DonRocks Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I hate the Caps, but fully admit that Ovechkin is in the top 10-20 goal scorers of all time. If you watch one thing... Does Ovi backcheck this year without suffering a decrease in point production? Tough to catch on TV sometimes, but... When the other team takes control of the puck closer to the Caps goal than Ovechkin is how hard does he try to get back to the puck? Boudreau convinced Ovi to backcheck, but he also put in place a system that killed his offense. All right - a second thing. Learn the numbers of the top 2 forward lines (the guys that get the most ice time). When you are watching a game and see someone who you have no idea who they are - how does the flow of the game look? Are they holding their own? Getting dominated? Beating the crap out of a team that is less talented or just cruising? Heh. You're assuming I have a clue as to what backchecking is (don't worry, I can search that one). Are you betraying your hatred of the Caps by ranking Ovechkin 10-20 as opposed to 5-10? Or even 1-10? I honestly don't know the answer to this; only that people seem to think he is the second coming of ... Lemieux? (Give me credit for knowing you're from Western Pennsylvania and not saying Gretzky.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Just watch this... Tough to catch on TV sometimes, but... When the other team takes control of the puck closer to the Caps goal than Ovechkin is how hard does he try to get back to the puck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Just watch this... Tough to catch on TV sometimes, but... When the other team takes control of the puck closer to the Caps goal than Ovechkin is how hard does he try to get back to the puck? You said goal-scorer! That's defense! So Ovechkin is the equivalent of someone in the NBA who immediately runs down the court, hoping for a fast-break pass when the opponents shoot, as opposed to hanging back and fighting for a defensive rebound? That's one of the classic offensive tricks for a player to increase his points-per-game average, while at the same time enabling him to conserve energy by taking off early and jogging down the court. This is why role players like Dennis Rodman were so respected by their peers - they're hanging back, doing all the dirty work while others take credit for scoring (this is not a slam against Jordan by any means). As you allude to, one problem with watching, for example, football on TV, is that you don't see anything that goes on in the backfield as the play takes shape, since the camera is focused on the quarterback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 Last night, Alex Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to score 30-or-more goals in each of his first 12 seasons. "Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Reaches 30 Goals for 12th-Straight Season" by Kirstie Chiappelli on sportingnews.com (The other two players are Mike Gartner and Wayne Gretzky.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 and he did it with a hat trick and off topic, but Braden Holtby, in that same game, became only the 3rd NHL goalie ever to have three 40-win seasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyNoonan Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I keep telling my kids as we watch the Caps that they need to appreciate what they are seeing when year after year they see Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Holtby play. Seeing Ovi put up a bunch of goals or Backstrom making everyone around him better and Holtby making sick saves look routine is a rare treat. I grew up around here when the Caps just didn't have players operating at this level year in, year out. This is a special time that won't last forever so we need to appreciate it. Now, just need them to perform in the playoffs.... Also, back on the topic of Ovi doing more than cherry pick goals, I think he leads the Caps in hits this year. Pretty impressive for a guy his age that provides his offensive production. Hopefully the extra wear and tear doesn't take a toll in the playoffs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 1 hour ago, DannyNoonan said: I keep telling my kids as we watch the Caps that they need to appreciate what they are seeing when year after year they see Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Holtby play. Seeing Ovi put up a bunch of goals or Backstrom making everyone around him better and Holtby making sick saves look routine is a rare treat. I grew up around here when the Caps just didn't have players operating at this level year in, year out. This is a special time that won't last forever so we need to appreciate it. Now, just need them to perform in the playoffs.... And what about Oshie with that 24+% shot average? That's mind-boggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyNoonan Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Agreed there. I think Oshie is a great example of someone being made better by those around him. He sees chances he wouldn't get otherwise because he's on the ice with Ovi. Also doesn't hurt having Backstrom feed it to him. Not to downplay his talent because I think he truly is a special player but his talent is magnified by who he plays with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 36 minutes ago, DannyNoonan said: Agreed there. I think Oshie is a great example of someone being made better by those around him. He sees chances he wouldn't get otherwise because he's on the ice with Ovi. Also doesn't hurt having Backstrom feed it to him. Not to downplay his talent because I think he truly is a special player but his talent is magnified by who he plays with. So true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 600 career goals now. 4th fastest to that level. He's got a good shot at another Rocket Richard trophy this year. I wish the team, as a whole, was playing better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 700 for the Great 8, a stellar moment in a lackluster losing effort to a team they should have beaten handily. Will he beat Gretzky's record? Maybe, but even at the rate he scores, it's still a 4-5 year effort and in hockey terms, he's getting to be an old man. Still, accounting for the huge improvements in goaltending since Gretzky played, 700 is just a mind boggling number. These guys are in a profound slump since mid-December. Still time to turn it around, but they're ignorning the basics and aren't working as a team. Maybe the focus will come back now that the magic 700 has been reached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 2 hours ago, weezy said: 700 for the Great 8, a stellar moment in a lackluster losing effort to a team they should have beaten handily. Will he beat Gretzky's record? Maybe, but even at the rate he scores, it's still a 4-5 year effort and in hockey terms, he's getting to be an old man. Still, accounting for the huge improvements in goaltending since Gretzky played, 700 is just a mind boggling number. These guys are in a profound slump since mid-December. Still time to turn it around, but they're ignorning the basics and aren't working as a team. Maybe the focus will come back now that the magic 700 has been reached. "How Staggering a Feat Is Alex Ovechkin's 700 Goals? It Might Be Better than Gretsky's 894" by Barry Svrluga on washingtonpost.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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