Dear Alex,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know that you guys lost a tough game last night to Carolina but I was hoping to bend your ear for a minute or two and apologize for some things I might have said about you.

You see Alex, I thought that maybe you were headed towards the downside of your career. We have all witnessed some amazing things from you during your first 10 seasons in the NHL. You’ve won scoring titles, MVP’s made tons of highlight reels with amazing goals and fantastic plays. The absolute zeal with which you played the game was something that us fans could relate to. All of us wish that we could be in your shoes for at least a day. We tell ourselves that we would never take for granted the opportunity to get paid to play a game we all love. Hell, plenty of us would probably even say that we would do it for free just for the chance to skate on NHL ice.

Your broken English and hilariously awkward commercials endeared us to the fact that you were still a visitor to our land and made us embrace you that much more. We even loved the fact that you partied like a Russian rock star when you weren’t resetting the gold standard in the NHL. We loved your rivalry with Sidney Crosby, even though it wasn’t really a rivalry. It was even a bit peculiar, probably even to you that most NHL fans took more of a liking to you than the equally mercurial yet homegrown Crosby. The reckless, hair-on-fire skating to the puck or anyone unfortunate enough to be between you and the puck made you easy to cheer for because we all want our heroes to work at being great.

But then Alex, something happened. The goals stopped coming as easily. The playoff losses mounted. That bounce in your step seemed to be fading as much as the broken-toothed smile that we loved. The stats went away and the whispers began. Maybe the Russian disco lifestyle had caught up to you. Maybe the American fast food had slowed you down. We all wondered what was wrong, but you kept telling us that everything would be okay.

Then, last March, everything started to look okay again. You started scoring again and God bless you, you really looked like you were having fun again. The effort was back and your entire team seemed to be inspired by your play. A division title and a top three seed in the playoffs had the Capitals looking like a Stanley Cup contender. But that’s where it ended last year. A first round loss and a statistical no-show almost made us forget how well you played last season. Your Hart Trophy was nice, but we all know how badly you want that Stanley Cup. Or do you?

So heading in to this year I had figuratively pushed a fork into you. I thought you were done. There is no shame in your career and I think you may have already accomplished enough to make it into the Hall of Fame. You got married, probably are planning a family, so no one would blame you if hockey took a back seat in your life for once. I figured that there would be a drop off in production and that the Capitals would struggle a little bit too. But I was wrong.

I’m glad I was wrong Alex. I really am. You are one of my favorite players to watch and no one was happier to be wrong about you than this guy. Through the first four games you have again put the Caps on your back. Though the record (1-3) doesn’t reflect the effort that you have put forth, the wins will come in time. On a personal level, you have been on fire with five goals and two assists. I don’t know if you are going to, or can maintain this pace, but I am pulling for you. Trust me, if you fall off and are photographed smoking cigarettes at a nightclub full of supermodels in a tracksuit, I won’t tell everyone “I told you so”. Promise.

So again, I just want to clear the air and offer a sincere apology and let you know that the entire NHL and their fans are pulling for another big year from you and a sustained playoff run from the Capitals. We don’t need a renewed rivalry with Crosby and the Penguins even though you guys are back in the same division. All I ever wanted is to see that you cared about the game again.

Thanks for the memories to come,

Rob Kirk