It won't be long now before Kovalev becomes firmly entrenched as Quebec's latest sweetheart.
Not only did he get a haircut for the big day, but Alex brought out all the charm for his appearance on the French language panel show Tout le Monde en Parle. Thanks to Fred at En Route Pour La Coupe! for alerting us to this.
If you have time and understand French, I recommend you watch the clips because they show a public relations coup for a Canadiens player the likes of which we haven't seen in decades. I mean, sure the Begins and the Quintals have visited talk shows before. but this is different, this is a bona fide superstar, a hockey player whose skills most of us can hardly fathom, and he's taking the time to have a chat, joke around, come into our living rooms as himself.
If Saku were interested at all in sweetening his reception (and from all evidence, i suspect he isn't), this is the blueprint for him to follow. Alex had the audience, the panel and the host eating from his hand. He joked about hi French, he joked about their Russian and they joked in English. It was a veritable love in.
Coming into the season, this is currency for Alex to spend. In a way, it should also take some more heat off poor Saku, who clearly is just a shy person (he hasn't been doing loads of TV shows in either language), not someone who is shunning the French media. Now they can have their darling and leave the rest to their hockey.
Showing posts with label Superstar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superstar. Show all posts
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Accolades to Alex
Well Alex Kovalev is probably just enjoying the final minutes of his 1000th recovery day in the NHL. Albeit, he had to spend it plotting how he would trample the team he found his greatest successes with, but even so.
I wanted to pay a short tribute to Alex's achievements last night. First of all, the 1000 games is a great achievement in a league like the NHL, and should be respected. Secondly, 800 points is nothing to laugh at either, nor is 0.8 points per game over a career for that matter - a pace that he has managed to keep up since arriving in Montreal, believe it or not.
While many have maligned the big Russian in the past 12 months, I know he still has many fans. We on Lions in Winter generally hold him in very high regard, and have actually been keeping an eye on him this year to make sure he's doing alright and no one can forget his impact on games throughout the year.
I thought on the occasion of his 1000th recovery day, I would re-post something that not many people will have read (apart from maybe Tobalev) as it was a very early post. Consider it a tribute to Alex and an explanation as to why I think we should all give him this kind of respect on a more regular basis:
http://lionsinwinter.blogspot.com/2007/05/alexei-kovalev-one-and-only.html
So congratulations Alex. I hope you do make it to 2000 games, and I look forward to your comments about reaching that milestone.
I wanted to pay a short tribute to Alex's achievements last night. First of all, the 1000 games is a great achievement in a league like the NHL, and should be respected. Secondly, 800 points is nothing to laugh at either, nor is 0.8 points per game over a career for that matter - a pace that he has managed to keep up since arriving in Montreal, believe it or not.
While many have maligned the big Russian in the past 12 months, I know he still has many fans. We on Lions in Winter generally hold him in very high regard, and have actually been keeping an eye on him this year to make sure he's doing alright and no one can forget his impact on games throughout the year.
I thought on the occasion of his 1000th recovery day, I would re-post something that not many people will have read (apart from maybe Tobalev) as it was a very early post. Consider it a tribute to Alex and an explanation as to why I think we should all give him this kind of respect on a more regular basis:
http://lionsinwinter.blogspot.com/2007/05/alexei-kovalev-one-and-only.html
So congratulations Alex. I hope you do make it to 2000 games, and I look forward to your comments about reaching that milestone.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
We can't absorb Briere
I for one will be extremely disappointed if we choose to spend 6 million a year on Daniel Briere. Even though this is the new NHL, and he has proven himself to be very well suited to the new conditions, I only have to watch how the league changes at playoff time to know how bad an idea that would be. Daniel Briere has his benefits, but taken in the context of the bulk of the players we have, I don't think he fits. I'll weight up what I think he could offer us below:
1) A French Canadian superstar.
At this point in time, I think this is imperative. The team can't afford to be dragged through the whole language war every time they lose 2 games in a row. Some members of the media are itching for a homegrown (and not Brandon Reed) star. I don’t think they’ll go away. In fact, they’ll continue to create a mess until the big star they crave is brought in. Daniel Briere is a Quebecer, and a star, but not a superstar.
7/10
2) A first line centre.
I am happy with Koivu on the first line, but he’s pulling a young Higgins and a one-dimensional Ryder all by himself. A 1b centre to get Kovalev going or take one of Higgins or Ryder off Koivu’s hands would help. Definitely desirable, if not necessary. Briere seems to fit this bill too. 95 points show that. I think he’s still a lesser player than Koivu. I haven’t seen the extra gear for the playoffs, and I don’t see 95 points if it’s 2 equal lines at the top.
8/10
3) Size.
Diminutive. Manages to look even smaller than he is.
2/10
4) Value for the cap hit.
5-6 million dollars for Koivu Mark II seems a little bit rich. Even if he continues to develop and becomes a 100-point man on the Habs. Elevates Kovalev on his off nights, and exceeds realistic best-case-scenario expectations, 6 million will prevent the team from getting the defenseman they really need.
5/10
5) A locker room leader/example
No reason to doubt Briere here. Two long playoff runs, a first place run. Has earned his way into the league.
8/10
A bit too expensive for his potential contributions to our team. A bit too small to meet the hole in our team. And, not a big enough star to carry the whole expectation on his own. Overall, I don't think Briere is what we need. It would be a shame to sign him just because he's the only one available.
I also think it would create a him or Koivu situation in the future, where we would be looking for the big/crashing centre that we should be looking for now. Koivu is cheaper for the moment, and coming off a good season. Better to keep the known quantity I think in this case.
If I were Gainey, I'd be looking into the possibility of getting Patrick Marleau. Sign Souray and trade him for Marleau. Ideally Lecavalier would be the one, but I fear he's in Tampa for a while longer...
1) A French Canadian superstar.
At this point in time, I think this is imperative. The team can't afford to be dragged through the whole language war every time they lose 2 games in a row. Some members of the media are itching for a homegrown (and not Brandon Reed) star. I don’t think they’ll go away. In fact, they’ll continue to create a mess until the big star they crave is brought in. Daniel Briere is a Quebecer, and a star, but not a superstar.
7/10
2) A first line centre.
I am happy with Koivu on the first line, but he’s pulling a young Higgins and a one-dimensional Ryder all by himself. A 1b centre to get Kovalev going or take one of Higgins or Ryder off Koivu’s hands would help. Definitely desirable, if not necessary. Briere seems to fit this bill too. 95 points show that. I think he’s still a lesser player than Koivu. I haven’t seen the extra gear for the playoffs, and I don’t see 95 points if it’s 2 equal lines at the top.
8/10
3) Size.
Diminutive. Manages to look even smaller than he is.
2/10
4) Value for the cap hit.
5-6 million dollars for Koivu Mark II seems a little bit rich. Even if he continues to develop and becomes a 100-point man on the Habs. Elevates Kovalev on his off nights, and exceeds realistic best-case-scenario expectations, 6 million will prevent the team from getting the defenseman they really need.
5/10
5) A locker room leader/example
No reason to doubt Briere here. Two long playoff runs, a first place run. Has earned his way into the league.
8/10
A bit too expensive for his potential contributions to our team. A bit too small to meet the hole in our team. And, not a big enough star to carry the whole expectation on his own. Overall, I don't think Briere is what we need. It would be a shame to sign him just because he's the only one available.
I also think it would create a him or Koivu situation in the future, where we would be looking for the big/crashing centre that we should be looking for now. Koivu is cheaper for the moment, and coming off a good season. Better to keep the known quantity I think in this case.
If I were Gainey, I'd be looking into the possibility of getting Patrick Marleau. Sign Souray and trade him for Marleau. Ideally Lecavalier would be the one, but I fear he's in Tampa for a while longer...
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