Game OVI

The hockey world is not interested in how Washington plays. He is interested in whether Alexander Ovechkin abandons the next sign of washer

On the night of November 12 to 13 to Moscow time, Alexander Ovechkin in the NHL regular championship match with Columbus already scored in the 11th minute. This puck was for the 12th season for the striker in the season and the 742nd career, which allowed Ovechkin to get ahead of the famous Brett Hall and go to the clean fourth place in the list of the most outstanding snipers in the history of the NHL. Before Yaromir Jagra - 24 washers, to Gordy Hou - 59, to Wayne, scary to say, Gretzka - 152.

No wonder the mentor of the Columbus Brad Larsen was worried before the game. He did not just pay tribute to the dangerous phenomenon of Ovechkin. He, according to him, was shocked "alone that Gretzky’s record actually ended up in the reach." In the opinion of a human hockey, which is happening in North America around the “Race of the Century” is more like collective madness, but the entire world hockey community has joined with pleasure. The game’s account is unimportant, it is important whether Ovechkin abandoned and how much this brought him closer to the most important hockey record of the great Wayne. It would seem that Canada, on the contrary, should be drowned for the fact that the compatriot’s record remains eternal, but here patriotism is inferior to another feeling-inspiration from reality of the impossible.

On the prospects of the 36-year-old Ovechkin to become the greatest sniper in the history of the NHL (read-in the history of world hockey, what is to cunning there), I still look with a fair amount of skepticism.

A person is not a car, years are not a backpack behind him, hockey at the NHL level is too hard to consider only entertainment, and the “old people” have no place there. Yes, the amazing Yaromir Yagr still scores, but only in his “Komnino”, and in the NHL they beat, regardless of greatness. Ovechkin also hits, and most often the first, he climbs into the thick of the fight, pounding on the goal of any opportunity, they even write that over the years he is getting better, which seems to confirm the stunning statistics of the beginning of this season, but to draw neat graphs than many are engaged.

I believe that Ovechkin himself would be glad if a little less attention were paid to the pucks. The figure is just a figure, any collective sport is not on individual achievements, no matter what attention is paid to them. It is clear that historical statistics in relation to a big game are a magnificent means of attracting an audience, an entire industry, but that in the case of Ovechkin, the figure became a dominant circumstance, there really is some kind of magic. The whole hockey world monitors every step of the only real contender for the title of sniper number one of all time.

I predicted something similar three years ago, when the Ovechkinsky Washington finally became the owner of the Stanley Cup. It turned out that it was not to repeat the success of the club, but it does not matter until the “Russian machine” stamps goals. The captain of the “capital” himself is not to blame for the fact that his race for Gretzka overshadowed everything and everything. If he offers another Stanley Cup or an eternal record to choose from a choice, he will choose the first without hesitation, and he beats as he can. 600 assists for 1200 matches in the regular championship - the number of how beautiful, so team. 600 programs for the super -nipper, which, by definition, cannot but be an egoist - the achievement, albeit not great compared to outstanding assistants, but speaks for itself. Still, Alexander Ovechkin himself is not a slave of the figure, he just plays the way he can, for almost 20 years.

Yes, the highest gaming intelligence is not about Ovechkin. Yes, he is quite predictable, albeit to a lesser extent than before. Yes, his throw from the left circle of throwing was studied by all goalkeepers from and to. But everything is blocked by the frenzied energy, an amazing downhole and the ability to do what is his signature style, really better than others. As a person, and as a person of certain political views, in this case - as the main representative of the sports “Putin’s team”, he may be liked or not like, but now I'm not about that.

Ovechkin as a hockey phenomenon - the embodiment of a dream of impossible, and this is always beautiful.

He still has a chance to become an Olympic champion. But, perhaps, taking into account all the circumstances, this is less real than breaking the Gretzki record.

“Washington”, by the way, won in a column, Ovechkin has 12 goals and 12 programs, the club with all the losses in the composition is kept in the leaders, so it is not the number of one.