Will Suspension Make Ovechkin See the Light?

Craig Custance - SportingNews.com

Alex Ovechkin didn't want to be suspended. That's understandable. Nobody wants to miss time and forfeit salary -- especially somebody earning $9 million per season.

"I regret that this has happened," the Capitals forward said in a statement after his two-game suspension was announced on Tuesday afternoon. "I am disappointed to miss these games."

But when Colin Campbell and the league ultimately decided that Ovechkin's knee-on-knee, cheap-shot hit on Carolina's Tim Gleason in Monday's game against Carolina was suspension-worthy, it was the right decision. For all parties involved.

It's right for the league, which had been accused of giving certain players superstar treatment. It's right for the Capitals. And it's the best thing that could happen to Ovechkin.

Two games off without pay, even if that means forfeiting $98,844.16, is a favor to Ovechkin. It might be the only way to get him to change the way he plays. Or at least take time to consider it.

Immediately following Monday's game, Washington coach Bruce Boudreau defended Ovechkin and the hit. He wondered even if Ovechkin should have been ejected.

After a Tuesday practice in which Ovechkin tested out an injured right knee with a four-minute skate, Boudreau admitted Ovechkin's intense and aggressive style of play isn't always safe.

"He's pretty reckless," Boudreau said. "Boy, it's hard telling a guy that scores 60 goals a year to change the way he plays. At the same time, I don't want to see him getting hurt."

Not to mention the players on the receiving end of that recklessness. Players like Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who missed playoff time after a similar hit from Ovechkin last spring.

It looks like Ovechkin avoided a serious injury on this reckless play. He wouldn't reveal whether he had an MRI on the knee, but he did say it was feeling much better than he anticipated. He dodged a bullet.

So far the 24-year-old star has excelled with the physical style that has made him one of the best players in the world. He can score from anywhere, and when he gets hit, it's usually while he's looking for somebody else to flatten. He's fearless.

Once, when Boston goalie Tim Thomas accidentally tripped Ovechkin up during All-Star Game festivities, Ovechkin turned to an apologetic Thomas and told him not to worry because a Russian machine never breaks.

If he keeps playing this way, it's inevitable. This one will break.

"How can you tell me you have to stop playing hard?" Ovechkin asked when it was suggested he change his playing style.

It's a fair question, but one Boudreau is going to have to answer at some point. It's not about playing hard; it's about picking his moments a little more carefully. Open-ice hits at the speed Ovechkin skates are dangerous for everybody. Especially Ovechkin.

He's a guy who cares about winning, who desperately wants to lead the Caps to a Stanley Cup this season. He can't do it on crutches.

Bob Hartley's Thrashers teams competed against Ovechkin when he coached in the Southeast Division, and he agrees the suspension might be the only way to slow him down.

As a coach, asking a player to tone down his act isn't easy.

"But I'd rather try to slow down a thoroughbred than kick-start a mule," Hartley told Sporting News.

Hartley loves the way Ovechkin plays. He loves the excitement Ovechkin brings to the ice. He loves that every shift gets a maximum effort. But at some point, the intensity is too much. It's unhealthy.

"I'm just scared like last night, he got hurt. That's one side. The other side is when you go after people, people will come after you," Hartley said. "Maybe one day someone is going to get him on the blind side and will injure him in a way that maybe his career will be jeopardized."

If he keeps it up, it's not a case of maybe.

All the passion and intensity is useless if he's in the pressbox watching. Maybe two games off will help him realize that.

Craig Custance is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at ccustance@sportingnews.com.

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