WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin remembered what Troy Brouwer said earlier this season about the Winter Classic and took it to heart.Brouwer said, Its a good time to show up and make a show, Ovechkin recalled.Brouwer scored the game-winning goal as the Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday at Nationals Park. But that wouldnt have been possible were it not for Ovechkin playing some of his best hockey and scoring earlier in the afternoon.Ovechkin skated like a man possessed and was one of the best players on the ice. Thats no surprise given the eyes watching from the stands and across North America with the superstar on centre stage.Alex, the bigger the stage, the bigger Alex is. Alex, hes a rock star, coach Barry Trotz said. Alex has this ability, as the great stars do, that you want to keep your eyes on him. Even if hes not doing anything good, bad, or indifferent, you want to watch him. And thats what star power does. You want to watch those guys out there.Ovechkin made the most of the brightest the spotlight can really get during an NHL regular season. The 29-year-old had five shot attempts in the first period and ended with 13, flying around the ice with a purpose.After banging home the rebound of a point shot from Mike Green, Ovechkin jumped into the glass as part of his signature celebration and ignited a crowd of 42,832 that filled the ballpark.I always have fun, Ovechkin said. But this is probably one of the special days. And as soon as you see a puck go in, its a great feeling because you want to get success and you want to win.Ovechkin drives the Capitals success as the face of the franchise and has been the leader of the core of Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich for the past decade. Playoff success has eluded this group, but absent a couple of tough series, the 2004 No. 1 pick has performed and is a point-a-game scorer in the post-season.Itll be a few months until Ovechkin and his teammates get another chance to get past the second round. For now, they know they just need to keep winning games.The Winter Classic is just one of 82 regular-season games, but Ovechkin was instrumental in the Capitals winning for the ninth time in the past 13 games.Theres a lot of players in this league who want the big stage, but when theyre put in the spotlight, theyre not as big, Trotz said. I think that the great players of their generation, and Alex is one, is that, when the stage is very big, you know what youre going to get and youre going to get a good performance, a great performance.Asked about stepping up in big moments, Ovechkin said: I just like when I play against great teams and especially if its a great atmosphere.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Reds Jerseys 2019 . -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. Stitched Reds Jerseys . Betancourt was 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves for the Rockies last season before tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. 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Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here.(SportsNetwork.com) - In the salary-cap era of the NFL, its all about allocating assets and one of the major reasons the Seattle Seahawks are preparing to play in their second straight Super Bowl stems from the fact that they hit on quarterback Russell Wilson in the third round of the draft. Instead of having to invest eight figures at the games most important position, Seattle paid Wilson a little less than $700,000 in 2014, meaning it could earmark significant dollars to other positions and build perhaps the deepest roster in all of football. That dynamic that will be changing rather quickly, however. Wilsons rookie deal expires in 2015 and the two Super Bowl appearances in three seasons means that eight figures is on the horizon for the third-year pro in the offseason with some speculating he will end up as the highest paid quarterback in the game at least until the Colts Andrew Luck cashes in. As the most playoff-tested signal caller in NFL history, the Patriots Tom Brady made just under $15 million for his work in leading New England to its record-tying eighth Super Bowl appearance so the Pats are well-versed on how to build a roster around a leading man who has already cashed in his chips. And one of the major tenants of that philosophy is the act of the strategical strike in free agency -- when you think youre close to the Lombardi Trophy, target a difference maker. The Patriots did exactly that in the offseason by signing veteran cornerback Darrelle Revis after he was released by Tampa Bay, inking the star to a two- year backloaded deal. In Revis first season in Foxborough, he delivered in a big way as the lockdown corner capable of eliminating one side of the football field, while enabling Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to be much more inventive with their various blitz and coverage schemes. The four-time All-Pro amassed 47 tackles with two interceptions and 14 passes defensed as the Patriots finished the regular season 12-4 with their latest AFC East crown. The divisional round against Baltimore proved to be Revis toughest game of the season, largely because the Ravens Steve Smith is one of the few receivers in football who can outphysical the Pitt product. Revis rebounded, though, in the AFC Championship Game as he picked off Luck during the Patriots 45-7 rout. Although the Pats are semi-regulars in the big game, this is Revis first trip and he brings an added dimension which makes New England a far more well- rounded team. Everything is surreal right now, Revis said of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time. Actually Im asking some of the guys who have been here thats on this team, You know, whats the process? Vince (Wilfork) has been helping me. (Devin McCourty) has been helping me. Even (ex-Seahawk Brandon) Browner. Im just trying to go about the process the best way I can. Revis will be tackling that process as perhaps the best man-to-man coverage corner in the game. Opponents often assume Belichick will just lock Revis up with their best receiver but the Pats coach is usually a step ahead and he could use Revis to shadow a lesser threat while rolling bracket coverage to the other side.dddddddddddd Its also far easier to overload the blitz with Revis holding down the fort on the edge and his presence makes rushing three into a viable strategy because seven can drop into coverage, along with Revis, in an almost basketball- style box-and-one defense. Its just being competitive, Revis said of his success. In this league, I think as a defensive back, thats what needs to drive you. The whole secondary feels that same way. We dont want any balls caught. The Seahawks and Pats defensive backfields obviously wont be playing each other in Super Bowl XLIX but the comparisons are obvious, as Seattles group, led by All-Pros Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, is regarded as the best in football after allowing an NFL-low 185.6 passing yards per game. New England, with Revis, Browner and safety Devin McCourty, is considered a step behind. Revis is often mentioned with Sherman when a debate over the best cornerback breaks out but its a little like comparing apples and oranges. Seattle plays a lot of Cover-3 and Sherman stays on the left side of the field, meaning the opposing offense can avoid any matchup it wants by simply varying the formations. Revis, on the other hand, will shadow a receiver. There are pluses and minus to each philosophy. Revis supporters point to the fact he is asked to do more but fail to realize his movements mean other lesser players also have to shift and do things they arent necessarily comfortable with. Im sure people will make comparisons, Sherman said. They always do. But we play the game two different ways. Hes plays it more meticulous and more conventional on his technique. Mine is more unorthodox. Its more difficult to replicate what I do on the football field. So its two different styles to compare. I play my way and he plays his way and both of them are effective. Revis and Sherman once engaged in a rather epic Twitter war with each proclaiming they were the best corner. These days, its shifted into more of a mutual admiration society. I mean their secondary is one of the best in the league, Revis said of Sherman and Co. They are making plays for the last couple of years. If you look at it on film, theyve definitely made a lot of plays. They play well together and I think thats the key. They are very versatile in what they do and they are a very physical group. Hes had a great year and hes been doing his job effectively, Sherman countered when discussing Revis. I like what Ive seen from his game. Its hard not to. (Revis is) savvy, instinctive, hes deceptively fast, Pats CB Kyle Arrington told the Boston Globe. He has longer arms than you would think, so hes patient on the line of scrimmage. He doesnt care about the scoreboard, in a sense of getting beat, things like that. Hes just a good football player. Good is kind of understating things, something Arrington was quick to correct. Theres only a few guys that come around like that in a generation, Arrington said, and were just fortunate to have a guy like that on our team. ' ' '