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 |
WIDEMAN |
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 |