doniceage
03-25-2009, 12:47 AM
BY: Pierre LeBrun
The story is getting old, perhaps, but the throng in one of the NHL's biggest media centers would not let it go on this day. Not with the man himself here in Toronto.
But credit Alex Ovechkin. He didn't duck the media, or the questions, over his much-publicized "staged" 50th-goal celebration from last week. He answered every single question from a scrum four layers deep in the visitors' dressing room at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday morning, his 10-minute session seemingly satisfying the inquisitors.
"It's a big number, I think for everybody. If I get it, why [can't I] celebrate? If you win the lottery -- a million dollars -- you go to the bar and drink a lot," the Washington Capitals star said. "I scored 50 goals and I just celebrated."
Cha-ching! The money quote. Thank you, Alex.
Hey, give the guy credit, he's not happy he's been slammed so heavily for his 50th-goal routine, but he's trying to have fun with it.
His goal celebration antics came under scrutiny when my colleague from "Hockey Night in Canada," the legendary Don Cherry, criticized Ovechkin late last month for being a little over the top and disrespectful to the opposing team.
"He can say whatever he wants," Ovechkin said of Grapes. "I think fans love when something is going on around the league. His TV show is very popular I think and I like it."
"Coach's Corner" is by far the most watched hockey segment in the game. When Cherry speaks, people listen, whether they want to admit it or not. So when he first brought this up, it sent waves throughout the hockey world.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4012340&name=lebrun_pierre
The story is getting old, perhaps, but the throng in one of the NHL's biggest media centers would not let it go on this day. Not with the man himself here in Toronto.
But credit Alex Ovechkin. He didn't duck the media, or the questions, over his much-publicized "staged" 50th-goal celebration from last week. He answered every single question from a scrum four layers deep in the visitors' dressing room at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday morning, his 10-minute session seemingly satisfying the inquisitors.
"It's a big number, I think for everybody. If I get it, why [can't I] celebrate? If you win the lottery -- a million dollars -- you go to the bar and drink a lot," the Washington Capitals star said. "I scored 50 goals and I just celebrated."
Cha-ching! The money quote. Thank you, Alex.
Hey, give the guy credit, he's not happy he's been slammed so heavily for his 50th-goal routine, but he's trying to have fun with it.
His goal celebration antics came under scrutiny when my colleague from "Hockey Night in Canada," the legendary Don Cherry, criticized Ovechkin late last month for being a little over the top and disrespectful to the opposing team.
"He can say whatever he wants," Ovechkin said of Grapes. "I think fans love when something is going on around the league. His TV show is very popular I think and I like it."
"Coach's Corner" is by far the most watched hockey segment in the game. When Cherry speaks, people listen, whether they want to admit it or not. So when he first brought this up, it sent waves throughout the hockey world.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4012340&name=lebrun_pierre