I was amazed to hear that Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was given a $124 million, 13-year contract extension last week.
That’s a lot of money and a long time to be committed to one organization. I was thinking that 13 years is a long time to be with one employer, and I know some people have that loyalty in some fields, but in the world of athletics, that’s a long time, especially for a sport like hockey and especially for a town like Washington, D.C. where I didn’t even think hockey was that big.
The Great One, Wayne Gretzy, had a long hockey that lasted nearly 21 years, but that was spread out to five different teams.
Major League Baseball player Kenny Lofton gets traded every year. Football and basketball players get traded all the time.
But then again, there were a few standouts that came to mind. Bill Cowher, one of my favorite NFL coaches, spent 14 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NBA John Stockton spent 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz.
I grew up in Hampton Roads, Va., where we had the Norfolk Admirals, an American Hockey League team and we had a pretty strong fan base. But that could also be credited to the fact that the town’s known as one of the largest metropolitan areas without a professional sports team. However, Norfolk does have Tides, the minor league feeder for the New York Mets, if that counts.
Otherwise, the closest pro sport we had were in D.C. After I graduated from college, I spent a lot of time there and much of the buzz for sports came from the Washington Redskins and the Wizards.
Hockey may have been big for my town, but I barely even heard about it when I was in D.C.
I like Ovechkin. I like that he even has the look of a Russian hockey player because when he smiles, he shows off the gap one of his teeth was knocked out. The 22-year old wing scored 130 goals in his 2 and a half seasons, most among all NHL players over that time span entering last Thursday’s games. He had 52 goals and 54 assists in 2005-06, when he edged Pittsburgh forward Sidney Crosby in the voting for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. Ovechkin followed that up with 46 goals and 46 assists last season.
As of last Thursday, he tied for second in the NHL with 32 goals this season, helping Washington surge from the league’s worst record to the fringe of the playoff race.
Those are some pretty great numbers, and I can see why owner Ted Leonsis wanted to hold on to him. “I’m a risk-taker,” Leonsis told the media last week. “And if you’re going to make a long-term investment, who else would you do it with?”
True, I suppose, but I’m a little wary for the future of hockey. As I remember, it was only a few years ago when the hockey players were on strike, and I know that the hockey viewership is down. It wasn’t until recently, when the NHL had that outdoor exhibition game, that I heard anyone talk about hockey.
But I suppose that since hockey has lasted a long time already, and despite its low numbers, it will still go on, for at least 13 more years.
I’m happy for Ovechkin’s sealing of a contract extension worth that much, because let’s face it, you can’t knock anyone for making money at something he’s good at. I wish the best of luck to Leonsis and the franchise. I just might have to go see the hype whenever I go back for a visit.
