OVECHKIN DOESN’T NEED A CUP TO SEAL SUPERSTAR STATUS
Incomparable Russian already belongs among the game’s all-time great players
In the final two seasons of his remarkable NFL career, John Elway won the Super Bowl.
The truth was, he didn’t have that much to do with either of those championship victories. He managed the game. He handed the ball off. He passed and ran on occasion. But he certainly wasn’t a difference maker in the title games that previously eluded him.
Do people look at Elway differently than, say, Dan Marino, because he has two Super Bowl rings and Marino has none? Some wrong people might view it as a greater accomplishment. But the reality is, they were among the best who ever played the position and they should always be looked at similarly.
No one is comparable to Alexander Ovechkin. There has never been a player who scored as often, hit as often, blocked as many shots, and when it mattered most, became the emotional thermometer of their teams.
And there has never been a player who managed all those skills in concert with each other. That’s why Barry Trotz cringes every time the subject of Ovechkin and his legacy is discussed — and as the Washington Capitals get closer to their first Stanley Cup, the subject seems to be daily hockey conversation.
Because we all seem consumed these days by legacy and defining who fits where in history, from Lebron James to Sidney Crosby to Tom Brady to Clayton Kershaw, and now, in his 13th season at age 32, to Ovechkin.
Instead of legacy talk, maybe there should just be some form of appreciation.
Because Ovie does everything well, and for the first time in his magnificent career, the team around him has grown to a place where a championship is more probability than possibility.
This isn’t the best Washington Capitals roster we’ve seen, just the best fit, with Ovechkin leading the way, putting different aspects of his game on display, while Evgeny Kuznetsov puts up the points and Nicklas Backstrom supplies so much finesse and goalie Braden Holtby makes the saves and T.J. Oshie combines grit and skill and a little bit of anger.
When they win the Stanley Cup, maybe Thursday night, maybe on Sunday night at home, the venerable trophy will be presented to Ovechkin and he’ll rock and roll with it. Because he’s lived through so many playoff disappointments and now it’s all coming together at the right time.
He’ll dance around with the Cup because he’s a champion, but not because he’s suddenly a better player. He’ll have a notch on his belt he didn’t have before, but for purposes of legacy, really, what more could he have done before this?
He’s led the NHL in goal-scoring on seven different occasions. Phil Esposito led the league in goals six times. Wayne Gretzky, Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe did it five times. Mario Lemieux did it three times.
Eleven times he’s led the NHL in shots on goal. Six times he’s led in power-play goals. Seven times he’s been an all-star.
“My opinion isn’t going to change on whether he wins the Cup or not,” said NBC’S Ed Olczyk, who once scored 42 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Will mainstream media, will other hockey pundits look at him differently if he wins? Probably. I won’t look at him differently. His numbers are off the charts. His playoff numbers are off the charts.”
Trotz talks about Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final as Ovechkin’s finest hour. He didn’t score that night. He just did everything else.
“I told him it was the best game he ever played,” said Trotz. And now the Capitals appear to be closing on the Vegas Golden Knights just as they closed on Tampa Bay in the previous round.
“He did everything for us and he set the tone early in that game and in Game 7.”
With the Capitals up 3-1 in this series, Ovechkin has been apparent on the ice and on the bench. His histrionics and celebrations are for the ages, just as his game has been for more than a decade.
“He’s very, very comfortable on this stage,” said Trotz.
“He’s very comfortable in what he’s doing. He’s very comfortable within our group. And he’s very comfortable pushing forward and not worrying about anything else. He’s been a really good leader for us through the playoffs and he’s done it by example.”
The opportunity to raise the Stanley Cup and take his victory lap will be historical, emotional and it’s about time. But the truth is, he was a champion long before this week came along. This only puts a nonsensical discussion to rest.