The Great 8 Must Answer The Bell

Props to Matt Bradley. He may have saved his Washington Capitals teammate, Alexander Ovechkin, from getting his kisser rearranged last night in a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After Ovechkin threw a questionable hit, Steve Downie and Ovechin exchanged words before getting matching roughing penalties. Upon stepping out of the box, the two dropped the gloves before Bradley came flying in like Superman to save Ovechkin.



This is all fine and dandy; the enforcer, or as close to the Caps have to it, sticking up for the star, until you consider that this was perhaps what Ovechkin had coming. Ovechkin plays on the edge; that's a given and is perfectly fine. But his open-ice hits that many have cried are illegal have drawn more attention to Ovechkin and the fine line he walks between edgy and flat-out dangerous. Was Bradley right in doing what he did? Well, yes, he saved the face of the franchise--literally. But is it time Ovechkin mans up and follows the unwritten "code" that lies within the game?

I am an Ovechkin supporter. He's an unbelievable talent and pretty much accepted as the NHL's best player--that is, unless you're from Pittsburgh. But even Sidney Crosby, sometimes nicknamed "Cindy" Crosby, has held himself accountable for his actions and heck, even played enforcer to defend Evgeni Malkin. While I agree Crosby can be soft, he has adhered by "the code" for the most part. And Crosby doesn't even throw vicious body checks that could end another player's season the way Ovechkin does.

So now Ovechkin is in the spotlight again, for throwing a malicious hit and not sticking up for himself. Heck, even the mild-mannered Jeff Halpern is pissed. Ovechkin has already been suspended once this season and likely will not be suspended for his latest action. But it's about time somebody takes action--and that person should be Oveckhin.