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Ovechkin vs. Wideman: Comparing the Caps’ All-Stars

The Caps will proudly send both Alex Ovechkin and Dennis Wideman to Ottawa as All-Stars this year. I think there would have been some commotion around Ovechkin whether he had been selected or not: on the one hand, a snub for someone who, despite sometimes underperforming, is considered a superstar. On the other hand, a relatively blatant PR move in sending someone whose stats don’t stack up simply because he’s popular with a broad audience.

Wideman, on the other hand, can sometimes fly under the radar, and may have escaped the notice of many non-Caps fans reading through the All-Star roster. For us Washingtonians, though, the selection of Wideman is meaningful: it’s nice to know that strong play from the Caps’ less well-known players has not gone unnoticed in the league.

So it got me thinking, could it have been possible to pick two more different Caps players? I seriously doubt it. Let’s compare and contrast Washington’s All-Stars:

OVECHKIN

Photo by Alena Schwarz

WIDEMAN

Photo by Alena Schwarz
Fifth consecutive All-Star selection First-time All-Star
Brings the drama Hates the drama
Fans said “Oh… really?” Fans said “Aww, really?!”
Hams it up in the Skills Competition’s Breakaway Challenge (and has won it three years running) Says “Hopefully I can just hold a camera and take some pictures…”
Hockey community is abuzz with criticism about his selection Has never gotten the hockey community abuzz with criticism about anything
Having him there is good marketing We think he’s awesome, but put it this way: he’s no marketing ploy
Boosts TV ratings We’ll be watching for you, boo

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