What makes a superstar?
Clearly, fantastic talent and a miles-long highlight reel can elevate a player from good to great, as can a loyal following of fans. But to be a true superstar, a player must embody their sport's values and transcend the world of sports.
People will remember players like Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Tiger Woods because they are well known outside of sports. Their life stories are not just told on the sports page, they make it into tabloids and news sections as well; love them or hate them, there's no denying their popularity and the fame they brought to their sport.
And superstars like Jordan, Beckham and Woods are exactly what the NHL needs in the post-lockout age. Wayne Gretzky was the last true hockey superstar, but now the sport may have found his heir in the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying Ovechkin is as good as The Great One, but he has the ability to match Gretzky's popularity and bring hockey back into the American sports spotlight. His methods might be controversial, but Ovi is the solution to professional hockey's issue of finding popularity.
No one can argue that Ovechkin isn't a fantastic hockey player—type his name into YouTube and you will find a treasure trove of unbelievable goals and ridiculous plays.
Instead, the real argument is about whether Ovechkin is good for hockey.
Hockey analysts and players have often decried his over-the-top celebrations or grumbled at the fame he receives for making a few nice trick shots. Famous analyst Don Cherry said he tells players specifically not to act as excited as Ovechkin when they score a goal.
""You don't act like this goof—this is goofy stuff,"" Cherry said. ""And don't you Canadian kids act like it.""
""Have a little class and do it right,"" Cherry later said after Ovechkin's controversial ""hot stick"" celebration after his 50th goal of the 2008-'09 season in March.
First of all, I have no problem with hockey players celebrating however they want (hockey is a self-policing game: If you go too far, you'll be hearing from a defenseman soon). But what Cherry and others like him fail to see is that hockey needs players like Ovechkin to make the sport popular again.
Think about the number of Ovechkin Capitals jerseys and T-shirts flying off of shelves in Washington, D.C., in the past couple of months. Or the number of fans covered in Ovechkin gear who pack the Verizon Center for every home game.
He divides opinion like few others in hockey, but one thing is for sure: When he is on the ice, opposing defenses aren't the only ones watching his every move. Fans keep track of Ovechkin, waiting and expecting something amazing to happen: Whether they worship him or cannot stand his antics, they tune in and pay attention to hockey because of #8.
His off-the-ice notoriety only adds to the legend created by his YouTube stardom. When Rachel Nichols profiled him for ESPN's E:60 documentary series, she told stories of his nightlife.
""Clubs, girls, cars,"" she said. ""Ovechkin has an appetite for just about everything, and he wants as much of it as fast as possible.""
Next, Ovechkin told Nichols how he drives 160 mph on highways near D.C. and over 200 at home in Russia. Stories like this become part of the Ovechkin mystique: He is hockey's newest ""bad boy"" superstar off the ice, and his legend only grows because of it.
Hockey's last golden boy, Sidney Crosby, is a very good player who has achieved more than Ovechkin by winning a Stanley Cup. But I don't see him becoming more popular, because he is seen as straitlaced and doesn't embody the ""tough guy"" image hockey fans love.
One of my favorite photos from this year's playoffs was of a couple and their infant child, holding a sign above the baby that read, ""I whine less than Crosby."" Never mind that they were Capitals fans, nobody could say the same thing about Ovechkin.
Even though it turned out not to be true, when the rumors came out about Ovechkin spending over $1,000 at a strip club, most people thought, ""Yeah, that sounds about right."" If it turned out that Crosby had been making it rain on strippers, it would be a shock given his public image.
That ""bay boy"" image Ovechkin has cultivated only makes him more popular, not necessarily with true hockey fans, but with the kinds of people who might not have paid attention to the sport otherwise.
While some old-school hockey curmudgeons might say Ovechkin's over-the-top celebrations and antics go too far, the NHL needs someone who can go beyond the sport to bring in fans.
Players like Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter are good for their sports because they become bigger than the game itself. Even ones who cause off-the-field distractions like Chad Ochocinco cause people to watch their games.
Hockey has been looking for that superstar player who could elevate it into the top of the American sports hierarchy since Gretzky left the game. And while he may make Don Cherry tremble with rage in those ridiculous suits, Ovechkin can transcend the sports world like others before him and bring the game back to its rightful place.
What do you think of Alex Ovechkin? E-mail Nico at savidgewilki@dailycardinal.com.
