Ovechkin, Fedorov Training With Dynamo

Thanks to Dmitry Chesnokov for passing along these pictures of Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov training with HC Dynamo Moscow.

As you know, AO played four seasons with Dynamo, leading the team in goals in 2003-04.

SeSo/Japers' Rink Free Beer Challenge

As I may have mentioned here a dozen or so times already, SeSo/Rink pal D.K. and I are heading down to Raleigh for tomorrow night's Caps/'Canes game. In honor of my first trip to a Southeast Division rival's home rink, I'm proud to announce the first ever "SeSo/Japers' Rink Free Beer Challenge."

Here's the deal - if anyone comes up to me in Raleigh tomorrow night and says, "Hey, J.P., let me buy you a beer." I will, in fact, buy you a beer.*

How will you know how to find me? Easy. My seats are in Section 112 and I'll be wearing either my black Chris Bourque sweater (#67 in your media guide, #1 in your hearts) or my 2004-05 Moscow Dynamo Alexander Ovechkin sweater (word came down from on high that I should sport the AO jersey).

Good luck and Godspeed.

* Must be 21 years of age to participate. Limit one beer per customer. Probably.

Fast Legs, Slow Fists

Here are a couple of stills from Alex Ovechkin's first (and hopefully last) foray into the world of NHL pugilism:

"Just hit it, pillowhands. Don't worry, it's not gonna hit you back."

"Hey, maybe next time we can send you a telegram: get ready for the right hook."

UPDATE: Maybe I was too quick to judge AO's fighting skills - here's a clip of him back in his Dynamo days scrapping with Oleg Tverdovsky:

The Ovechkin Nickname Contest

Apparently CCM's marketing department is too lazy to come up with a nickname for it's newest star, Alexander Ovechkin, and is asking all of us to do their work for them. In return, they'll provide the winner with a full set of Vector gear, which I'm sure would sell nicely on eBay.

Personally, I'm fine with the myriad of nicknames he's already got, but I figured I'd throw another one out there to see if it's got any juice. My entry? "The Moscow Dynamo." It combines his hometown/national origin (as some of the great nicknames have, such as the Finnish Flash or the Russian Rocket), former team and a noun that is perfectly descriptive of his play. Plus, it's already somewhat familiar, so it rolls off the tongue.

So if AO, The Eight Train, The Ocho, Automatic Alex, Ovey, Alexander the Great or Alexander the Eight don't quite do it for you, head on over to CCM to submit an alternative. Who knows - you could win a pair of skates and bail out some Madison Avenue slacker!

The Good News Keeps Coming (At Least On The Ovechkin Front)

Alex Ovechkin's great week continued today with news that a judge has dismissed the lawsuit brought by Moscow Dynamo that would have ostensibly forced the phenom to be returned to the Russian League team by enforcing an arbitrator's ruling that Dynamo still owned his rights. Hopefully this news will break him out of the horrendous slump he's been in lately.

AO's positive press keeps rolling along as well, with an online chat at NHL.com (transcript here) and articles in major Canadian media outlets entitled "Ovechkin Pulling Away In Rookie Race" and "Ovechkin, Crosby Story A Tale Of Two Cities" (subscription required, but the text is reprinted here. Shhh.).

Monday Roundup: From Russia With No Enforcement Power

First and foremost, let me direct you over to Behind the Jersey for the latest "Carnival of the NHL". For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a collection of bloggings on the game we all love, and definitely worth checking out. On to Rink stuff...

Sorry for abandoning you over the weekend but I had a touch of the Irish flu. I hope you (my one reader) understands. Anyway, what a win up in Montreal, eh? (If you need a Monday pick-me-up, read the comments at the bottom of that article for a reaction from Quebecers commensurate with what I'd expect if the Canadian government outlawed speaking French - mon dieu!). Big team effort and of course a victory would not have been possible without stellar play from 'Zilla in net. The Caps even managed a win without El Ocho appearing on the scoresheet. Jelly.

Elsewhere in Capland, Dynamo Moscow wants Ovechkin back. Moscow has a better chance of getting Lenin back. The Caps and AO's management have issued statements on the matter here, and the issue is looked at in a little more depth over at Off Wing Opinion. Of course, the local papers are also on top of this story, the WaPo here and the WTimes here.

Of course, that story will lose its legs soon enough and give way to the real big story of the week: the battle between good and evil that will take place tomorrow night in Pittsburgh. Look for much more coverage of the first NHL meeting between Bird and Magic, err, Ovechkin and Crosby later in the day and tomorrow at The Rink.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jaromir Jagr (G, 2A, +2 in New York's 3-2 win)
  
• Ross: Jaromir Jagr, Fredrik Modin, Ladislav Nagy (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Sami Salo (2G, including game winner, +1)
  
• Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist (W, 32 saves on 34 shots against)
  
• Richard: Sami Salo, Justin Williams (2G each)
  
• Calder: Petr Prucha (G, A, +1)
  
• Aiken: Marc Denis (L, 5 goals against on 33 shots in 53:32 before getting the hook)
  

Japers' Pick

• Last game: Did I lose again? Yep. Current record: 3-6.
• Tonight's game: It's getting ugly. I need to get on a roll and there are three good Western Conference games on the slate. I think I'll pick all three. Wings 4, Preds 2; Avs 4, Flames 3; Oilers 5, Sharks 3.