Pathetic. Just downright pathetic.
Below is a clip of a player who is captain of a professional team in the best league in the world. Shocking as it seems from what you'll see below, this is a player who was once considered one of, if not the best player in the world.
Ilya Kovalchuk Overtime Goal 1/25/13 Devils vs Capitals
This isn't the NFL and it's a pretty basic concept. As a hockey player, you're expected to play both offense and defense.
Maybe he's winded, but if that's true, let's just go ahead and forget about calling him elite all together.
Otherwise, it just appears that Ovechkin doesn't care about something that is at least 50% of the game. I counted not one, not two, not three, but at least four times Ovechkin held up and didn't skate on full speed on defense.
From 13-17 seconds in this clip, I have absolutely no clue who Alexander was looking to defend. Sure, the rink might be a very nice place to gather your thoughts and take a leisurely jaunt around the ice with no one else around. A hockey game however isn't the place to do it.
However if the goal was to screen his own goalie, ..well mission accomplished I guess.
The Wiley Coyote rocket skates are also a nice touch by Ovy to complete the perfect storm of absolute suckatude, as Alex starts the play by self-tripping himself into the Devils zone.
Can we be at all surprised when this team doesn't play with emotion, when this is the performance you get from your captain?
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