pride after his countrymen captured the men’s ice hockey gold. Canada’s self-proclaimed savior had scored the clinching goal in a pre-ordained fashion. In Cox’s mind, the rightful order in the hockey world was confirmed - Canada is number one.
Before the Olympic afterglow waned, Cox brainstormed ways to capitalize on his country’s renewed hockey esteem. He looked for a topic that could produce endless reems of manuscript with little to no research time. He looked for a topic that would play on Canadian sensibilities as well as reinforce them. He looked for a topic that would allow him to paint his patron saint, Sidney Crosby, as the hero. Not surprisingly, the topic that came to mind was a book on Alexander Ovechkin.
Cox realized that the book could practically write itself. Armed with Yahoo Babelfish’s Russian to English trans;ation engine, two lists of descriptive adjectives (such as jealous, impatient, cold-blooded for Ovechkin; considerate, selfless for Crosby), Cox set out to translate reems of internet verbiage on Alexander Ovechkin’s life into a simple universe of good versus evil.
by meatball20 on Aug 19, 2010 12:58 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Canada’s self-proclaimed savior
Sid has referred to himself as such? News to me.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God
Sid’s own words.
(Disclaimer: may not actually be true.)
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
John 11:35
“Sidney wept.”
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I find it disappointing that readers of this blog – which is supposed to be a haven for well-considered, level-headed, intelligent dialogue on hockey and the Caps instead of the fanboy ranting – is having such a hard time reading criticism of their favorite player. Immediately, the character assassination of Cox begins, calling into question his motives and perspective, instead of discussing the actual content.
I’m as big a Caps fan as anyone, but seriously, I don’t get it. Who cares if Ovechkin has acted questionably off the ice, or been a dick to some people? I’m not trying to model my life after him, I just want him to score a lot of goals.
populate the book with evidence and sources… and i’m sure the rink would be all for it. until then, it’s $25 to read Cox’s opinions on Crosby vs. Ovechkin.
It’s not that it’s criticism. It’s that it’s criticism that is not guided by facts and includes plenty of assumptions about the feelings and opinions of the subject of the book. Cox received no inside info, and no sort of interview with Ovechkin that would give him the sort of information that he assumes, yet he continually makes these assumptions.
Furthermore, these excerpts have been nothing more than another piece in the long running history of Ovechkin v. Crosby pieces. And frankly, in a book that is supposed to be about Ovechkin, that’s really just unnecessary. I understand there being some comparisons, they are the two best players in the league. (Also, these passages are, according to JP [and I trust his opinion on the matter] representative of the spirit of the book.) I can’t wait for the day when either player’s merits can stand on their own, and there doesn’t have to be constant comparison.
People are pissed off at Cox for his character assassination while failing to provide any sort of evidence as to how he knows what Ovechkin (or Crosby, for that matter) was thinking. If you are going to do that to someone, you better have evidence, which Cox does not (or he does not show that he does in these two passages).
The guy is Peter Schumpmaker. Lord knows what a schump is, but you can bet your bippy his ancestors made them. What he's doing is far worse than crafting fine schumps.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Aug 19, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
I agree. It’s called checking your sources and considering Cox was given zero access, it appears he was unable to actually check up on anything. How can one legitimately discuss a person or family’s motives and aspirations without discussing it with them? These excerpts seem all based on rumors and outside speculations, all while trying to create a narrative parallel between Crosby and Ovie. There are some comparisons you can make but that doesn’t mean you can concoct a “twin study” on them. I’d prefer, and would purchase a factual exploration of his career but that’s not something I see here.
Caps fan trapped in Ragsland
Immediately, the character assassination of Cox begins, calling into question his motives and perspective, instead of discussing the actual content.
It’s not just this. It’s so many other things he’s written, not even about AO, IIRC.
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Most of the book is heavily loaded to support the author’s beliefs. It isn’t a behind-the-scenes look, it’s an op-ed by a guy who has a beef with Ovechkin.
He’s entitled to write his book but I’m not going to sit there thinking it isn’t a shark sandwich because of the way he portrays what the book is.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
by sydtron on Aug 19, 2010 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
You summed up my thoughts
It is an opinion piece framed like how FOX frames their news. If you mix in a couple facts, you can load it full of opinion and most people will just accept it all as fact.
by Potitang on Aug 19, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 8 recs
Welcome to the Rink
I rec’n your username and avatar are awesome.
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree. Second Pootie Tang reference of the day around here, which is kinda scary.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not new
I just lurk and never post because I have a habit of over-reacting behind the anonymity of the intarwebz. This account has been sitting without posts for months but I’ve read regularly the last two years.
Nothing about the book excerpts have shown the authors to be to impartial, level-headed, intelligent, or even particularly accomplished at writing. There are seriously flaws with the excerpts we have seen, flaws that fundamentally undermine the arguments Cox and Joyce are attempting to make. Nothing presented to far has convinced me that their opinion, and let’s be clear that what they are putting forth is simply conjecture and opinion with a minor smattering of facts that they twist to meet the needs of their pre-determined narrative, is worthy of consideration. But since they took the time to put their opinion down on the page, I’ll take the time to say so far, their work seems incredibly poor and lacking in any true depth.
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.
by RedBirdie on Aug 19, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Nicely put. And much more concisely than me.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
His motives are questioned because of the content. As meatball20 said so well just above you, it contains 1 fact (AO fired his agent) from which Cox provides a stream of unsubstantiated speculation and opinion which he claims is an inside look behind the scenes at Ovechkin. Frankly, I’m not sure how you don’t see this as an impartial look at AO.
If you think people here automatically shout down any criticism of AO you aren’t paying close enough attention.
Release the Mackan!
by Killer_Carlson on Aug 19, 2010 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Criticism of Ovechkin doesn’t bother me at all.
What bothers me is a book that purports to be a “behind the scenes look at hockey’s most dangerous player” and yet seems to be full of “ALEX DOES THIS BUT SIDNEY DOES THIS” stories.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Frankly, I don’t like it because it insults my intelligence.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the majority of us are discussing the content… the problem is that it’s just not very good content.
All the actual facts he brings up here (Ovechkin fired his agent, his Calder speech, etc.) are things we already knew. The only thins he brings to the table that we HAVEN’T heard before is the way it “seemed” to him and how it compares with Crosby.
You’re right in pointing out that hating something just because it doesn’t paint Ovechkin as an angel is stupid, but you are wrong to assume that’s the only reason we could possibly dislike this piece. It’s not particularly strong writing, it’s not offering us anything new, and frankly I see no reason to think Cox knows any more about the situation than the infinite other people who have written about it.
I’m a professional researcher. The two excerpts have verifiable inconsistencies with the information that is already available on the topic. The author’s voice is also very loud.
Ovechkin’s life is interesting enough without the manufactured drama.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
by oldemystix on Aug 19, 2010 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Question for you: is this a well-reasoned, well-considered, and fact-supported book about Ovi? Indeed is it about Ovi or should it be titled: Ovechkin and Crosby: A Comparison of the Two Star Players of the NHL."
Color me seriously bummed. I was looking forward to this book and I wasn’t afraid to read a critical book about Ovi that included the bad stuff. People are human—we all have warts. We all have made decisions we wish we hadn’t made. Ovi is no different.
I love biographies. I love critical biographies. I love biographies that take a novel approach to their subject, even an unpopular one. But the writer has to use documentation to support his or her assertions and interpretations. And when the writer is taking an opposing stance to a prevailing view then write a persuasive piece using the facts known to support the argument.
From what I’ve seen so far, Cox has simply written about what he thinks Ovi feels as though Cox’s interpretations were facts with no quotes or other supporting information. I’m not impressed. And I was someone who was willing to buy the book as long as it was even-handed and objective. I didn’t want to read a piece from a writer with an agenda.
So far it reads more like a public relations person doing a spin job for the media on how the debate went. I’m very disappointed. And I should be a target audience for this book.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I want to agree with you because, as you can imagine, I’ve gotten to used to reading all of the crap about Crosby’s character over the years. A lot of people care about the things Ovechkin does.
If this was an book about Sidney Crosby and this was posted over on Pensburgh many of the reactions would be as such:
-A newspaper article/blog post/whatever is one thing, but an in depth that, from the two excerpts, talks about my favorite player being injured by his foil (if you will) and questions his character?
-The double meaning in the title.
-An unauthorized biography that seems biased is just fancy talk for slander.
-Isn’t the Crosby/Ovechkin debate so 2005?
-Not only does the book question the player’s character, who is a public figure and therefore is a target to be ridiculed, but also questions his family’s character.
To put it frankly: I’d be pissed if this were about Sid.
So when's October you ask? Well, here's your answer.
Thanks. I wouldn’t want to read a slanted book about Crosby either.
I said this yesterday (I think) but I believe there is a market for good hockey books and/or biographies of noteworthy players. Certainly I am always on the lookout for one.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
quite frankly, i’m surprised a book like this hasnt come out on him. clearly sid hasnt been involved is as much controversy as ov nor does he have the image that ov has. but i would think that wouldnt stop someone from digging up stuff and sensationalitzing it to sell books. i would imagine anything with sid as the subject would sell.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Aug 19, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Since the media and Sid’s people have put up this Tiger-like image for us to believe, I almost certain that we haven’t seen what Sidney Crosby is really like. Now, I’m not saying that he has some double life like Tiger, I’m only suggesting that it’s clear that an image of who Sidney Crosby is has been put up that may not be the real him. Actually, I’m fairly certain that he goes out with women and does a lot of the things that guys his age do – he’s just very careful about it. A lot of people hate the fact that an “image” of him has been put up, but it’s quite alright with me. He’s a superstar athlete – his job is to put up points and win as many Cups as possible – saying funny things or being charming to the media is just extra stuff.
So when's October you ask? Well, here's your answer.
by PensFan8725 on Aug 19, 2010 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Reccing a Pensfans post…I feel dirty.
by DonCaps819 on Aug 19, 2010 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
How about if I rec’d yours?
Would that make it better?
So when's October you ask? Well, here's your answer.
by PensFan8725 on Aug 19, 2010 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not excited, annoyed, or surprised. The book is exactly what one would expect from a book written by Damien Cox.
"The most important thing - to get to the playoffs and move on." Evgeny Kuznetsov
by Carl Putnam on Aug 19, 2010 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Well said. Didn’t care before, don’t care now.
Hasta siempre Jaime.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 19, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly. Like I said below, I’m bored already.
"Do you see my fist? It was fists like these that built quaint Canadian cities out of the harsh Canadian wilderness, etc. etc."
by SeattleCapsFan on Aug 19, 2010 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Man, what a cocksucker this Ovechkin guy is. Not only should the Capitals get rid of him, but he should then be deported and locked up in Siberia.
-These go to eleven.
I get the sentiment and appreciate the hyperbole, but let’s find an insult that doesn’t carry the implication that Ovechkin would be somehow diminished if he were homosexual.
Bomb-pumped douche bag, murderer of angels, and roaster of puppies. I can’t understand why anyone wants him on their continent, forget their hockey team.
"Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful" George E.P. Box
by Knee high to a duck on Aug 19, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
You’re right Knee high. I’m sorry I used that word. I was just grabbing the most filthy thing that popped into my head.
-These go to eleven.
No worries, I use all sorts of invective that I really shouldn’t, myself.
"Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful" George E.P. Box
by Knee high to a duck on Aug 19, 2010 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s only filthy if the person has poor hygiene.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
by oldemystix on Aug 19, 2010 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
So, I’m sort of getting the impression that this book is just a compilation of the thousands of articles written about Ovechkin over the years. What, might I ask, is so “Behind the Scenes” about it?
I’m bored with it already.
"Do you see my fist? It was fists like these that built quaint Canadian cities out of the harsh Canadian wilderness, etc. etc."
Still, this seemed a cold-blooded business decision. The decision put no value on Meehan’s work negotiating his entry-level contract after the lockout—the Capitals had a very brief window to sign Ovechkin before the 2005–06 season and if they had failed to get a deal done within a 48-hour period, Ovechkin was going to have to spend the entire winter in Moscow. The decision put no value whatsoever on the TLC Newport had offered Ovechkin in his rookie season with the Capitals.
Do Cox and Joyce not understand how free enterprise works? ‘Cold-blooded’ business decisions are made all the time. Ovie, like any elite performer, hires/fires representatives on a bottom-line basis. Sure, they may have helped Ovie in assimilating to America, but it’s not anyone’s business duty to be ‘loyal’. In Newport’s case, it’s to garner the maximum value to their clients, and Ovie felt they weren’t doing that. I’m failing to see the problem with Ovie’s decision.
I think the only way I could be less interested in this book is if it were about some guy on the Wild.
Why wouldn't you play Perreault? He's a really talented young player.
Andrew Brunette?
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
He has ties to the Caps, though. Maybe if it was a book about Brad Staubitz I could care less about it.
Why wouldn't you play Perreault? He's a really talented young player.
I’m eagerly awaiting the Marek Zidlicky tale.
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s too bad they’re recalling all those eggs. We could put them to good use here.
If you've read this far...seek help.
Heh heh yeah…it looks like Cox just didn’t walk hard to make this book any good heh heh
/Chip’d
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Most Dangerous Player?
I don’t know about everyone else, but doesn’t it just seem like this book is going to have a bit of a negative tone? Saying the hardcore fans won’t like it because it isn’t always positive is one thing, but only focussing on the negative and being overly critical in the name of being honest is pretty dishonest.
After the hit-from-behind, they went back and added “ruthless,” “senseless,” and “reckless,” to each page at least once.
Why wouldn't you play Perreault? He's a really talented young player.
At least if they used “reckless” it would’ve been quoting Boudreau.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Aug 19, 2010 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Fact.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
The pages have a flip book that you can see a scene of Ovechkin reprising the role of Saruman from Lord of the Rings
Money don't make my world go round...i'm reaching out to a higher ground
Ron and Fez 11 to 3
by YvonLabresMoustache on Aug 19, 2010 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ovechkin having a bad year justifies the tone.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
If finishing top three in MVP is a bad year I hope Backstrom and Semin also have bad years this year.
by David Huzzard on Aug 19, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the losses in the Olympics, first-round of the playoffs and Worlds, the injury and the two suspensions all add up to a bad year, individual stats and achievements aside.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
So are they going to write a book every year? Because this book will lose context quickly.
I might think it’s kinda silly to write about an athlete in only his 5th or 6th pro season, though.
Why wouldn't you play Perreault? He's a really talented young player.
It’s sort of a career-to-date, with a heavy focus on the past season (somewhat similar to the way the NPR series focused on one season… but not really at all).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
:)
Going beyond my snark, I would find it disturbing and injudicious if the year Ovechkin had influenced the tone of the book as it has been intimated. Cox in his JRR interview sounded like he thought Ovie was becoming a dark, negative person and that this year was proof of it. It didn’t sound like he was open to context and perspective. It is too soon to decide what this past year signifies in Ovie’s life and career.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
by oldemystix on Aug 19, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think “Most Dangerous Player” sounds cool, but it would sound cooler with another Ross/Richard/Hart and a Smythe for sure.
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
As I said the other day, I think the title is clever, as “dangerous” is certainly open to both positive and negative interpretation, as is much of the book.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Being the bad guy can be fun sometimes. I actually kind of like the image Ovechkin has around hockey. I just hope one year soon the bad guy can beat the boy next door and we get a cup in the Verizon Center.
by David Huzzard on Aug 19, 2010 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions
The way Pierre Mcguire put it—“predator”—makes sense, I think. AO just waits for you to make a mistake so he can score, and again, and again, and he may just do it himself if he gets impatient.
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I like “predator” and “Jaws” references too. I am amazed that he still finds ways to disappear then pounce on the puck. Ovi can’t “surprise” as easily as he once could, but he still does have that predator quality about him.
"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."
by capsyoungguns on Aug 19, 2010 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Wasn’t it Pierre that called him an “android”, after pushing Hal Gill, Carey Price, and the puck into the goal last Feb?
"HISTORY DOESN’T MATTER!!! .... Who cares if it’s never been done? We aren’t those teams who failed before. We are in control of our own destiny, and we will make it happen our own way.." - A Gordon, June 2010
This guy is an android. He’s not human.
If you want content, go to the Copper and Blue. If you want numbers, go to Behind the Net. If you want craziness, go to Pension Plan Puppets. If you want humor, go to Battle of California.If you want discussion, go to Broad Street Hockey. If you want bravery, go to Five For Howling.
If you want all of the above, go to Japers' Rink.
My blog (now featuring two Penguins fans as co-authors) and Twitter.
by red army line on Aug 19, 2010 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks Japers for printing these excerpts. I have read enough to know that I shouldn’t waste my money buying this book. I fail to see how Ovie’s firing his agent has any relevance to what kind of hockey player he is or what kind of person he is. That is simply business. It sounds like sour grapes to me on Meehan’s part.
Proud to be a Caps fan. Its a Great Day for Hockey.
Cripes, it’s a good thing there aren’t three excerpts. The commentariat might have a collective aneurysm.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
I dunno, I’d really like to read more of these. If the whole book is a hatchet job comprised of snarky anecdotes from people with axes to grind, this could be a very entertaining read.
That said, I don’t think I’ll be contributing to the official sales numbers for this particular volume. Any chance the Arlington County library will get a copy? Or maybe I can illegally download a copy from the Internet… that’s kind of the thing to do these days, right?
The Arlington Library considers suggestions for purchases on this form I’ve suggested other books that they’ve purchased (although I’d be surprised if I’m the only reason they decided to buy the books I’ve suggested.) They’ll send an acknowledgment of the suggestion, and follow up when they’ve made a decision.
My suspicion is that this book won’t be well reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, or other collection development sources – but they might buy it in spite of any negative reviews because of the local interest in the subject.
He called AO names, he challenged the Caps!!1!
Hasta siempre Jaime.
by Bald Pollack on Aug 19, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Damien Cox is one of the douchiest writers there is covering pro hockey. So I will not read this nor any book authored by he.
by Beantown Canuck on Aug 19, 2010 4:20 PM EDT reply actions
Clearly, this is going to be a hatchet job on Ovechkin, while kissing Crosby’s behind. I’m disappointed in Japers Rink for publicizing this dirtbag author.
View it as a way to warn potential buyers.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
by oldemystix on Aug 19, 2010 5:17 PM EDT up reply <