My obsession with the Russian-born hockey player began the way it did for most sports fans. It was an unbelievable goal—good enough to be called “The Goal”—scored on Jan. 16 of the 2006-2007 season. Driving to the net against the Phoenix Coyotes, Ovechkin got checked to the ice and slid on his back across the slot. While sliding, Ovechkin hooked in an incomprehensible blind shot past goalkeeper Brian Boucher with the blade of his stick. On top of scoring one of the most memorable goals in the history of ice hockey, he also began solidifying his title as the best and most exciting player in the NHL.
Watching him on the rink puts the spectator in suspense: his speed picks up in a heartbeat, and goes from end to end, racking up scoring chances at will. Although many will argue for the skills of reigning MVP Sidney Crosby, which I would never contest, I’ll take Ovechkin over Crosby any day of the week. I don’t want last year’s MVP. I want a guy who I can count on for a huge hit, an intense fight, or a great defensive play. Yes, Crosby will give you clutch goals, incredible passing, speed and impeccable ice vision, but at the end of the day, Ovechkin gives you something more.
There’s more to the prodigy that is Ovechkin than simply skill. Take this year’s All-Star Skills Competition, for instance. Would Crosby ever have flung the puck into the air and attempted a baseball swing at it? No, he wouldn’t have. It is Ovechkin, not Crosby, who has Wayne Gretzky staring dumbfounded and shaking his head at replays of goals. It is Ovechkin, not Crosby, who displays a love for the game that is unparalleled. I have never been a Washington Capitals fan at any point in my life, but he has made me want them to win games. It’s a simple case of the nerd and the class clown. The nerd gets the job done, but the class clown is the one you actually want to hang out with. Sidney Crosby has built a reputation for whining to the referees after being obstructed, hooked or slammed into the boards. Ovechkin, on the other hand, will take names and handle business on his own. Simply put, he will kick your ass. He doesn’t need a middle-aged man to send a defenseman to the penalty box for a cheap elbow.
The statistical argument for Ovechkin for MVP this season begins here. He finished the season with 65 goals and 112 points, adding both the Art Ross Trophy and the Rocket Richard Trophy to his mantle. Sixty-five goals is a Washington Capitals record, and he’s 22 years old. He’s the first player to put the puck in the net 60 times in a season since Mario Lemieux accomplished the feat in 1996. He scored 60 points in 39 games since signing his 13-year contract in January. Twenty-two of his 65 total goals were power-play goals, and 11 were game-winning goals. Convinced yet?
The Capitals went from 6-14-1 and 30th in the league (yes, dead last) on Thanksgiving Day to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Ovechkin single-handedly carried his team to a seven-game winning streak to close the season, and carried his superior play into the first round. The league’s leading scorer stole the puck from a Flyers defender and netted a top-shelf goal to vault the Capitals to a 5-4 victory. After scoring the goal, Ovechkin ran across the ice and slammed himself into the boards in expected fashion.
I know Sidney Crosby was injured this year. Maybe this is indeed the wrong time to make this comparison. However, Crosby won’t ever have the personality Ovechkin has whether he has a broken ankle or not. I do hope, however, that next year Crosby can stay healthy and give the soon-to-be MVP some good competition for the 2009 Hart Trophy.