Jagshemash! In Kazakhstan we don't have a hockey player like Ovechkin. (Source: CP)

In fact I think the NHL needs to look no further than the hottest movie out right now and market Alex Ovechkin as the league’s Borat.

How you say?

As far fetched as the idea may seem, the similarities between Ovechkin and Borat are actually numerous. Both Sacha Baron Cohen’s Kazakhstan reporter character Borat and Ovechkin have a comical interpretation of the English language. Did you hear Ovechkin at the Capitals golf tournament try to convince his teammates that he did in fact make a hole-in-one in his first ever time golfing?  “I hit it. Yeah, I shot and got it. I swear to Gah! I swear my mom!” Interestingly enough the Caps have actually used Ovechkin as fellow Russian Alexander Semin’s translator during interviews; that’s like Isiah Thomas calling up John Muckler for his advice.

US and A

In addition, Borat and Ovechkin both have an insatiable desire to learn and embrace American culture. Apparently when Ovechkin arrived at his first Capitals training camp his diet consisted of McDonald’s, chocolate bars, pop and chips because that’s what he thought Americans ate. He wasn’t far off base on that assertion. Speaking of American cuisine has anyone seen the KFC Bowls that they’re now selling in the States? These bowls consist of mashed potatoes, mixed with corn and fried chicken, covered with a heaping of gravy and topped off with a helping of three melted cheeses. That’s absolutely disgusting! Then again we Canadians don’t even blink when we’re offered a bowl of greasy French fries, covered in fatty cheese curds and smothered in gravy.

Ovechkin’s desire to embrace American culture has been far reaching; he now prefers to be called Alex, he graces the cover of EA Sports NHL 07, and he attended the 2006 Entry Draft and announced the Capitals’ first round draft picks from the podium. He also apparently is continuing his efforts to pick up more English so that he doesn’t feel restrained to speak his mind –which is a great thing considering he makes for great TV both on and off the ice.

Nice, I like!

I think we can call Borat’s bushy moustache, afro and grey suit look vs. Ovechkin’s Beatles inspired bowl shag cut a dead heat in the foreign inspired goofy look category. I wouldn’t want to have it any other way though; Ovechkin wouldn’t be what he is today if he had a contemporary cut. Hey, it worked for Jagr early in his career.

I like you. Do you like me?

Another similarity that Ovie shares with Borat is the ease in which they excel in making other people look foolish. Borat has racked up a legendary list that includes unsuspecting car salesmen, etiquette pros, humour coaches, historians, women’s rights groups, doctors, professors, and politicians (“My friend is a strong like Stalin”).

Ovechkin’s prey includes a list of unfortunate goalies, defenseman, checking forwards and coaches who struggle to find ways to stop him.

In both cases the victims of these two are left asking the same question: Is this guy for real?

For Make Benefit Glorious National Hockey League

The NHL has made a much better attempt in their advertising this year with an increased emphasis of showcasing the players. I can’t think of a better way to showcase the league’s hottest commodity on and off the ice than banking directly on a big phenomenon by placing Ovechkin in a series of Borat inspired ads. You could show Ovechkin doing his thing in various arenas and engaging himself in a series of awkward interactions with fans and locals. 

As a final comment because I despise the bandwagon label so much, I have to officially state that I’m a long time Borat fan – long before the movie came out. I loved Da Ali G show, I do a mean Borat impression – the European heritage certainly helps deliver an effective Kazak accent. Heck, I’ve even named my fantasy hockey teams, ‘The Plough Experience’ and ‘Jagshemash’.