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michael russo's sunday insider; OvechKam: all greatness all the time; A cable channel gives fans a unique, up-close-and-personal view of Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin.

Article Excerpt
Byline: MICHAEL RUSSO; STAFF WRITER

If you're a Wild fan who has only watched Alex Ovechkin play twice, both times against the Wild, you might think the Washington Capitals superstar is nothing but hype.

In both games, the Wild checked Ovechkin into ineffectiveness.

But nobody in the NHL's more electrifying, nobody's more dangerous than the $124 million man. The bubbly, 22-year-old Russian maestro is a dynamic combination of puck skills, acceleration, soft hands, a blistering shot and bone-crunching hits.

With 57 goals in 72 games, Ovechkin should become the NHL's first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux's 69 and Jaromir Jagr's 62 in 1995-96. The closest since had been Florida's Pavel Bure, who scored 59 in 2000-01 and 58 in 1999-00. With 99 points, he could become the first Russian to lead the league in scoring.

"[Ovechkin's] the best player I've ever played with, there's no question," said Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig. "I've played with Jagr. I've played with [Peter] Bondra. ... They...