Boudreau Blasts Ovechkin All-Star Snub

Entering Saturday night's action, Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin ranked second in the NHL in both goals and points overall. But when it comes to the fans who vote for the the starters in the NHL All-Star Game, that wasn't good enough -- and it has Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau more than a little annoyed.

Here's what he said at the pre-game press conference held a couple of hours ago ahead of the Caps hosting the Rangers at Verizon Center in Washington in just a few minutes:

"It's dumb," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said before Washington hosted the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
[...]
"It's not right the best player in the game is not a starter," Boudreau said. "But it is what it is. We want to get the fans involved, and they've got the right to vote for whoever they want ... Everybody that knows hockey knows that ... Alex would be in the starting lineup if it went on merit," Boudreau said.

While Boudreau is right in that the league ought to give the fans what they want, the NHL isn't entirely blameless for the Ovechkin snub. Instead, the massive gap between Ovechkin and the rest of the top vote-getters in the Eastern Conference is the predictable result of the league putting all of its eggs in the Sidney Crosby promotional basket.

This week while I was in Chicago at the 2009 NHL Winter Classic, I was cheered to see that the league had done such a good job transforming the stadium into a home for hockey. Hung above the field level concourse was a series of banners featuring stars from both the Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks in a trading card company promotion. It was a nice touch among a number of nice touches.

Excuse me, there was one banner that didn't feature a player from Chicago or Detroit, and that banner was plugging Crosby. It was impossible for me not to shake my head in disgust, as it was just another example of how the league has promoted Crosby to the exclusion of all others. Until the league rectifies the situation -- perhaps in part by including Ovechkin and the Capitals in the next NHL Winter Classic -- we're going to continue to see the best and most exciting player in hockey suffer snubs like this one.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-04-2009 @ 1:49AM

pittsburghplayer09 said...

You leave out the fact that Crosby is the only superstar in the league anymore, you think anybody gives a damn about Ovechkin? Kovalchuk? Lidstrom? no way. The league needs a face badly and crosby is that face, he is the best and most gifted player in the league accept it or continue your sad denial Oh and by the way Ovechkin is a cocky punk who deserves nothing

1-04-2009 @ 12:55AM

Roger said...

The NHL has decided to feature Crosby as the face of hockey because he is young and English is his first language so it makes sense. people who know hockey (current and former players, coachs and GM's) recognize that Ovechkin is far and away the best player in the world. Not only is he always at or near the top of the league in points(despite the fact that teams direct their defenses to stop him) He leads the league in hits. Crosby has been called out by other players because he cries and wants a call whenever he is checked. Ovechkin won rookie of the year when he and Crosby came out. In fact Crosby isnt even the best player on his team. Ovechkin is ranked 1st and then Malkin before Crosby. If you are intelligent and know hockey, it isnt even close....just ask the experts

1-04-2009 @ 2:00AM

yeah he's young and speaks english because their isn't anybody else in the league that fits that description I dont give a damn about awards or point totals and you obviously only care about that....I pity you

1-04-2009 @ 4:00AM

Caps4ever said...

hey pittsburghplayer09, What are you talking about??! If hockey players were to be judged by their appearance and sheer marketability, then it would be American Idol and not the NHL? Fact is, OV, on paper, has done more in his career than Crosby and with CLEARLY less talent on his team. Read Hockey News Magazine? Look at this year's Yearbook top 50: yes, Crosby is picked ahead of Ovechkin -- for no logical reason based on last year performance -- but there were two other pens on the list? How many Caps? NONE. That means Ovie has had to carry this team almost completely on his shoulder. Let's take Malkin and put him on the Caps and take whoever you want from the rest of the Caps and put him on Pittsburgh? Who get the better end of the deal?? The Caps, of course.

Funny thing is that in the same issue of HNM, it shows that Ovie is on pace to join the greatest in the game -- EVER -- in goals, power-play goals, assists, etc. and nothing is written about Crosby.

Sorry, Penguins, but any objective analysis of these two great players leads one to conclude that perhaps the reason why Crosby gets more marketing than Ovechkin is that Pittsburgh has a well-established hockey tradition best epitomized by Lemeiux, Jagr, etc. It has NOTHING to do with who is actually the best player in hockey: that's our guy, Alexander the Great.

Go Caps!

1-04-2009 @ 5:28PM

Andy said...

How about the Boston Bruins? Best team at the halfway
point. Are they represented at the All Star game?

1-04-2009 @ 2:07PM

233 said...

Crosby the lone superstar? You Sir are an idiot. It's clear that Zach Parise is the most talented player in the atlantic division. Crosy is a whiner and a cheap shot artist

1-04-2009 @ 4:23PM

Rock The Red said...

NEW FAN POLL

What do you think of the All-Star starting line-up?

Link: http://www.polldaddy.com/p/1246306/

1-05-2009 @ 2:21AM

jimbo said...

Pittsburgh fans still dreaming about their all american heros lemieux and Jagr. FInally after 3 years OV has some talent to back him up, some nights he's not even the best Alexander on the ice in Washington, Watch Semin and Bakstrom play, take look at the size on the back line and offensive talents of Green, and bad news for the whole east is their are 8 to 10 skaters and 2 goalies ready to play from the AHL, Check those standings for more of your future nightmare Face it, Sid the kid, has had twice as many complementary players as OV, if OV was in Pittsburgh, He would have hung a banner, Check last years hardware for OV, and the first thing he says is I Trade it all for the Cup. You igloo idiots need to convince LEmeaux to come out of the stands one more time to save your sorry franchise. STOP living in the past, and accept your role in the future as Caps lap Dogs, Sit Sidney SIt, bad Malkin spading for both of you. Based on last week I Sid does these for pleasure. (NICE FIGHT SID)

1-07-2009 @ 3:42PM

retired hockey groupie said...

First, Boudreau didn't blast anyone. His comments were rather tame. The sad thing is the NHL wants more coverage but then it promotes and inferior player so that the marginal fan isn't aware that he is far from the best player in the league. People who take their hockey seriously (or aren't from Pittsburgh) know who deserves to be starting. I think they might not be tuning in. I wish the real NHL fans would boycott Pitts games until the NHL wizens up that we want to see the best not the most homogenized chosen one (who is not a man but a cry baby).