In DC, John Feinstein writes with Penguins C Sidney Crosby missing most of the season so far with post-concussion symptoms and Capitals RW Alex Ovechkin "on pace for a career-low season offensively," the NHL is "not the same." When Crosby "is healthy and Ovechkin is Ovechkin, the entire sport is better." Capitals-Penguins and Crosby-Ovechkin "were supposed to be the rivalries that carried the NHL into the 2020s." Hockey is not as "thrilling as it was when they were trading goals and trading barbs while their teams traded wins and everyone held their breath waiting to see who would make the next spectacular play." Now the sport "simply holds its breath, hoping one will shed the pinstripe suit and the other will shed the invisible shackles he has been wearing" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/13). Also in DC, Stephen Whyno noted Ovechkin will make his fifth All-Star Game appearance this season despite "questionable numbers." But as "one of the faces of the NHL," and with Crosby absent, Ovechkin "has a place in the All-Star Game that's hard to argue from an entertainment standpoint" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/13).
LOOKING AHEAD: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who signed a four-year contract extension Wednesday, said that how the Tour handles the "digital presentation of its product is one of his biggest priorities" moving forward. In Jacksonville, Garry Smits writes the Tour's website is "already pretty good." It can "get better but so can any sports league web site because the technology keeps exploding exponentially." Other "priorities for Finchem: continue working to solidify the FedEx Cup and PGA Tour Playoffs in the public consciousness as the Tour's competitive structure; continue making inroads into Asia; keep developing the Tour's brand in South America with the PGA Tour Latinoamerica that begins an 11-event season this fall; and maintain the Tour's strong charitable component that has reached $1.7 billion" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 1/13).
SORE SPOT: In Toronto, Doug Smith noted the grind of the condensed NBA schedule "has to take its toll on muscle and joints and ligaments," and it will be "one of the enduring storylines to watch as the season progresses." Muscle injuries "are almost entirely a result of the number of games the league decided to jam into a season that would have been just as legitimate at 60 games at it is at 66" (TORONTO STAR, 1/12).
