Photo: Ricky Carioti

The Washington Post’s photography department runs the WP’s Instagram account, and it’s a mandatory follow (just like ours). On Thursday, the Post posted a sports image for throwback Thursday. The photo was of Alex Ovechkin after an outdoor practice we covered a long time ago.

“Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin faces the media while preparing for the 2011 Winter Classic on December 29, 2010 in Chevy Chase, MD,” the caption says. The photograph was taken by Ricky Carioti.

It’s a brilliant photo.

You know that saying: a picture is worth a thousand words? That’s actually a load of bull dung. If you look at my iPhone gallery, you’ll see a thousand pictures of ferrets and cats that all say the same thing: I love my pets.

This photo communicates a lot though. It’s a bunch of contrasting stories all being told at the same time, so you have to stare and soak in all the details. The fulcrum of those stories is Ovechkin’s tinted face shield. Here’s what I see:

• The scrutiny that comes with being a superstar athlete. Ovechkin versus a horde of media after playing hockey in front of school children. The helmet reminds us that the sport can be dangerous as well.
• Ovechkin’s personality, which can be serious and silly at the same time. His eyes are sad and his expression is serious, but his face is playfully smeared with grease from one cheek to the other. His lips are outlined like an Auguste clown.
• The tinted face shield suggests protection and privacy, but Ovi is surrounded by the probing press with all eyes on him. The photo itself is a close-up. There’s no privacy here.

And at a very superficial level, I love this pic because it includes two members of the Caps media: CSN’s Jill Sorenson…

…And RMNB’s Chris Gordon.

He was still a baby when this photo was taken.