WHY ALEXANDER OVECHKIN STOLE MY HEART

(Read this post and try not loving AO. I DARE YOU.)

Guys, I think I might love Alex more than Derek right now, and that's even after Derek's two-goal, three-point night. Yeah.

(But wasn't that a great game???? I was very impressed with that. It seemed like it was the only game thus far, or at least in a long time, that the Sabres have put in a solid effort for the whole game. And it was good to see Roy, Miller, Vanek, Pominville, and Stafford step up and fill up the score sheet. Alright, my heart is too full of rainbows and butterflies to talk hockey, so we'll talk Alex instead.}

BUT DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE ME. DON'T YOU DARE. I have a legitimate reason to be in love with AO.

FROSTEE!!!!! PLEASE KNOW THAT AS SOON AS MY MOTHER TOLD ME THIS STORY, YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON I THOUGHT OF (hence, the note I left on your wall). Just please don't die on me... I need someone to search Ovie with me when the Caps are in Buffalo....

STORY TIME!!!!!!!!

Okay, so my mom and I were walking out of work last night (yes, I work with my mother), and she goes, "Okay, listen to this!"

So I listened. And this is what I learned:

Our supervisor, Betty, is like, in her mid 70's. She's pretty awesome, and she's got a son in his late 40's/early 50's, who has real bad MS. What I didn't know is that her son is a hockey fanatic.

I guess he used to play hockey when he was younger, and was friends with Danny Gare and some of the other Sabres from that era. But since his MS has gotten so bad, and considering his age, he and his friends have stopped playing hockey, but have taken up competition through a fantasy league.

Now, Betty's son bleeds blue and gold, more so than I do, which is a lot. But his favorite player is Alexander Ovechkin. Not surprisingly; I mean, he has amazing skill, and I honestly think he's the best player in the league (Crosby, who? Malkin, who?). Anyways, he has Ovie on his fantasy team.

A while back, he writes a letter to AO, just briefly explaining his situation, where he's come from and what he's become, and told Alex that he loves his game, blah, blah, blah, and basically just says something along the lines of "if you wouldn't mind, I'd love it if you could send me an autographed picture of yourself."

So a good amount of time goes by, and Betty and her son never heard a thing. Until the other day.

The phone rings, and it's the Sabres calling for him.

(At this point in the story, I'm like, "Please don't tell me that he met AO! OMGAH He didn't meet Ovie while the Caps were here did he? AHHHHH!)

Whoever it was said, "Mr. Lawson, the Washington Capitals were in town recently, and I have instructions from Mr. Ovechkin to deliver a package to you."

(Please excuse me while I AHAHAHALSGKJALWKNG;AKYGOIH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Phew! I'm good, I swear.)

"He is very adamant that this gets to you as quickly as possibly, and made sure to tell us that he will be checking back with us to be sure that it got to you."

So obviously, Betty and her son jump in the car and drive down to HSBC Arena immediately, and sure enough, there was a package waiting.

Betty's son opens it up and finds a handwritten letter from Alex himself. The letter goes on to say how his story is very touching, and Alex appreciates the support, blah, blah, blah.

The best part, though? This is how the letter reads: "I don't have any pictures of myself to send to you, so I hope this will be alright."

What was "this" you might ask?

An autographed, game-used All*Star jersey.

ALKDSGJLAHGD;LAHFSL;GJALFH I KNOW, RIGHT??

So this is why I love Alexander Ovechkin, because he would give up something so valuable, something so memorable to himself, and something so rare collector-wise, to a person he's never met, just because of a touching letter. Not only is this story heartwarming to me because it's a hockey player doing something nice for a fan, but because Alex's gift made the world for Betty's son. Ovie isn't just a good hockey player, he's a damn good human being, and his act of kindness, which wasn't really too much for him to do, makes me feel better about humanity in general. So next time I hear someone trashing AO for whatever reason, I'm going to think of this story and know how wrong that person is.

Do you think Sidney or Evgeni would do this for a random stranger, who isn't even someone from their hometown, the town they play in, or a town they have a personal connection to? I don't think so.

ETA: After getting numerous e-mails and comments saying I'm a bitch or Crosby-hater, etc, for that last statement, I feel it's necessary to reiterate something I myself commented on this post. When I wrote that, I wasn't so much doubting that Crosby or Malkin, or anyone else for that matter, don't do amazing things for perfect strangers. I know they do, and I've heard countless stories of it. A good portion of those stories and experiences, though, are due to extenuating circumstances, such as work done by the Make A Wish Foundation. Now, I'm not saying that those groups and organizations aren't amazing, because they are, and I applaud the guys for working with such foundations. My point was that Alex has no connection whatsoever to Buffalo. He's not from Buffalo, and my supervisor's son isn't from Russia, and doesn't live in the Washington area, nor did he meet AO through a charitable organization. He approached Ovie and asked for an autographed 8x10 picture. Alex went above and beyond what was necessary and made this guy's life. It's no secret amongst my friends and I that I don't care much for Crosby and Malkin, but hey, even if my worst enemy were to do something like this, I'd love him too. I'm not trying to step on any toes or ruffle any feathers, so I could really do without the criticism and the judgement. All I wanted to do was share a heartwarming story..

Seriously, though? I respect Malkin and Crosby for their skills and what they do for the game, and also what they do in the community. Is it wrong that I happen to like Ovechkin more? No. This is America, and it's a free country. I admit some of my statements come off as whatever they may, and I can live with that, but I've come out and explained what I meant. That being said, you can stop with all of the proof that Crosby and Malkin are just as good, if not better, than Ovechkin. They're nice stories to hear, yes, but I could stand to hear these stories without the putting down of Alex, and the exalting of Sid and Evgeni. And that might make me sound like a bitch, but so be it. I like to hear stories about any person, not just Ovie, doing great things for other people, and one good dead by the president does not make a good dead done by a regular person any less special. Get what I mean?