The OvechKam

All of the hype in the NHL has moved from Canadian superstar Sidney Crosby to Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin. 

He is currently ranked first in the league in points (99), goals (57), points per game, game winning goals (10), and he is the primary candidate to become this year’s MVP.  Not only are his stats amazing, but actually watching the way he plays the game is very intriguing.  I guess I’m not the only one who thinks so because on March 12, 2008, Comcast SportNet’s unveiled its latest innovation, the “OvechKam.”  This is a camera dedicated to following the Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin throughout the entire game, providing viewers with an unprecedented look at the most prolific player in the NHL today.  Take a look:

I love it!  Being a huge fan and a player, I like to focus in on the best players and observe how they skate, control, and shoot the puck, and where they position themselves on the ice at all times.  Watching the pros helps me when I play hockey because I incorporate what they do into my playing style.  The OvechKam has made it easy to follow Alexander, who my focus would be naturally geared towards because of his abilities.  Previously, it has been very easy to lose sight of a particular player, especially when he is out of the camera’s view.  But now with Comcast’s new innovation, the job is done for me. 

There are however, many critics of this idea.  The NHL is attempting to individualize the sport on its best player today and many true hockey fans hate this.  If you take a look at the video, you can clearly see that they have focused on Ovechkin in the larger screen and the actual game in the smaller screen.  A lot of people have complained that the OvechKam is not only distracting because you cannot see the game being played but also it was focused on Alexander even when he was sitting on the bench resting.  I actually thought that this was a little ridiculous as well, but then again Comcast had set aside a HD channel showing the same game without the OvechKam so that viewers could flip to the view they preferred. 

Although hockey is a team sport and it should not be focused on one player solely, I really liked this idea.  It is new, fresh, and really trying to get the most out of the league’s All-Star player.  I really liked how I was able to view Alexander’s every move, his reactions, and all of his goals, up close and personal.  But I have to say that I could get tired of this because I like to watch the game of hockey.  If Comcast can consistently guarantee another channel that will show the regular view of the ice than I am all for it. 

It will be interesting to see how this is going to be taken forward.  Here is an idea that I want to throw out.  I would really like to be able to pick which player I want the camera to be focused on.  For example, I play defense and I would like to see how an All-Star defenseman like the Detroit Red Wings’s Nicklas Lidstrom reacts to plays and positions himself on the ice.  Or if I wanted to see some big hits, I could focus the camera on one of the feistier players such as the New York Rangers’s (and former LA Kings player) Sean Avery.  I think the dedicated camera is a great tool that NHL should needs to take advantage of and develop more.  This has the potential to give the league a much needed boost in popularity if they play their cards right.