It didn’t take long for Alexander Ovechkin to prove himself in the USA. The Russian hockey player quickly adapted to the NHL level and played with his peers – the young talent had enough technique, intelligence and stamina.
However, over time, an obvious flaw still appeared in the game for beginners. By the end of the first season, it became clear that Ovi didn’t know how to… fight at all.
“Washington” found the optimal solution to the problem.
“Why hurt people?”
As you know, Ovechkin brilliantly spent his debut season in America. The 20-year-old striker quickly scored points and instantly earned the title of one of the league’s most promising newcomers. Washington’s bet was justified: according to the results of the 2005/06 campaign, the Russian scored a cosmic 106 points, ranking among the three most productive hockey players in the NHL. At the same time, Alexander received the first singles title of his career, winning the Calder Trophy.
Of course, the 20-year-old Russian also had unsuccessful performances. Alexander fought very well for the puck with more experienced competitors, but when the hockey player simply had to defend himself, he instantly lost. Ovechkin has frankly admitted that he doesn’t like to fight, but in a league as tough as the NHL, this skill has always been necessary for elemental survival.
– Any conflict is better to resolve peacefully than a fight. Why hurt people? Life is already a difficult thing, – Esquire magazine quotes Ovi.
The question arose point blank after the opponents saw a real threat in Alexander and began to play him very hard. One of the decisive episodes for the club’s leadership was the clash between Ovechkin and Whitney in the match between Washington and Pittsburgh (1:8). The Penguin player brazenly hit the Russian in the groin with a club, knocking him out for the count. The young player was unable to defend or respond, and his teammate who defended him was subsequently heavily fined.
fake images
Then it became clear that it would not be possible to re-educate Ovechkin, at least it would take a long time, given his pacifist disposition. To solve the problem in “Washington” they decided differently, hiring Alexander … a bodyguard.
“It’s cruel, but those are the rules”
Donald Brashear was called in to protect the Russian talent from unnecessary injuries from the start of the new season. The 34-year-old black hockey player with a height of less than two meters and a weight of almost one hundred kilograms epitomized the NHL as it was in the 90s. By the end of his career, the American became one of the big baddies of La Liga: spent a total of 2,634 minutes on the penalty bench.
There were many high-profile fights due to the desperate tough guy, but perhaps the most famous incident involving him occurred in March 2004. Then, with his intervention in the game between Ottawa and Philadelphia, a mass melee began, after which the teams scored a total of 419 penalty minutes, thus setting a league record.
For a million dollars a year, the infamous record holder agreed to become Ovechkin’s personal bodyguard. Brashear made his mission clear to the press:
“Let someone even try to touch Ovechkin with a finger: I will kill him so that he continues to be careful and does not even try to hurt Alex. Yes, he is cruel. But those are the rules of the game.”
fake images
“I want Brashear to teach me to defend myself”
The Washington chiefs’ plan worked: Brashear didn’t let his opponents get close to the gold rookie. However, a significant drawback of this scheme was soon noticed – Alexander’s dependence on the trustee on him. When Donald briefly fell out of the cage, Ovechkin accidentally got into a fight with Philadelphia’s Mike Richards. The Russian tried to resist, but the Canadian scored a landslide victory over him, ripping off his opponent’s helmet and nearly knocking him out.
Ovechkin soon realized that self-defense skills in the NHL would still come in handy. The Russian hockey player turned to Brashear for help, who stayed in Washington for another two seasons, and he agreed:
– I want Brashear to teach me how to defend myself if someone wants to fight me. I’m not going to fight at all, but I don’t want to be beaten. A fighter of mine is simply useless, – explained Alexander.
Over time, Donald really managed to transfer his skill to Ovechkin, and the Russian himself began to gain experience and became more and more self-confident. In 2009, Brashear left the club at the age of 37, a year later he ended his NHL career, but he did not need to look for a replacement for the Capitals: the self-sufficient Alexander no longer needed security.
