ovechkin....

[collectorthornton]

Watching this guys play he looks like he has no heart anymore to play or atleast in washington.

[Wickabee]

I heard he hates playing for Oates, but I don't know how true that is.

[bojohnson]

this has been clear for some time now
in fact, since last season

its been ongoing

[ncm7772]

He plays when he wants to, plain and simple. I've seen him play some games this year where he's looked great, and the next he plays like an average 3rd liner.

I think what Kolzig said a couple years ago was true, in that he's become a "rock star", and the $ and glamour are more important to him than hockey.

[GVKelly]

It's all the grey hair, to old to play in the NHL, : )

[chakhae1]

Is Ovechkin a coach killer? It does look like he's lost his passion to play and certain things have gotten to his head. Perhaps a change of scenery, a benching will wake him up??

[30ranfordfan]

It's a crying shame. OV is amoung the most talented 4 or 5 players in the world. What they've done to him in Washington is awful.

From where I'm sitting, it goes back to the 09-10 playoffs.

Washington runs into the Montreal Canadiens (I mean Jaroslav Halak) and they get bounced in the first round after having the best record in the league.

Instead of chalking it up to bad luck (which playing against a goalie that hot is) they decide they need to reinvent the team, and start playing a tighter checking system, bigger commitment to team defence, etc, etc, etc.

Ovechkin has just got progressivly worse since the start of the following year.

They don't need to bench OV to get him going again..... Adam Oates needs to suck it up and say "Alex, both myself and the coach before me screwed up. You, Backstrom, and whomever you want for the other wing...... just go out and do whatever the heck you want. I don't care about defense if you're a plus player".

Then watch the goals come.

[chakhae1]

I agree that the Washington organization over reacted after their loss to Halak in the playoffs, but if that was the case, why don't they just switch back to their successful ways? Isn't it that easy or is the admission of their mistakes too much of a pill to swallow? Ovechkin in his prime was free to do whatever he wants and as a result he excelled and so did his line mates. Let's not overlook the impact of ovy's demise to the likes of Backstrom as well. He used to be a point a game guy and one of the prime talents in the league as well and now he's just another guy.

[Devlin]

Ovie is discouraging at time, other times.... look out

[gardzy99]

A team wins by playing a team game. He is a coach killer. He has the freedom to shoot and score when he's on the ice, but his work ethic and drive is gone. He's been North Americanized ala Igor Krutov. The only Russian player to really endure a career of success in my eyes is Igor Larionov. He kept working hard. All others have faded to a point where their careers were blemished by their later suspect play....Fedorov being an example. Don't get me wrong he was phenomenal for a few years, but then the money/fame destroyed his work ethic and his respect of the fans. I see Malkin slowing down as well. He's not as dangerous as he was 2 years ago........I honestly wonder what is said between Troy Brouwer and Ovechkin behind closed doors. Brouwer did not like Semin for his lack of work. I wonder how Troy feels about Alex's??