You do just have to wonder how long a career Alex Ovechkin is going to have in the NHL if he carries on behaving the way he has over the last few weeks.
Ovechkin is about to return this week after a knee-on-knee clash with Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason in an incident that earned him a game misconduct, a two-game suspension and a knee injury at the same time.
The game’s most exciting player says the ban could only act to make him even angrier, and while that might be a worry for his opponents who fear him scoring at a quicker pace than he already does, it could be a bigger worry for his coach Bruce Boudreau and fans in the capital.
Boudreau has already had his say on Ovechkin’s style of play, claiming him to be reckless, and it’s hard not to agree with the veteran coach who continually has to worry about him being available on a nightly basis.
It’s not just the worry of injury as well, because the NHL’s powers that be will not look lightly on a player who could be seen to be going out on the ice with the intention to harm opponents – we know what has happened to players like that in the past and it has not always been pleasant to watch.
But while some worry, NHL Betting Predictions have Ovechkin down as easily the biggest draw in the game, regularly bringing out the rare attendees to games just to see what he is going to do next – he already has 18 goals and 30 points in 21 games this season.
But how long can he go on without an injury that is going to cost him significant playing time while he continues to throw himself all over the ice? And would Capitals fans be as interested in him if he was to calm his ways?
By Andy Charles - A professional sports writer who blogs about NHL Bets and NHL Predictions
