Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Tuesday Thoughts

Last night's game was incredibly intense and exciting - it's hard to get all your thoughts together at once. Here's a few more:

- With Crosby out, Versus was really hyping up this battle of Ovechkin vs. Malkin because...I don't know why. Maybe they feel like every hockey game needs an angle to be interesting. Not only were they right on the money with that one (for once) but every minute that passed and every goal that was scored made you wonder why this wasn't the rivalry the NHL targeted in the first place.

Crosby and Ovechkin? Completely different creatures. They score goals differently, they approach the game differently, they collect points and lead their teams and interact with their teammates differently. Both incredibly, stunningly talented players but different and really beyond comparison

Ovechkin and Malkin on the other hand are incredibly similar. Watching them battle it out on both ends of the ice last night was a show for the ages, a treat for any true hockey fan. In the coming years that is going to be be a rivalry to watch - and to me it's much more interesting than any battle Ovechkin and Crosby have had since coming into the league.

- Had Ovechkin connected with that hit on Malkin it would have been one for the highlight reels. With the miss it was one that made the collective hearts of all Caps fans leap into our throats. Alex, we love you, but please do not kill yourself trying to behead a Penguin. It's just not worth it.

- Give the Versus guys a lot of credit. They did do a fair amount of Sid-spotting (and if I never hear the words "high ankle sprain" again it'll be too soon) but they also did a good job of trying to include all the players on both teams. One word of advice though - when the Penguins score a goal, maybe focus on the guys who actually did the work instead of cutting to a shot of Crosby in the press box. He had nothing to do with it...he's good, but even he's not that good.

- Speaking of the Versus guys, why did they sound so surprised everytime Ovechkin or Malkin did something amazing? This just in, they're both very talented players. Is this seriously a newsflash?

- Brian Engblom's hair gets poofier and thinner with every broadcast.

- Mario Lemieux's hair gets greasier with every game...and now he's passed on his hair gel issues to Sid.

- How many people laughed when Semin scored the shootout winner and accidentally opened Johnny's door in his celebration, releasing the backup goalie onto the ice?

5 comments:

Margee said...

CC, I can't agree more. I think if people keep trying to play up the Crosby-Ovie rivalry, they're totally missing out. Malkin and Ovie are totally the ones to push each other.

DMG said...

I'm so glad someone caught that part of the Semin celebration!

I agree though, the guys in-studio did a heck of a job for Vs., noting how well Backstrom and Green have been playing, the impact of missing Morrisonn and commenting on Boyd Gordon's defensive acumen. Sometimes it felt like they knew more about the Caps than Craig Laughlin....

CapsChick said...

Margee: Well, I'm quite wise ;) But yes, I think we've been seriously underserved by having to focus on this bogus Ovie-Sid thing. In fact since they started it those two have been relatively quiet when facing each other. Contrast that with what we saw last night and I'm feeling incredibly ripped off! Nothing like a couple of friends going up against each other to make things interesting, right?

DMG: It made me laugh SO hard, I can't even explain :P I'm glad you saw it too!

The shout-outs to Mo and Gordon were the biggest deals to me - Ovie, Backstrom, Green, all those guys have gotten a fair amount of press lately (and rightly so). But it's guys like Morrisonn and Gordon that make this team what it is and do all the little things right.

Poor Locker ;) He can't help being so lovably clueless! (Okay, maybe he can, but I love him anyway.)

Chris & Sarah said...

High Ankle Sprain. ;P

Tyler said...

Exactly, the Malkin - Ovie rivalry is definitely the one they should have been focusing on. And I hope they do from now on. First of all, they were the 1 and 2 picks the same year, so that should give them plenty of comparisons. They also play a similar game of hockey and you could really see it Mon. night without Sid in the line-up. They both like to hit a bit more, which is fun to watch.