A Close Bond

You can say all you want about Alexander Semin and his occasional lapses in judgement. What makes me willing to look past it, past the silly penalties and the apparent lack of travel awareness, is the fact that he seems happy here. We all remember him in his first season in DC - sullen, standoffish, lazy...yet showing glimpses of brilliance that made us yearn for more.

Now here he is, his second full season behind him, and there's a definite difference. Sure, the lazy penalties are still there from time to time, and sure, this latest glitch makes me want to buy him a new watch. But it's not hard to see that he's trying harder, he's producing more, and he's fitting in.

Nowhere is that more evident than in his relationship with Ovechkin. The two have really become inseparable this year and I'm certain that it's Ovie's influence that is partially responsible for Semin's 180 degree shift. All you have to do is look at the most recent interview with Ovechkin to see how close these two are (kindly interpreted for and posted by Mike Vogel, as usual).

To all those who take great joy in knocking Semin down and picking at him, enjoy it now. I think we'll start to see a new Alexander Semin emerge over the next year or two - one who will take his rightful place alongside Ovie as one of the league's elite players.

Totally off-topic, but *ahem*...GO FLAMES GO SENS!

What a great night!