A Party for Alex Ovechkin

How can someone with teeth few and far between, who barely speaks the English language, and who gets paid big bucks in a sport where the more violent you are, the happier fans are with you – be so darn cute? Alex Ovechkin has that down pat.  He has missing teeth (which he refuses to get replaced … perhaps because they will get knocked out again? or perhaps because the spaces are like badges of honor in the NHL?), he speaks in such cryptic English, interviewers are sometimes at a loss.  He is almost bashful in person (yet so aggressive on the ice) and there is a reason for his missing teeth – he has seen his fair share of fights and penalty boxes.  But this MVP winning (DC hasn’t seen one of these since Joe Theismann in 1983), Pearson award winning, Nation’s Capital Key to the City earning Russian makes fans swoon over him because of his talent, his work ethic, his agility and his dedication. 

(Pictured above right: Jenny Assad – thanks for the camera! – and #8; below left: Rick “Doc” Walker expounds his thoughts upon Ted Leonsis as restaurant co-owner Jose Garcia looks on)

As Ted Leonsis addressed the standing room only crowd at Teatro Goldoni on Friday evening, the Caps Owner said, “Alex was so humble and honored and almost embarrassed about winning the MVP and Pearson awards.  He said, this was great, but he would trade all this in for a Stanley Cup.”  Every guest in the room looked at one another with an, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” then cheered and whistled.  Perhaps that is part of the reason why this toothless pro-hockey player can charm his fans into loving him so much.  He is humble and he is a protege of another much loved Washingtonian, Ted Leonsis himself.

The crowd, which was made up of a very strict list of friends of the Capitals, Teatro Goldoni and Capitol File Magazine, were able to get as many photo opps as possible with Ted and #8 and actually chat with them.  Ted, his wife and daughter stayed until the very end of the 2 1/2 hour fete while Alex, his girlfriend and friends stuck around and ate dinner in the back before heading off to Josephine’s to dance off the pasta.

(Pictured above right: Cindy Jones, Ted and wife Lynn, “Elliot in the Morning” and daughter Elle Leonsis; below left: me, Kathleen Statz, Victoria Michael, Janet Swanson, Lisa Smith, Jenny Assad, and the Crown Prince of Hockey)

It was certainly a night to remember, a mark in DC sports history, and hopefully just another step closer to having Ted check the box “Win a World Championship” off of his  “101 List.”