ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Winning the Stanley Cup would only confirm what we already knew about Ovechkin, who has that unique blend of skill, grit and leadership: He truly is one of the NHL’s all-time greats
LAS VEGAS — 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 Bowls and Marino none? Some people — wrongly — 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.
There are no comparables for Alexander Ovechkin.
There have never been players who scored as often, players who have hit as often, players who have blocked as many shots and players who, when it mattered most, become the emotional thermometer of their teams as Ovechkin has.
There has never been a player who managed all those skills in concert with each other — until now.
And that’s why Barry Trotz cringes every 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 the age of 32, to Ovechkin.
Instead of legacy talk, maybe there should just be some form of appreciation. Because he does everything and so many things 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 ever seen — just the best team, the best fit, with Ovechkin leading the way, putting different aspects of his game on display while the amazing Evgeny Kuznetsov puts up the points and Nicklas Backstrom supplies so much finesse and Braden Holtby makes the saves and T.J. Oshie combines grit and skill and a little bit of anger to make Washington the best this team has ever been.
When they win Stanley Cup, maybe on Thursday night, maybe on Sunday night at home, the Cup will be presented to Ovechkin, and he will rock and roll with it because he has lived through so many of these playoff disappointments.
Now it’s all coming together at the right time, at a surprising time, and the fact he will dance around with the Cup makes him a champion, yes — just not any better of a player. He will 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 goalscoring at a time when it’s most difficult to score goals on seven different occasions. Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe did it five times. The great Mike Bossy, the best natural goal scorer I’ve ever seen, did it just twice. Phil Esposito led the league six times in goal scoring. Wayne Gretzky five, Mario Lemieux three.
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, once so great he was voted to both right wing and left wing in the same season.
“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 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.” Coach 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 in the previous round. “He did everything for us and he set the tone early in that game and in Game 7,” Trotz said. 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 lap will be historical, emotional and about time. But the truth is he was a champion long before this week came along. This only solidifies the matter for all time and puts a nonsensical discussion to rest.