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Fios
The Evil Straw
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 8219
Location: Leather Chair
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| Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:45 pm Post subject: Ovechkin and Malkin are no longer BFFs |
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I hate the Penguins anyway so I say let this feud grow
| Quote: | PITTSBURGH -- Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are two of the world's best hockey players, fellow Russians who became millionaires by their early 20s, former Olympic team roommates and the NHL's top two scorers last season.
But the one-time friends have become cold-as-ice rivals, and their on-ice feud has grown increasingly nasty. Last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins' Malkin ducked just in time to avoid a hard drive into the boards from the Washington Capitals' Ovechkin.
The ugliness has moved off the ice, too, with Ovechkin reportedly taking a swing at Malkin's agent in Moscow.
"Ovechkin is a great player, but every time he hits me -- I don't know why," Malkin said.
Ovechkin's defended his play by saying that he hits hard against every opponent, although he does not have a reputation among his fellow NHL players for regularly throwing his body around.
Malkin and Ovechkin face each other again Wednesday night, and Malkin's Pittsburgh teammate, captain Sidney Crosby, said the Penguins will protect their teammate. It is the second game of a back-to-back for the Penguins, who played Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
"It's a different scenario because you usually don't see that," Crosby said, referring to one elite player taking what appeared to be a deliberate run at another. "Guys on our team have to make sure we stick together and Geno [Malkin] has to make sure he sticks up for himself."
If he does, the top two players in the league last season could be in for what is known in hockey as a Gordie Howe hat trick -- a goal, an assist and a fight.
What observers can't understand is how two good friends became enemies in so short a time. Only three years ago, they roomed together in Torino at the Winter Olympics, and the two were often seen together off the ice, hanging out, shopping, taking in the Italian sights.
Then, boom.
Neither the 23-year-old Ovechkin, last year's NHL scoring champion and MVP, nor the 22-year-old Malkin, this season's scoring leader, will say what went wrong. Two years ago, Russian hockey Web sites were filled with reports that Ovechkin took a swing at Malkin's Russian agent, Gennady Ushakov, in a Moscow nightclub.
Ovechkin denied the story, but in a November interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Malkin said it happened, calling it a "bad situation."
With the Vancouver Olympics only 13 months away, the testiness between the two is causing some anxiety for Russian hockey officials. Russia will be an underdog on Canada's home ice and badly needs its two biggest stars playing together if it hopes to win a gold medal.
The NHL has stayed out of the dispute so far but no doubt doesn't want either of its stars to be injured because of a personal disagreement.
After Wednesday's game, the Capitals and Penguins play again on Feb. 22 and March 8 in Washington, so there's plenty of time for the feud to end or grow worse.
When Washington rallied from three goals down to win 4-3 in Pittsburgh on Oct. 16, Ovechkin didn't score but appeared to go out of his way to hit Malkin at any opportunity.
"We'll stick up [for Malkin], like you would for any teammate," Crosby said. "They're intense, physical games and as long as that's the way they stay, that's safe. But if there's deliberate intent to hurt someone, you kind of step outside the line a bit, you have to make sure you stick up for your teammate."
The Penguins felt that happened in a Jan. 21 game last season, when Ovechkin lined up Malkin near the rear boards and took a long run at him from Malkin's blind side. Malkin ducked out of the way, causing Ovechkin to slam sideways into the boards.
"I mean, he's got run a couple of times," Crosby said. "The [Oct. 16] game here, I think he made a few runs at Geno and Geno handled it the right way. Geno's focused on playing and he shouldn't get caught up with that." |
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3830831 |
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Bob 0119
The Punisher
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Posts: 2571
Location: Manassas
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:56 am Post subject: |
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Malkin is a crybaby, and this ESPN writer doesn't know what he's talking about. It's obvious he has never watched a game that doesn't involve the Penguins. He certainly hasn't watched any Caps games.
If you have the puck, Ovie is going to hit you; hard.
It's nothing "personal," it's called hockey. |
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JansenFan
and Jackson
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 8909
Location: Charles Town, WV
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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| So's Crosby. Great player, but a bit of a whiner. |
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ChocolateMilk
Hog
Joined: 20 Mar 2007
Posts: 818
Location: Fredericksburg Virginia
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Im just now getting into Hockey so i dont really know about any of this. But im pretty excited about tonights game. Should be a great one |
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JansenFan
and Jackson
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 8909
Location: Charles Town, WV
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Here's hoping Ovie leaves Malkin's jersey number permanently etched into the glass on the side boards. |
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Sir_Monk
Hog
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: St. Louis, Mo
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm still trying to figure out what role Crosby plans on taking in the defense of Malkin? I saw him fight a week ago and it was only slightly less embarrassing then Semin's slap fest. |
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ChocolateMilk
Hog
Joined: 20 Mar 2007
Posts: 818
Location: Fredericksburg Virginia
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| Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 12:57 am Post subject: |
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| it was a real good game and then the Caps ran away with it torwards the end.. im glad i started to follow this sport. |
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JansenFan
and Jackson
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 8909
Location: Charles Town, WV
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| Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| I love hockey. Guys like Ovechkin, amazing offensive skills aside, tackle like in football, but skating 25 mph into the guy with a wall on the other side. That's what I'm talking about. |
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Redskin in Canada
~~~~~~
Joined: 08 Apr 2004
Posts: 10286
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| JansenFan wrote: | | So's Crosby. Great player, but a bit of a whiner. |
I agree with the first part and beg to differ about the second. Sid has been contributing enormously to save the Pitt franchise. He was not a fighter before he joined the NHL. Look at him now.
The fact that we know his family and my kids went/go to the same school with his sister has nothing to do with this of course.
By the way, the Caps will have a great run in the Playoffs. They are the only team who can stop the Bruins. My Habs, on the other hand, are going from good to bad as the end of the season approaches.
Ovie will be player of the year this season. |
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