Alright, I'm still working on getting pictures on here, so the fact that Ovechkin's picture is so much larger than Cherry's is not indicitave of anything other than my technological ineptitude.
I know those who read this might not necessarily be sports fans, but I'd urge you to read on, as while this begins as a sports debate, it has cultural ramifications that I think are extremely interesting.
Ok, so to briefly recap, Canada's hockey icon, Don Cherry, has been engaged in a (mostly) one-sided war of words with Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin, who is a Russian.
The long standing hockey rivalry between Canada and Russia really needs no introduction. It spanned the Cold War years and even today, in international events, Canada vs Russia games always have an extra feeling of intensity about them.
Cherry as Canadian hockey's elder statesman, was one of the original detractors against the Russian style of hockey and against European hockey in general, frequently citing that 'the players over there have no heart' and it seemed, at the time, he had a point. A team of Russian all-stars that came over and played the NHL Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers first and then the Cup Champion Montreal Canadians were beaten into submission, with one Russian squad even walking off the ice rather than finishing a game against the Flyers.
This was during the dirtiest era of hockey, where players were starting to learn about conditioning, so they were larger and more fit than they had ever been, but equipment was still in the dark ages, in regards to protecting players. The Canadians wore no helmets; the Russians nearly all did. Bench clearing brawls were frequent in the NHL; in Russia, the hockey players were Red Army soliders, conscripted at a young age to play for their national team. Fighting and misbehaving was not tolerated, nor were displays of emotion. Many members of the 1972 Summit Series team were quoted as saying that playing against the Russians was like playing a machine or playing a bunch of robots. There was no fire in their bellies and no passion in their play.
That brings us to present day. The Soviet Empire has fallen, Russians are free to play their hockey where they wish (to a degree) and are free to develop their own style. And from Russia, more than anywhere else, we have seen a devastating amount of skill come in the form of flashy speed and goal scoring. Alexander Mogilny, Pavel Bure and now Ovechkin, have scored goals, maybe not in the numbers of some of their North American counterparts, but with a sheer force of style that is impossible to duplicate.
Bure and Mogilny however, were raised in the Red Army, and while the former certainly showed passion at times, the latter rarely did. Ovechkin is the first real superstar born and raised almost entirely in non-communist Russia. His passion for the game is fantastic, bordering on rabid. He loves scoring goals to such a degree that it seems like he is never happier than when bulging the twine.
And now Don Cherry has been making the point that while he respects Ovechkins passion, he feels that his goal celebrations are downright disrespectful and have no place in the game.
American broadcasters for the most part feel that Cherry's notions are antiquated here and I can't say I totally disagree. I have long defended Cherry's principals in regards to playing hockey the right way, tough but clean, with more steak than sizzle and with respect for ones opponent. However, the heart that Cherry always claimed the Russian players lacked? Ovechkin has it. He has it in spades. He grew up as the 11th of 11 children, too poor to buy new hockey sticks, so he would tape broken ones together. If he ever got a new one, he would never take slapshots, because he was afraid of breaking the stick. He credits the develop of his lightning release to this fact. What is not to love about this kid? He gives 100 percent every single second his on the ice and nobody has more fun than he does.
I think Cherry understands this. He keeps saying things along the lines of 'Alex you're the best player in the world and I know you're a class guy, but act with some class', like he is trying to coach the young man along. Alex, for his part, seems to be listening a little bit, although whether it's to Cherry or to his team mates, who are predominantly Canadian, is unclear.And he has never been disrespectful towards Cherry, speaking of him as a popular Canadian television host and clearly knowing who he is. However, for his 50th goal, rather than scaling things back, Ovechkin scaled things forward, with a pre-meditated goal celebration that involved him dropping his stick onto the ice like it was too hot to touch. He says that a couple team mates helped him come up with the celebration and were supposed to join in while it was going on but when the time came, he was left by himself, looking arrogant and disrespectful, as he was on the home ice of another team.
If he wanted to do that at home, for his own fans, fine. But to do it in another teams building, well, I don't agree with that.
But maybe we can't have it both ways.
Do we want the robotic Russians back? I don't think we do.
We want Ovechkins heart and passion and fun-loving spirit right?
So how can we criticize a culture of players first for being too emotionless and then for being too full of vim and and vigour? It doesn't really seem fair.
What, exactly, are we looking for?
last time i checked sports are a form of entertainment. if you dont like to see ovechkin's celebrations and passion for the game, you probably dont have a pulse.
ReplyDeleteif teams/players/don cherry are offended by ovechkin's celebrations, maybe they should do something to prevent such celebrations, like....i don't know, maybe play defense?
in regards to cherry. sometimes i like him, but mostly, i find him to be a old fashioned coot who needs to keep his opinions to himself. he is the canadian version of clint eastwoods character in Gran Torino
that's well said but I only agree to a point.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily agree about your stance on Don, because it honestly seems like he is concerned about public perception of Ovechkin, for Ovechkins sake. Now maybe Ovechkin doesnt give a shit what Cherry thinks, and that's fine too. but Don honestly seems to think his advice would help the kid.
However, you are right about sports being entertainment. But how would you feel if players in baseball started cartwheeling around the bases?
There is only backlash because this is new. Nobody is questioning Ovechkins intensity because it's obvious that is working out for him and that's the thing Cherry loves more than anything. He even called Ovechkin the best player in the world, a title he had never bestowed on anyone outside Canada.
People forget that he ripped Teemu Selanne for the same thing back in 92 and even disliked when a Canadian, Tiger Williams (who was on Cherry's own team) rode his stick back across centre ice, when he coached the Colorado Rockies in the early 80's. So this really isnt a race issue. It's a respect issue.
Dano, this is my favourite/your best so far. The passion for sports creates better writing. Even though I don't give an F about hockey, this was a good read.
ReplyDeleteSomething else I read a little ago called "The Unfinished Canadian," (Andrew Cohen) had a lot of national identity garbage in it, but it *did* also have an interesting point about how Canadians view success, especially our own. Imagine the intensity of our feelings about success in hockey, our one shiningly uncontested forte.
Anyway, Cohen pointed out that as a nation we are almost embarrassed of ourselves when achieving success as individuals or as a whole. Celebrating too lavishly or enthusiastically is seen as an offensive and vulgar act. I've brought up this idea in conversation here and there because I think there is something valid to it, but most people tend to agree with attitudes like Don Cherry's (re: Ovechkin's enthusiasm) by defending our supreme modesty.
Doesn't it get to the point though, that valuing modesty and condemning the celebration of success, is actually indicative of a national character with an inferiority complex, and that is deeply insecure?
To me this debate is much less about hockey and more about national attitudes towards international success. Canada - a perpetual middle-power (if that) and eternal neighbour and useless/dependant little brother to the contemporary world's only superpower - has its own psychological history to deal with, much like the USSR. Although, we have no delusions about becoming more powerful than the USA.
Anyway, would a Canadian commentator make similar comments about a foreign (US or otherwise) football player going bananas after a touch down? Who the hell is Don Cherry to say (nay, publicly advise a total stranger) that politeness should come before enjoyment, in a competition? Commentary should have it's limits and Don regggggggggularly crosses them. Perhaps that's why we love him so.
I agree,this is not new, from Tiger Williams to teams throwing gloves and sticks upon winning an important game or series. What is different is that Ovechkin seems to be celebrating on his own. Where are his team mates? Last I checked Alex is just as thrilled that a team mate scores as he is when he does and he does often. How many other players recently have 50 goals in multiple seasons? why is his team hanging him out to dry? everyone loved his antics at the all star game. You can't pick and choose- either you want heart or not. Maybe he needs to learn a little tact, but you shouldn't want him to not revel in his and his team's success. Don Cherry maybe needs to give his head a shake- although very polite in person, a little over the edge on camera. Both Alex and Don might learn a little from there is no "I" in team, but Alex's team needs to show up for Alex as well.....
ReplyDeletewell said, both of you. I am going to write a follow up piece to this one at some point soon.
ReplyDelete