In Defense of Ovechkin
Although the second round of the NHL playoffs is underway, kicking Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is still the flavor of the moment in Canada's media.
Because the Montreal Canadiens performed a modern miracle on ice by upsetting the Caps in the first round (I still can’t believe it), Ovechkin, as captain, is being dissed and blamed for lack of leadership and being too individualistic and not a team player.
Ovechkin even blames himself for the Caps loss. A gesture of some class.
On the other hand, Sidney Crosby is getting rave reviews because the Penguins managed to prevent Ottawa from pulling a Montreal-type upset.
The Sun’s Steve Simons opined: “This is Sidney Crosby’s time. Alexander Ovechkin is now the Avis of NHL players. No. 2 and trying harder.”
Dave Feschuk in the Toronto Star noted Ovechkin “has much to prove” – he and the Caps’ Mike Green proved to be “24-year-olds with learning to do.”
The National Post’s Wayne Scanlon was damning: “Ovechkin falls short again... Goodbye Ovie. Hello Sid… Ovechkin deserves a lot of the heat he’s getting.”
To the Globe and Mail’s Sean Gordon, Ovechkin “will now face serious questions as to his ability to marshal his team to victory… (and) lost some ground to Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby in the best-player-of-his generation discussion.” And so it goes - even though Simons thinks Ovie will again win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.
As a locker-room philosopher once said: “If you’re going to kick someone, it’s safest to do it when he’s down.” And so it is with Ovechkin.
In the debate as to whether Crosby or Ovechkin is the greatest hockey player, Crosby gets nods as a team player; Ovechkin is accused of trying to do it all himself.
This is a bit of a bum rap. One forgets that in the final game against Ottawa that Pittsburgh won, Crosby was on the ice when all four of Ottawa’s goals were scored, one of which was disallowed.
This year, while Crosby finished the season with one more goal than Ovechkin (51-50), Ovechkin finished with one more assist than Crosby (59-58). And Ovechkin played in nine fewer games than Crosby.
So while the dissing of Ovechkin will continue (at least until next season) reality is that in four of the five-seasons he’s played in the NHL, Ovechkin’s assists have roughly matched his awesome goal-scoring talents. That hardly indicates a selfish player. Yes, he shoots a lot, but he also passes a lot.
Winning motivates him, as it does all top players, but Crosby is a Stanley Cup winner.
One could argue that Crosby has Malkin as a linemate – arguably the second best Russian player (after Ovechkin) in the NHL. That argument can be countered by noting Ovechkin’s linemate is Backstrom – as good as any at his job.
I’d argue Ovechkin is one of the cleaner players in hockey. He hits like no other goal-scorer, but has no reputation for butt-ending, hooking, slashing, tripping or goon stuff. His shattering body checks are what Don Cherry fears may eventually curtail his career.
Crosby is more conventional and chippy without the flamboyance of Ovechkin. In my view, as an occasional fan, Crosby is a player who makes any team better . Ovechkin is a player you can build a team around, as he has proved in Washington where, in his words “the fans are now like Canadians.”
Given a choice, I’d rather see Ovechkin in a Leafs uniform than Sidney Crosby.
Can any compliment be higher than that?