Showboating

by John Fontana on Mar 20, 2009 12:42 PM EDT Comment 5 comments

It wasn't aimed at the Tampa Bay Lightning directly or deliberately, it was aimed at the fact #50 was notched against them. That's about all I take from the where, when and why of Alex Ovechkin's goal celebration Thursday night at Times Palace.

That also being said, is there a place for this in the NHL? Or is it too over the top? While the National Football League levies fines for players doing elaborate touchdown celebrations, it doesn't stop players from finding new ways to either celebrate elaborately or over-do celebrations of even simple tackles.

It's normal for the NHL to see controlled, and emotional goal celebrations -- the boards-bump, the fist punch, the group celebration -- and it's the subtlety that makes it special. It can almost be termed as humble. It doesn't mean you aren't enthused, it doesn't mean a milestone hasn't been reached as the red light goes off.

"Teeth and equipment can be replaced. Goals last forever," is a great saying that keeps coming to mind over this. It's not what comes after that should be on display, it's the actual event itself that everyone needs to focus on - because that's where the magic lies.

And that's the truth about the major feats of every sport. You don't need to do an elaborate dance after a sack or a touchdown in the NFL. You don't need to arrogantly carry your bat as you slowly walk down the first base line admiring your home run in basebal as you go. Nor do you need to talk trash to the camera after an elaborate dunk during an NBA game in order to hype the spectacle for viewers at home.

What you do need to do is realize that a personal milestone means absolutely nil while there is still stuff to be accomplished for the team. Like winning the game.

But of course, ability and accomplishments breeds arrogance... That will always be a fact about sports... And of course, that's still on display from Alex Ovechkin. He's looking forward to the backlash. In regards to the likelyhood he gets called out on Saturday by Canadian hockey legend and TV personality Don Cherry, Alex is quoted in the Tampa Tribune :

"Oh yeah, he's going to be ticked off for sure. I love it," Ovechkin said. "I can't wait till he says something about me. Old coaches, old system, you know?"

Ability breeds arrogance, and Alex will keep being Alex. This isn't the first time he has been teh center of attention for something he has done on ice that was put into question, and it won't be the last. That's Alex.

But he doesn't need to showboat in order to get the league to realize he's accomplished something on ice.

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One word that has never been equated with Ovechkin is “class”. The kid is a douchebag.

I watch Ovechkin play, and I admire his raw talent. But I look at the persona he projects, and I thank the hockey gods that my team is represented by Jarome Iginla, the epitome of class. Give me a great player with respect over Ovechkin any day.

by Resolute on Mar 20, 2009 6:30 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Class over "Character" any day

I don’t mean “have character” as so much “are a character” in the sense of Winston Wolf talking to Big Joe’s daughter in Pulp Fiction.

I see him as self absorbed and arrogant, but with the game to back up the hype. Problem is there are another 4 players on ice with him at any given time (not even counting his netminder) and ability only goes so far in a team effort.

Last thing the league needs are more players focused on their own accomplishments as to the accomplishments of the team unit.

The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.

by John Fontana on Mar 20, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

TBH, I don’t see what the fuss is about. It’s seems like he thought’d be a funny thing to do more than anything.

It’s not like he did this. Or this. Or this.

Times have changed. Celebrations in all sports are much more wildly over the top than they used to be. Contrast McEnroe (douche?) winning Wimbledon and Federer (classy?) winning the US Open. McEnroe’s happy, but his knees barely touch the grass. He reigns himself in and is at the net waiting to shake hands within seconds. Federer, on the other hand, rolls around on the ground in tears for some time.

This is a world where people celebrate because it’s an emotional release; their wife’s given birth; they’re alcoholics; they’re doing a subconscious impression of the first guy; or just because they’re drug-addled loons. But mostly, they do it because they’re under a fair bit of pressure and enjoy it. Yeah, they want people to look at them, but what professional sportsman doesn’t?

Sensible people should look at Ovechkin’s celebration and think ‘whatever’. It’s as much non-issue as the game the goal was scored in.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into Iraq"
- Major Mike Shearer

by article1 on Mar 22, 2009 4:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The self as to the team

You bring up a LOT of Tennis in your point and I have to ask: When did Tennis and an individual championship become a team sport? Tennis, or Golf, are about individuals and individual personalities and individual accomplishments.

Baseball is 25 players working towards one goal. Hockey? 23 players working towards one goal. Basketball? 12. American Football? 47.

At any rate, the point of the post was showboating – over doing it. If you want to get on individualism in sports, that’s an entirely different subject. But at the end of the day, what Ovi did was a rare event in the sport of ice hockey. Yeah, celebrations happen in the NHL — but they aren’t over the top and not individuals alone doing the celebrating. By celebrating elaborately and alone in a team sport, you’re forgetting the rest of the guys who helped you get to what you’re celebrating.

The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.

by John Fontana on Mar 23, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My point about tennis is that it’s a conservative sport where the boundaries of what is an acceptable celebration have expanded in the past 25 years.

By celebrating elaborately and alone in a team sport, you’re forgetting the rest of the guys who helped you get to what you’re celebrating.

I don’t think so.

I’ve seen countless goal celebrations in football. Most were spontaneous, some pre-meditated, some choreographed. I’ve seen players taunt opposition fans. I’ve seen them plow into and celebrate with their own fans. They’ve raced to under-fire coaches and dedicated, goals to God, Palestine, their wives and striking dock workers. Sometimes they dance like robots and occasionally act like they’re having their tonsils examined. I’ve seen almost everything.

Most were solitary affairs where the scorer wheeled away from the goal and it takes a few seconds for teammates to catch up. Even then, the scorer’s attention is often somewhere other than with the rest of the team. Rarely have I got the impression that the scorer is not part of the team or ungrateful for the efforts of the team.

I just don’t get that impression with Ovechkin. I think – for the most part – he’s going out and having a laugh.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into Iraq"
- Major Mike Shearer

by article1 on Mar 23, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs