NHL’s newest Mr. 600: Counting down Alexander Ovechkin’s top 5 goals
3. Ovechkin hits 50 and his stick is too hot to handle
Scoring 50 goals is nothing new for Ovechkin; he has done it seven times in his career. However, it was during the 2009 season when Ovechkin created another of his greatest moments. Playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ovechkin burst into the zone and rifled a shot through the defenseman and right past goaltender Mike McKenna for his 50th of the season. Ovechkin has made that shot look routine and simple (it’s not), but the most defining moment of the goal was his celebration.
Ovechkin then dropped his stick and acted like it was too hot to pick up. It was a great moment that really captured the emotion he plays with. Since the day he broke into the league, Ovechkin has played with a lot of emotion. He is one of the most animated players on the ice when he or one of his teammate’s score. It is infectious, and the league should be rooting for more players to act this way. It becomes easier to sell the game when there is more emotion.
While most fans love it, hockey’s older personalities hate it. Broadcasting legend Don Cherry ripped Ovechkin apart during an edition of Coaches Corner, calling it “nonsense”. Ovie didn’t let the comments bother him too much — he went on to finish the year with 56 goals and 110 points. There is no doubt that Ovechkin is one of the most polarizing personalities in the league. He has loads of talent and, as we will see on the next page, amazing creativity.