Alexander Ovechkin Quickly Rises As The NHL's Biggest Star

The All-Star Game Crowd In Montreal Among Many Fans Taking A Liking To Alex Ovechkin

ALEXANDER THE GREAT: In Denver, Terry Frei noted amid the All-Star Weekend festivities, the "number of Ovechkin jerseys spotted on the backs of fans young and old is startling." The hockey world "has become enamored" with Ovechkin, who is the "top name on the marquee in a sport that often seems reluctant to put any individual names on a marquee at all." Ovechkin agreed to have a Twitter page, and Frei noted part of his popularity is "because he is a departure from the league's don't-call-attention-to-yourself culture" (DENVER POST, 1/25). Versus’ Brian Engblom said of Ovechkin during the skills contest, “He’s waving to the crowd, ‘Come on, let’s hear it.’ He draws it on himself, and he knows the players will get on him afterwards a little bit, but he doesn’t care. He’s willing to go there. ... He is a showman” (“Honda/NHL All-Star SuperSkills Competition,” Versus, 1/24).

CAPITAL GAINS: In DC, Barry Svrluga wrote Ovechkin has "helped lift the Capitals to a perch in a crowded [DC] sports market that hockey players have rarely enjoyed." By "every measurable index -- attendance, television ratings, merchandise sales, Web site traffic, position in the standings -- the Capitals have moved past those times when their star player could glide unnoticed through restaurants and bars, when their slumps and winning streaks would be charted only by a core group of ardent fans." Inside the team, there is a "sense that the development of [DC] as a hockey market is just beginning." Capitals Senior VP & CMO Tim McDermott: "We're the hot team in D.C.; we're the hot ticket in D.C." (WASHINGTON POST, 1/24).

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