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Ovechkin's campaign for the ages

JAMES MIRTLE

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:35 PM EST 05/04/08

Capitals sniper is smashing records and could lift his team into the playoffs with a point Saturday night against the Panthers, James Mirtle writes
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  1. Tim Rutkevich from Canada writes: This is unbelievable. I think CBC should run this game. All Caps have to do is draw in regulation time or win. I hope they will win. This is a game that Ovechkin can put a big stamp on the MVP trophy.
  2. The artist formerly known as Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: If Ovechkin manages to get his team into the playoffs, the MVP is his...

    There is little question about it...
  3. George S from Toronto, Canada writes: Ovechkin is the most exciting player I have watched in a long time. He really gets us fans into the seats of arena's he's in and his playing style gets us out of our seats as well. Hope he gets one more goal to boost his total and the Caps win. The NHL needs players like this in the post-season.
  4. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    Best $200 I spent this year was getting the NHL package (what's a platinum ticket at the ACC?) Watched the west a lot.....

    Watched Ovechkin all year! Remember a few games against Pitt. One side you had Crosby,Malkin,Staal-the other Ovechkin-Semin -Backstrom.....it was so quick it seemed like the cameras were having trouble following.

    Alex for MVP and old Bruce Boudreau for coach of the year.
    .
  5. MJ M from Fort McMurray, Canada writes: I love NHL Hockey, I watch alot of games on the centre ice package, the league has alot of young stars in it, but only one superstar...Alex Ovechkin.

    THe skill he plays the game with, the flare, the hitting, are great, but the overwelming 6 year old joy he exhibits on and off the ice makes him the only player in the league I would drive 500 miles to see play against anyone.

    The league continues to make Sidney Crosby the star, but it's not close. AO won the rookie of the year award over Sidney and the difference now between the two is even greater. Sidney whines and cries, gets his points, his team did better with him out of the lineup(Malkin may be their best player). AO does an interview and is asked about a dirty hit on him and he smiles and says it's all good, he called it a "hockey moment" and thanked the fans for their support. He takes me back to the days when my son played Major Atom rep hockey and they would practise and play for hours. We would have to drag them off the ice.

    Alex Ovechkin makes hockey Pure again.
  6. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    MJ M from Fort McMurray, Canada Great post but I am not even going anywhere near Crosby vs.Ovechkin......but you know what? When i watch Ovechkin, I get that same feeling you described. And he reminds me of a combination Messier-Bossy-Lafleur all in he same body! So much fun to watch!

    .
  7. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: it's amazing how posts that praise ovie (and rightfully so) also need to point out how he's better than crosby. wtf? can't both simply be appreciated? it's ok to praise one without ripping the other, isn't it? considering how desperate the league is to raise it's profile, i'm sure having as many young superstars as possible can't be a bad thing. and isn't part of crosby's 'exposure' due to the fact that he was largely responsible for turning the franchise around in his 2nd season? if the caps get in, he's a lock for the hart...even if they miss out, he'll be tough to beat.
  8. wayne powers from saskatoon, writes: This kid is the REAL DEAL he scores he hits and he celebrates. CBC is nuts who wants to see doug cherry and the maple losers.
  9. Mariposa Belle from Leacockland, Canada writes: 3M Robert - agree. Sid is great, but Ovie is a delight to watch and cranks up his team. The Hart is his.
  10. j wilson from vancouver, Canada writes: Crosby's PPG is identical to Ovechkins. If Sid can stay healthy, it's gonna be pretty exciting for the next 15 years.
    These two are a cut above. With Malkin, we'll see, but if he's as good as his stats look this year, Pittsburgh might be the hard to beat for years to come.
    And yes, the CBC should be playing this game. it's the most important regular season game of the year.
  11. Daniel Sturgis from Morocco writes: When comparing Ovechkin's season to others, one has to take the following factor into account. Washington is in the most watered down division in the NHL. They play eight games against each of Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Carolina, who respectively allowed the most goals against, second most goals against, and sixth most goals against in the entire NHL this season. Meanwhile Malkin and Crosby's play eight games against division rivals New Jersey (4th best GA) and the NYR (5th best GA).
  12. Darryl Williams from Dartmouth, NS, Canada writes: The article states

    "Gretzky's 92-goal campaign in 1981-82, for instance, came in a year when goal scoring reached an all-time high, 8.03 goals a game. Comparing the two vastly different eras is difficult, but Gretzky's season, percentage-wise, converts to 64 goals in 82 games by today's standards."

    Huh???? So, the author is taking this season's goals per game average, 5.45, dividing it by 8.03 gpg (1981-82) to come up with .678, which he then multiplies by 92 to arrive at a figure of 62.4. Since Gretzky scored 92 goals in 80 games, he's rounded it up to about 64 for an 82 game season.

    Lets add in assists: Gretzky - 120 in 80 games, Ovechkin - 47 in 81. Multiply by .678, and for Gretzky, you get 82 assists over 82 games - far more than Ovechkin's 47.

    This analysis makes little sense. The author should have just stopped his sentence with "Comparing the two vastly different eras is difficult."

    Ovechkin has had a great season. I hope Washington makes the playoffs. But Ovechkin is no Gretzky.
  13. Wes Deng from Vancouver, Canada writes: Daniel Sturgis from Morocco writes: When comparing Ovechkin's season to others, one has to take the following factor into account. Washington is in the most watered down division in the NHL.

    ==============
    OK, sounds like a good argument. So I took a look at the numbers.

    So far Ovechkin scored 22 goals in 31 games against the 'weak' southeast division teams. That's 0.71 goal per game.

    He scored 43 goals in 50 games against rest of the league. 0.86 goals per game.

    Which means, had he not play against the southeast division teams all season, he would have scored more than 70 goals, not 65.
  14. Dave Morris from Ottawa, writes: Ovechkin is Mr. Excitement. His intensity and skill recall Bobby Hull at his peak, though Ovie is a more complete player. Thrilled to see him and the Capitals in the playoffs.
  15. Life Insurance Bribe from Canada writes: Let's not forget the powerhouses Edmonton faced in their division in 81-82: Van, Cgy, LA, & Colorado... 77, 75, 63 & 49 pts... haha.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981-82NHLseason

    I'm not sure how many games Edm played vs. each team, but I do remember that in the 80's they were criticized for being able to play some wide-open games vs. poor western teams.

    Looking forward to someone doing a study of schedule difficulty & thereby adjusting each player's goals accordingly... here's a start:

    http://www.mratings.com/rate.php?lg=nhl&yr=1982&mid=6

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