The Hockey Stop

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin today followed Wayne Gretzky as the second NHL hockey player ever to be immortalized in wax. The unveiling took place this afternoon at Madame Tussauds in downtown Washington, D.C. as a swarm of media from as far away as Canada and Russia captured the moment from every possible camera angle.

The atmosphere in the room was electric in anticipation of seeing the Great Eight pose next to his wax likeness. Finally the wall slid open and there was Ovechkin posing beside Ovechkin. A surreal and hilarious scene indeed. Ovie was asked if there was anything missing from the wax figure, and he joked that the cut on his forehead from this morning's practice was not there.

Ovechkin was joined by children from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey club. The kids sported blacked-out-tooth smiles in front of Ovie's real gap tooth. Many of these inner city children come from troubled homes and the Fort Dupont Ice Rink in Southeast D.C. provides them a positive place that teaches respect, discipline and self-esteem and the importance of academic success.

Also joining Ovie on stage was his father Mikhail, who was a former professional soccer player in Russia.

And the most important question of the day was of course what Ovechkin was going to dress up as for Halloween. "Dumb and Dumber with Nicholas Backstrom" was the reply. "We look like them," said Ovechkin to lots of laughs.

Here is video of today's unveiling.



And here are more photos.

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin notched his 49th and 50th goals tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers to take over the goals and points race. But more importantly for the history books, Alex the Great became only the third player behind Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy to record four 50-goal seasons in their first five years in the league.

While the only record Ovechkin and the Capitals want this year is to win the team's first Stanley Cup for D.C., this is still quite an individual accomplishment and should be noted and celebrated.

Nicklas Backstrom also had something to celebrate as the center posted his first 100-point season. With his three-point night he has 101 points, which is eight behind his linemate Ovechkin.

The joke around the Verizon Center locker room after the game revolved around what they would do with the game puck since Ovechkin scored his 50th goal and Backstrom nabbed his 100th point on the same play. Backstrom joked that they were talking of splitting it in two.

NHL legend Wayne Gretzky is holding his fantasy camp at the Bellagio in Las Vegas this year and he was gracious enough to sit down with NHL Live! interviewers E.J. Hradek and Craig Button to talk shop.

Here are a few gems from the Great One:

On what it will take for the Washington Capitals to win the Stanley Cup this year (hint: it has to do with the same position played by Grant Fuhr when the Edmonton Oilers and No. 99 were a Stanley Cup dynasty):



On the Phoenix Coyotes' cinderella season and Ilya Bryzgalov for MVP:



On what L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty brought to Team Canada's gold medal run in the Vancouver Winter Olympics:



On Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane's great play in the Olympics and his teammate Jonathan Toews being a modern-day Bryan Trottier:



On Sidney Crosby:



On what Wayne is doing now:

The National Hockey League has crowned the Kings as host team for the 2010 entry draft -- the first time in the event's 46-year history that it will be held in the state of California.

The draft will take place from June 25-26 at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

And as an over eight-year resident of the Golden State, I say it is about time the league acknowledged its importance to the future of professional hockey.

There is a popular perception of California as some sort of hockey hinterland with all the sunshine and palm trees being more conducive to surfing than skating. And there is a trivializing of California hockey fans as too casual in some quarters of the Northeast.

That is simply unfair and the NHL knows it. That is why they chose L.A. for the draft.

Here are five reasons why -- besides the obvious influence Wayne Gretzky had on developing hockey here -- that California is the hottest spot for the coldest sport:

• The rise of the Los Angeles Kings is one of the best stories of the season so far. This young, exciting team with loads of talent, such as scoring leader Anze Kopitar, is second in the Pacific Division and is poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. And goalie Jonathan Quick put in one of his best performances of the season last night by making 26 saves in a 2-1 win at home over the Flames.

• The rise of the area around the Staples Center nicely coincides with the resurgent Kings. The L.A. Live complex includes ESPN's new West Coast studios, the Nokia Theater, restaurants, nightclubs, a movie theater, a Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriot hotel opening in February and other entertainment options that are turning the area into a West Coast Times Square.

• The Anaheim Ducks, despite their mediocre play this season, brought the first Stanley Cup to the Golden State in 2007 and turned a team based on a Disney movie into one of the most respected franchises in the NHL.

• The San Jose Sharks are one of the elite teams in the league and, despite a disappointing first-round playoff exit last year, won the President's Trophy as the the team with the best regular-season record. And this year they are on pace to win it again (they will have some competition from the Caps though -- after last night's victory over the Lightning the Capitals overtook San Jose for the overall points lead with 44, one point ahead of the Sharks).

• Hockey at the grassroots level continues to grow in California. According to NHL.com, since 2001 only five states have had more players in the NHL entry draft than California.

At the quarter point of the NHL season there is an interesting role reversal taking place in Southern California.

Despite two recent losses, the once woeful Los Angeles Kings find themselves in second place in the Pacific Division standings with a record of 13-9-2 for 28 points. Meanwhile, the 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks are facing something relatively new -- sitting in last place in their division at 7-11-3 with 17 points.

And the frustration in famously laid-back Orange County is perhaps finding its way into the stands.

Following a recent 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Honda Center, Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermeyer tossed his game stick into the front row after being announced as the number one star because of his overtime winner against the Bolts.

The stick was intended for a little girl, but instead a fight broke out which was caught on camera and became a viral video sensation. Pro skateboarder Mike Vallaly, 39, of Long Beach, was arrested for public fighting. Apparently he fought another dad in the stands for the stick that Vallaly claims was intended for his daughter.

Here is the video of the fight:



Now, while this is an isolated incident and in no way reflects the normally friendly and well-behaved Ducks fans, it is still reflective of a disappointing season thus far for the Ducks on the ice.

And it doesn't get any easier for Anaheim following their most recent 3-2 loss to San Jose at home. Their seven-game homestand continues as they face the red-hot Flames Monday night followed by a desperate Carolina Hurricanes and unstoppable Chicago Blackhawks who will have Marian Hossa back in the lineup.

The Kings are looking at the turmoil down south on Interstate 5 with the unusual position of being considered a potential playoff contender. There is genuine excitement at Staples Center that this will be the year the young, talented team will return to the postseason.



With the NHL's new top gun Anze Kopitar playing out of his mind and Jonathan Quick stonewalling the opposition most nights, there is good reason to believe the billboards across the sprawling city -- "Passion=Pride."

The Slovenian superstar is the current NHL scoring leader. Not only does Kopitar have 33 points (14 goals; 19 assists) through 24 games, but he also has a plus 5 rating in his third season as a pro. Kopitar was minus 15 his rookie year and minus 17 last year so this is an overlooked improvement.

Quick is standing tall in net with 12 wins, a goals against average of 2.79 and a save percentage of .894%.

Despite losing left winger Ryan Smith for a month with an upper body injury and Rob Scuderi for an undisclosed amount of time, the Kings are poised to end their six-year playoff drought and bring some of that Gretzky-era magic back to the City of Angels.

New developments over the weekend have added more intrigue to the soap opera starring the Phoenix Coyotes.

Not only is a new group planning an offer for the bankrupt franchise, but the team's head coach, minority owner and creditor Wayne Gretzky has been dragged into the legal battle being waged over the Coyotes' future in Arizona.

The group of Canadians and Americans would keep the team in Phoenix -- satisfying the NHL's desire not to relocate the franchise. The league opposes the initial $212.5 million bid by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie because he stated he would move the team to Hamilton, Ontario. Instead, commissioner Gary Bettman is backing a $148 million bid by Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner (and part-time Arizona resident) Jerry Reinsdorf, who plans on keeping the team in The Grand Canyon State.

The news regarding The Great One involves the City of Glendale requesting the tax records of the former Edmonton Oilers and L.A. Kings star because they believe as a creditor owed $9.3 million that Gretzky is being overpaid and thus Glendale would like to strike him as a creditor.

Gretzky's lawyers argue that his financial privacy is protected as a California resident and that his income tax returns aren't relevant to the sale of the Coyotes.

Despite the Coyotes not being profitable since they moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996, I believe the franchise should stay in Arizona.

Phoenix is the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the United States with over four million residents and has proven itself capable of supporting other professional franchises that have in turn become profitable. The Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Suns all operate in the green. Of course, winning the World Series (2001) and going to the Super Bowl (2009) helps.

One week ago Coyotes fans started an online petition to support keeping the team in Phoenix. So far, 446 people have signed the petition with a goal of 1,000 signatures. The petition includes a letter to bankruptcy court Judge Redfield T. Baum pleading for him to approve the sale to Reinsdorf. Here is an excerpt:

"Throughout this bankruptcy case, you have heard from the Creditors, the Debtors, the current Owner, the Stalking Horse Bidder and the National Hockey League. There is one group you have not heard from directly, though you have mentioned us several times during the court proceedings: the fans in Phoenix. We too are investors in this team; we invest not only our money on tickets but our time, our energy, our heart and our soul. Under the guidance of General Manager Don Maloney, the team has started the effort of rebuilding. We believe that our team is on the verge of something great. To lose them now after all we’ve endured and have to watch them succeed in front of a new fan base would simply be devastating."

If Phoenix fans keep making their collective voices heard loud and clear, the Coyotes will stay in Phoenix where they belong.

The woeful New York Islanders recently selected Canadian phenom John Tavares as the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft. While the franchise tag has already been stamped on the Gretzky-like goal scorer, he might help the Isles do more than just win games. Tavares might help keep the hockey team on Long Island. A lot of weight on the shoulders of an 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, eh?

The Islanders have been playing their home games in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, since 1972 and the arena is starting to show its age. The Coliseum is currently the third oldest arena in the NHL after Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena and NYC's Madison Square Garden. (The Penguins are getting a new arena, Consol Energy Center, set to open for the 2010-2011 season.) The arena also has the smallest capacity without standing room.

So, the familiar story is repeated again: the Isles owner Charles Wang is threatening to move the team unless his redevelopment plan of the 158-acre Coliseum site is approved by the town of Hempstead.

The "Lighthouse Project" has already been approved by Nassau County and an environmental impact review has been completed. Wang is just waiting for Hempstead to approve a change in land zoning. If approved, construction is likely to begin in 2010.



Which brings me back to Tavares. If he lives up to the hype surrounding him and turns the Isles into playoff contenders again, and just as importantly fills seats and creates a buzz, then there is less of a chance Wang will move the team to Hamilton, Winnipeg or Kansas City (the Isles will play an exhibition game in Kansas City, which has rattled the nerves of some long-time Islanders fans).

Representatives from Hempstead must have taken notice of the media attention focused on Long Island after the Isles drafted Tavares. Heck, Islanders fans even protested in support of a new arena back in February.

It is undeniable that one player can turn around the fortunes of a struggling franchise. Look at how Wayne Gretzky put Southern California on the hockey map and eventually paved the way for Sun Belt franchises such as Phoenix (I know, bad example). Or how Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have revived the Penguins and Capitals.

Wang wants an answer from Hempstead by October. Traffic is the biggest concern for Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray. She recently joined Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Sen. Charles Schumer to press for federal transportation funding to deal with traffic issues. Wang recently met with Murray and Suozzi and sounded a more optimistic tone in regards to keeping the team on Long Island.

Perhaps he should bring Tavares to a town council meeting to make the pitch. He is the best reason to ignite the Lighthouse project.

Otherwise, how does the Kansas City Islanders sound?

Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin added more hardware to his growing collection on Thursday night at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

The 23-year-old star won his second straight Hart trophy as the league's best player and the Pearson award as the most outstanding player in voting by fellow NHLPA members.

Ovechkin won the Hart by a large voting margin over Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk. The Russian was awarded 115 of 131 first-place tallies.

In nabbing the MVP trophy again this year, he became the first player to win back-to-backs since Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998 and the first forward since Wayne Gretzky, who snagged eight-straight Hart trophies from 1980-'87.

Other highlights from the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort included Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas winning the Vezina as best netminder and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason being awarded the Calder trophy as rookie of the year.

In his acceptance speech, Ovechkin dedicated the award to the loyal Caps fans and said Washington is his favorite city right now (Ovechkin wasn't the only Washingtonian making hockey headlines today as President Barack Obama called Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma earlier in the day to congratulate the Penguins on winning the Stanley Cup).

"Next year, I hope [the] Stanley Cup will be ours," Ovechkin said to cheers from the Caps fans in attendance.

Here is the winners list (winners in bold):

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (Most valuable player)

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

VEZINA TROPHY (best goaltender)

Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild

Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets

Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (best defenseman)

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Mike Green, Washington Capitals

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (best rookie)

Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets

Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks

Kris Versteeg, Chicago Blackhawks

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct)

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils

Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (best defensive forward)

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks

Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers

JACK ADAMS AWARD (best coach)

Claude Julien, Boston Bruins

Todd McLellan, San Jose Sharks

Andy Murray, St. Louis Blues

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (best player as voted by fellow NHLPA members)

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

MASTERTON TROPHY (player who best exemplifies the qualities of perserverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey)

Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings

Steve Sullivan, Nashville Predators

Richard Zednik, Florida Panthers