Apr

30

CROSBY VS. OVECHKIN – - The NHL Wins Either Way

Filed Under NHL, Russ Cohen, Sports | Leave a Comment

This is the matchup that everybody has been waiting for. The NHL has been hoping for this and now they have it. The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing the Washington Capitals in the playoffs. That means Alex Ovechkin will face Sidney Crosby  and by the time the series is over fans will hopefully have seen a very memorable series and not just a bunch of isolated cameras on the two superstars of the sport.


I feel bad for Evgeni Malkin because he is the low profile superstar in this battle but the NHL has something to market here and I suspect most of this series will be played out on NBC and that could mean big ratings which could mean a bigger television contract down the road. If you want to hear a discussion about this tune into the Business of Hockey on XM 204, Sirius 208 1PM est on Saturday or 5PM est on Sunday.

These two players are polar opposites and yet they both have helped to elevate the coolest sport. Crosby does things the right way and he’s not very demonstrative and he plays the game the way purists want to see it played. Even with their quotes there is a tremendous difference. When Crosby won the Winter Classic in a shootout two year’s ago he had this to say.

“Yeah I think that we all watched the Edmonton-Montreal game and I think a lot of guys wished that they were a part of it and we were lucky enough to get to have that opportunity,” said Crosby. “You know for me growing up, I played a lot outside and a lot of their guys did too and when you see 70,000 people jammed into a stadium to watch hockey it’s a good sign.”

He signed some autographs right after the goal in the tunnel. He is an ambassador for the game to one segment of fans.

But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get mad, take bad penalties, and lose his cool from time to time. He does take a pounding from the Philadelphia Flyers fans and he once had this to say about that.

“It’s always a challenge coming in here,” said Crosby. “It’s always a hostile crowd here. You have to respect that. These are fun games to play in.”

Ovechkin  on the other hand wants to be the center of attention, that doesn’t mean he’s not a team player because he is, but he is also an ambassador for the game and he reaches a different segment than Crosby. One time he was getting booed by a particular fan in Philadelphia for most of the game. Some players would ignore that, some would yell back, but “Ovie” handled it in a very different way.

“Well it’s for the fans,” said a happy Ovie. “The guy who I gave the stick to, he called me not such a good player. (as he signaled the thumbs down sign). It doesn’t matter I gave him the stick because he is a little boy. He was surprised and he took my stick. It was nice.”

Sure he drives fast, and he jokes around and he annoys Don Cherry with his goal celebrations but this anomaly never gives up and last year when his team was down 3-1 against Philadelphia in the playoffs he took responsibility for his game.

“The puck was behind the net and I just tried to go down, and it was delayed so…It was my mistake,” Ovechkin said with pain in his voice. “We don’t give up and it’s not over yet.”

With his team down 3-1 he obviously took that same approach against the New York Rangers this season and this time he came out on the winning side of the ledger.

This series will offer so much to so many fans, hardcore and otherwise. Even if you aren’t a fan of either player, you will watch. You know you will.

Mar

31

Welcome Russ

Filed Under Pro Wrestling/MMA, Russ Cohen, Sports | Leave a Comment

McD Note – Russ Cohen, the founder, owner and top writer at Sportsology.com (as well as a host on XM’s Home Ice channel) ,  has become a good friend of mine through our travels covering the Flyers and the Phillies. Russ is an easy-going guy who can hold his own discussing a wide range of topics: music, computers, sports, films…you name it and Russ has a well formed opinion. He won’t bash you over the head with it (unlike me) and he makes logical points to balance his opinions. So when he found out about my ‘lil thing going on over here he offered to write…and I took him up on it. I think this might be a good place to let Russ loose without the restrictions of a “formal” website.

Anyway, hope you enjoy Cohen’s stuff as much as I do.

Lisa Marie Varon was better known as Victoria (r, photos by Sportsology) in the WWE and now that she’s retired the federation will take yet another hit in the already weakened women’s division.  Having her lose her final match against Michelle McCool was yet another slap in her face. She was a former two-time champion and these days when you leave the WWE its almost always with a loss and that’s sad.

I had the chance to interview her before Wrestlemania XX and the Hair vs. Title match with Molly Holly. Before she got into character she had noticed my last name and said, “Hello Russ, by the way I’m in the tribe”. I was stunned, and really caught off guard. She told me about her Sephardic Jewish heritage, which explains her exotic good looks. She also mentioned that her father was from the Bronx and I knew she was telling the truth by the way she was pointing her finger at me – no not that finger.

She then told me about some times that she used to spend in New York, in the Bronx and in her uncle’s barber shop. Again it was a nice unexpected conversation that I had with her and that showed me how personable she really was.

That night I had the chance to interview Trish Stratus, and Torrie was there but she was too swamped to talk to but I thought Victoria was easily the best interview of the evening. Don’t get me wrong Trish was great, but Victoria was just a bit better maybe because she didn’t get bombarded like the other two did that night or maybe because she felt more comfortable in New York.

She was always a hard worker and fun to watch even when the federation was ruining her character, and make no mistake at times they did just to have a “hot chick” try and climb the charts in the women’s division. Varon could wrestle but many of the women in the last few year’s can’t. I think we all know who they are.

I can’t wait to see what she does next. Who knows if she will be in the public eye or not but I will keep an eye out for her because she knows how to entertain. If nothing else I can always get my car worked on at Black Widow Customs in Louisville, Kentucky where she is likely to be spending some time in the future.