An early vote for the Hart Trophy
by James Mirtle @ 2:18 PM
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22 Comments:
Crosby's injury has given us a chance to focus on some other real talent and its allowed Ovechkin to come out of a bit of a shadow.
Im gonna come out and say that Ovechkin is just as good as Crosby. And more entertaining.
Nicklas Lidstrom for a wonderful season capping an incredible career (but who knows, he might be even better next year !). Ovechkin will win other Hart trophies in his career...
In Washington, we've always known Ovechkin is a real talent. It's only now that everyone doesn't have their nose up Crosby's ass that they are getting to realize this fact.
4 goals, 1 assist, um-teen stitches, bloodied lip and a broken nose in one game.
Crosby would have been crying and complaining after just the lip.
Two things, actually, I think are what is putting Ovechkin in the Hart Trophy race:
(1) He's leading the league in scoring and
(2) His team is winning
If he wins the Art Ross and the Capitals win that division, I'm not sure it would have mattered if Crosby had stayed healthy.
He's really put on a one-man show since signing that monster deal.
I went Lidstrom as well. His season has been flat-out dominant. AO might get more YouTube hits, but he's benefitting a lot from Crosby's injury.
Lidstrom is the class of the league without anybody having to get hurt.
I agree that Lidstrom deserves consideration, Earl, but Ovechkin has 17 goals in his last 14 games.
Even if Crosby was healthy, he'd be getting plenty of attention.
Crosby's injury has nothing to do with Ovechkin.
He's been consistent his whole career.
It the others that have the blinders (at least temporarily) removed.
Fair enough, James. Still, if I had to start a team around one player this year, it'd be Lidstrom. I'm just a sucker for wins, I guess.
I went for Lidstrom, even though he already has a trophy named after him...
...what?
Who the heck is "Norris" and how many Lidstrom trophies did he win? :)
They should give Hart to AO before he disappears like Bure, Fedorov, Jashin and others from Russia.
>>In Washington, we've always known Ovechkin is a real talent. It's only now that everyone doesn't have their nose up Crosby's ass that they are getting to realize this fact.<<
I whole-heartedly agree. It's an absolute travesty how Crosby won the Calder two years ago.
Ovechkin is 22.
After after age 22 Bure played 554 games and 343 goals and 266 assists and was forced out of the game by a knee injury.
Since age 22 Federov has played 1036 games and has 1053 points and he doesn't have the same passion for the game as Ovechkin.
Yashin is head case, so that's not a very good comparison.
Ovechkin is doomed.
His reckless style of play will result in injuries which will take him from the lineup, and he'll be just another guy people talk about when they start saying, "what if."
Where is Sundin on this list? I'm reading a lot of stories about how awesome he is, and how he'll win any team the Cup he goes to - isn't that textbook Hart value?
Add Sundin please.
I agree that Ovechkin's style of play could lead to injuries.
On the other hand, he's 6'3'', 225 and had missed only one game in his NHL career thus far.
'I whole-heartedly agree. It's an absolute travesty how Crosby won the Calder two years ago.'
Ovechkin has won Calder Trophy 2 years ago actually
Just want to remind that last year when Crosby got his league leading assists, Caps where out of playoffs early, Ovechkin's center Zubrus was traded and he finished with 46 goals (what a bad season!). In the meantime Crosby enjoyed raking assists with the likes of Malkin, Recci, Gonchar, etc. Only this year I am happy with Ovie's linemates of Kozlov and Backstrom. If Ovechkin plays long enough, he'll erase a lot of records, if not (because of him playing on edge), tune your TV to Caps games and enjoy every minute of it now... if you love hockey.
I'm not a huge Alfredsson fan, but he definitely belongs in the discussion. It's possible that it's just a combination of his absence on top of Heatley's that sends the Sens over the edge but there's no denying that when he's out of the line-up they suddenly look like they've never played hockey together in their lives.
Where is Sundin on this list? I'm reading a lot of stories about how awesome he is, and how he'll win any team the Cup he goes to - isn't that textbook Hart value?
The sarcasm is strong in this one. Brings an interesting question though: Has the mvp of a season ever been traded during that season?
Yes: Joe Thornton.
"I whole-heartedly agree. It's an absolute travesty how Crosby won the Calder two years ago."
Snide comment aside, it's funny how when discussing the Calder two years ago, most people say Ovechkin narrowly beat Crosby when, in fact, it wasn't even close.
Just because he isn't your darling Canadian...
"Anonymous said...
'I whole-heartedly agree. It's an absolute travesty how Crosby won the Calder two years ago.'
Ovechkin has won Calder Trophy 2 years ago actually
12:58 PM, February 03, 2008"
The previous commenter knew that, it's called sarcasm.
"I whole-heartedly agree. It's an absolute travesty how Crosby won the Calder two years ago."
Snide comment aside, it's funny how when discussing the Calder two years ago, most people say Ovechkin narrowly beat Crosby when, in fact, it wasn't even close.
Just because he isn't your darling Canadian...
--------------------------
LOL. I made that previous "snide" comment. I'm not Canadian; I'm from Detroit. Ovechkin's awesome -- no one has ever overlooked him. Don't be such a martyr.
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