No one does it like Sid and Ovie
Now in their 14th seasons, hockey’s two biggest stars just keep getting better and better
The story never seems to end or get old: In their 14th NHL seasons, the great rivals, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, are not just part of the Hart Trophy conversation — but smack in the middle of all of it.
Ovechkin, the conscientious objector to all-star play, is scoring at a pace he hasn’t been near in years.
Crosby hasn’t accumulated points at this level since 2007.
Combined, Crosby and Ovechkin have won five Hart Trophies, finished second in voting five times and between them have won each of the past three Conn Smythe Trophies as the most valuable player in the playoffs. All of this at a time when careers begin to wane, they show no signs of aging or slowing down.
And while the unofficial torch may have been passed to Connor McDavid — not just the best player in the National Hockey League but the best player to watch — McDavid is trapped by an Edmonton Oilers team that may not be strong enough again to qualify for the post-season.
Ovechkin is playing more and shooting less than ever before — just more accurately. Crosby isn’t just dominating offensively, but dominating in his leadership of the red-hot Penguins and his consistent nightly excellence.
A year ago, Nikita Kucherov of Tampa was voted the halfway winner of the Hart and would be close to that position again, if such a vote was taken today. Also to be considered: the Leafs’ Mitch Marner, Colorado’s combination of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, Buffalo’s Jack Eichel and Anaheim goalie John Gibson.
That’s 10 legitimate candidates for one award, three finalists to be named, half a season still to play.
And Crosby and Ovechkin doing the Crosby and Ovechkin thing, like no one else, certainly not their age, Doing it again.
THIS AND THAT
This isn’t a Leaf thing. This is an NHL thing. The most exciting players in hockey should be at the all-star game. It’s a showcase event. That’s why excluding Marner didn’t make sense ... The most entertaining NHLers, in no particular order: McDavid. Ovechkin. Johnny Gaudreau. Marner. Erik Karlsson. Matt Barzal. Kucherov. Artemi Panarin. Patrick Kane. MacKinnon ... My All-Missing the All-Star game team: Goalies Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa; Frederik Andersen, Toronto. Defence: Mark Giordano, Calgary; Morgan Rielly, Toronto; Kris Letang, Pittsburgh; Shea Weber, Montreal. Forwards: Marner; Patrick Laine, Winnipeg; Sasha Barkov, Florida; Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom, Washington; Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles; Brayden Point, Tampa; Mark Stone, Ottawa; Max Domi, Montreal; Jeff Skinner, Buffalo; Dylan Larkin, Detroit, and Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton ... If I’m an NHL owner and I’m paying millions to underproducing star players, I’d think nothing of doing what the Dallas Stars did with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Just doing it with a little more decorum. And what a load of millennial whining from the NHL Players’ Association, pointing a finger at Stars management and ownership. You want to get paid big dollars, it comes with big responsibility ... After winning the Stanley Cup in Washington, is Barry Trotz coach of the year for the work he is doing with New York Islanders?
SCENE AND HEARD
Finland punches above its weight regularly in international hockey. The Finns have four Olympic medals since NHL players were added to the docket in 1998. Canada has three. The Russians, Swedes and Americans (only in North American) have two apiece ... The worst of the NHL all-star choices: Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk. He’s having a rather dreadful season with the Wild ... Rick Nash isn’t playing but he isn’t retired. If his concussion symptoms have cleared and he has any inclination to keep on playing, he could be an inexpensive pickup for some team in the second half of the NHL season ... The retiring Dwyane Wade is among those who believes the Raptors should be part of the Christmas Day package in the NBA and damn the television ratings. “I was surprised they didn’t have a game. I don’t understand why they don’t have a Christmas game whether DeMar is there or Kawhi is there,” said Wade. Miami hasn’t been on Christmas television since 2015 ... Here’s hoping young Bianca Andreescu is not a one week wonder on the WTA tour. The more internationally competitive Canadians there are in tennis, the better it is for the sport.
AND ANOTHER THING
Just wondering: Is picking up a 35-year-old career minor leaguer on waivers, goalie Mike McKenna, Philadelphia’s way of making a play for No. 1 pick, Jack Hughes? ... The Outdoor NHL games are great fun for those in attendance but a lot like all-star games for people watching from home. You see what the stadium looks like. You gather in some of the ambience. You hear the announcers. You wait for the lineups to be announced. And 10 minutes in, you turn channels.