ENGLISH STILL 'SECOND LANGUAGE' FOR OVECHKIN
Sad but true … after 20 record-breaking years, ALEX
OVECHKIN still has trouble with the language of this,
his adopted, country. It was easy to overlook in the
euphoria of the Great Eight’s epic, historical weekend in
which he caught then passed WAYNE GRETZKY to
become the NHL’s all-time leader in goals scored.
The Washington Capitals’ scoring machine is, after all,
one of the good guys. Everybody says so. Therefore, it
must be true … and this was no time to go negative on the
39-year-old wunderkind … even though there have been
lingering questions about the native Russian’s oft-stated,
never-repudiated affection for homeboy VLADIMIR
PUTIN … and did that have anything to do with a well-
documented … shall we say sour relationship with
countryman – and Pittsburgh Penguins’ super-star –
YVGENY MALKIN?
“I told some friends … ‘I hope they don’t give him the
mike again,’ because, after all these years in the U.S., he
still speaks so much broken English,” said former NHL
defenseman Willy Brossart. “Gretzky is humble AND he
can carry a conversation … tell it like it is. Ovechkin just
stumbles around. It is pathetic.”
Although Brossart. 75, and Ovechkin played years apart,
we also were aware they are part of a select athletic
brotherhood that is pro hockey … where anyone who
cares even a little bit keeps up with the latest news,
gossip, etc., knows who is doing what and, equally
important, has opinions and isn’t bashful about expressing
them
So, with that in mind, we checked in with Brossart, who
played for Richmond’s first hockey team, the Robins
(1971-76) en route to eight years in the NHL with the
Flyers, Maple Leafs and Capitals. From Alan,
Saskatchewan, Canada, he married a local girl, Sue,
worked more than 30 years for Phillip Morris and lives in
Ashland, retired and happy.
“I’m not saying he isn’t a good hockey player. He has the
stats to prove it,” Brossart said. “But, he’s no BILLY
CLEMENT when it comes to public speaking … I know
that.”
(A teammate here and later with the Flyers and Capitals,
Clement was among the more articulate athletes … who
proved equally adept playing or talking about hockey.
Now retired and living not far from Asheville, N.C., the
native Canadian from Quebec has written a book about
his life and times in the game.)
“When I was playing in Toronto, [teammate and well-
known tough guy] EDDIE SHACK would get tons of
mail … but he was illiterate. So … I would open his mail
… and read it to him,” Brossart said.
“Maybe Ovechkin doesn’t have any reading or writing
skills. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t.”
In 2017, at the height of his career, Ovechkin started a
movement, TeamPutin, in support of you-know-who …
but insisted he wasn’t political … that this was simply his
way of giving back to Russia. “I don’t know what’s
happening out there,” he was quoted as saying. “I know
it’s a hard situation, but it is what it is … I don’t want to
fight between two countries, because it’s going to be a
mess.”
The Washington Post reported Ovechkin had a close,
personal relationship with Putin … who was a hockey fan
and sent him a wedding gift in 2016 … In early 2022,
after Russia invaded the Ukraine, Ovechkin “called for
peace and no more war,” according to his account on
Wikipedia … which also said, “In May, 2022, he
reiterated his support for Putin, as well as retaining the
Russian president on his instagram profile photo.”
Boy, did the critics unload on Ovechkin … while his
supporters suggested he had no other choice ,,, that, had
he badmouthed Putin, his mother and father (living in
Moscow) would have paid a terrible price … Had
Ovechkin been able to discuss his predicament more
completely in English … never mind.
As the war rolled on, and he would respond to questions
about it with “no comment,” eventually all was all but
forgotten, and Ovechkin’s chase of Gretzky’s record 894
goals, set in 1994 and thought to be unreachable, returned
center stage.
Again according to Wikipedia, Ovechkin and Malkin,
drafted one-two, respectively, in 2004, had been good
friends until The Great 8 punched Malkin’s agent at a
Moscow nightclub in August of 2007. On Jan. 21, 2008,
during a game in Pittsburgh, Ovechkin “took a run” at
Malkin who saw him coming just in time and ducked or it
might have resulted in “a devastating injury.” … The feud
lasted until 2009 when ILYA KOVULCHUK, Atlanta
Thrashers’ captain and teammate of the two with the
Russian National Team, was said to have brokered peace
between Ovechkin and Malkin … and they “reportedly
are very close friends again.” … There was no mention of
Ovechkin’s apparent loyalty to Putin having anything to
do with the temporary falling out between them.
“Who knows? You may have hit the nail on the head
there,” Brossart said, adding, “Look, I like the guy
[Ovechkin]. I just wish he was more presentable … so
you could get his real feelings. It’s hard to understand him
because he can’t say [in English] what he needs or wants
to say to the public.”
Until next time ...
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