Ovechkin suspended 2 games

December 1, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

Alexander Ovechkin’s reckless style is finally on notice. After a second ejection in three games for kneeing Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason, the electrifying Russian superstar was suspended two games earlier today as handed down by League Deputy Colin Campbell. There’s no question he deserved a ban and was lucky he and Gleason weren’t more seriously hurt. Here’s the play which shows Ovie extending his knee in an attempted hit which looked much worse:

One listen to the respectable Candy Cane tandem of John Forslund and Tripp Tracy details the seriousness of what was a dangerous hit by the game’s brightest star. Ovechkin was also kicked out of a Buffalo game for catching Patrick Kaleta from behind. So, there was no way the NHL could ignore this latest incident. Amazingly, Gleason returned to the game and the two-time rating MVP tested his knee this morning after looking a lot worse being helped off the ice.

While two games is a start, it says here Ovechkin should’ve received at least four. Especially because of how he led with the knee. A no no in our sport. While we were really tough via Twitter feeling such a reckless hit should warrant eight games, Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski notes that The Great Eight didn’t have a reputation, which might better explain the light sentence. One which has infuriated the hockey world because he probably could use those two nights off to help recover. The Caps don’t play until Thursday anyway. Not that coach Bruce Boudreau minds. Especially if his top gun is alright. Even he expressed genuine concern for how Ovie plays. Of course, his pupil basically came out and said he was invincible. But that’s hardly the right approach after such a close call.

We hardly expect Ovechkin to change his style but as Boudreau alluded to, he should sit down and talk to his big star, advising him to better pick his spots. It’ll benefit the Caps in the long run. Especially with such a loaded roster that is on the cusp of challenging for Lord Stanley. They might be only a defenseman away from winning the franchise’s first Cup. Would they ever consider trading Alex Semin? A topic for another day.

Hopefully, AO will learn from this and comeback smarter. The game needs him in the spotlight. Even if the league can get carried away at times. This is one of the great talents the game has ever seen and with the persona to match. Let’s hope he keeps it clean.