Comments on: Let’s hold off on the Ovechkin-to-Yzerman comparisons

By: polegojim

polegojim — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:14:20 +0000

Yep… and you know what the Red Wings were like when he started

Ovi has had MANY good players around him for YEARS… straight.

And now… Ovi will be at least 27…

Game 7 and Ovi has…. no goals…. no assists… 2 shots… and -1

Seriously… ‘LIONIZE’ that effort? Be my guest. Maybe Lioness.

By: fedfedcaps

fedfedcaps — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:38:02 +0000

Do you know that Yzerman won his first SC at the age of 32?

By: jpelle82

jpelle82 — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:38:00 +0000

here is really the only thing that is comparable, will make this easy for everyone – they are/were both captains of teams that wore red jerseys. end.

By: jpelle82

jpelle82 — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:35:31 +0000

he just doesn’t want to be embarrassed anymore. getting benched will do something to your ego. so…if it takes him a few shifts of skating 20 ft inside his own blue line and falling down in front a puck or two to make sure he doesn’t get embarrassed by his coach again then my guess he will keep doing it. don’t confuse this with any sort of commitment or effort to buy into anything but his own minutes.

By: blockedshotnyr

blockedshotnyr — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:48:53 +0000

It’s apparent Ken Campbell does not watch these games as announced by Doc Emrick and Eddie Olcyzk because if he did – he’d know that Alex Ovechkin deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor for a hockey puck accidentally hitting his skate.

Do not get me wrong, I am not a bitter Rangers fan (bitter of their lackluster effort in Game 6 – not looking to short-change the Caps) – Ovechkin has been awesome this series and his defensive game has picked up, but to say the media is not noticing is a COMPLETE understatement. Game 6 was like Capitals love-fest, they were better than the Gretz/Mess Oilers with Ovechkin right at the center of it.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:27:50 +0000

All this talk about him ‘sacrificing’…. sacrificing what? Personal stats, that’s it.

They changed their style because they COULD NOT WIN A STANLEY CUP with the strategy they had…. numerous seasons proved that.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:26:20 +0000

Really??? That’s exactly my rub… Fantastic as in… all those Stanley Cup victories?

I agree with your statement though… he typically plays quality hockey for about half a season.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:23:08 +0000

Great thought… Ovi hasn’t developed into the team player Steve did. I think Ovi enjoys the personal spotlight more than anything else.

To bad it’s taken him soooooooo long to start getting it…. but maybe he can make up some lost time.

By: polegojim

polegojim — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:20:10 +0000

If Campbell really doesn’t understand…. he’s in the wrong profession.

Team results prove there is no comparison. For all the reasons Jason noted… and Steve’s Stanley Cup Ring(s)… not just one, which Ovi doesn’t have…but 3, one for each syllable of his last name!!!

Steve made the guys around him better. We just don’ t see that with Ovi. The guys around Ovi are good, but not ‘better’ due to his presence.

Respect Ovi for his personal production and flash, but nothing more. He’s a one way player. Take away the run and gun… and…. he’s DONE.

By: ravenscaps48

ravenscaps48 — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:40:46 +0000

This might have been the most perfect post ever put on this website… Bravo

By: stevefromsacto

stevefromsacto — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:37:06 +0000

Campbell never “compared” Ovechkin to Yzerman; he simply said that Alex has sacrificed personal success for team success–something Stevie Y did as well.

You wouldn’t be setting up a “straw man” so you can take more cheap shots at Ovie, would you?

And for those posters who are “comparing” Dale Hunter with Scotty Bowman, please share whatever it is you are smoking.

However, given what Hunter has accomplished in less than a half season with the Caps–especially in the playoffs–you might want to withhold judgment for ten years or so before putting him down.

By: caps247

caps247 — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:33:13 +0000

First off, Ovie isn’t paid to defend, but to score goals.
However he has been sacrificing more ever since the coaching change, and for the past few games he’s been blocking more and more shots.
This means he’s making progress and has fully bought in to Hunter’s defensive system. Who knows, in a year or two maybe we will see a new Ovechkin that plays a better D.

By: fedfedcaps

fedfedcaps — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:18:41 +0000

I thought Laich should’ve been the captain before the coaching change. Since then, Ovechkin stepped it up in both ends and now we see who should be the captain, it’s clear.

By: fedfedcaps

fedfedcaps — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:17:28 +0000

Between Bowman coming to Detroit and Yzerman winning the Selke, there were 7 (!) years. Ovechkin plays defensive-minded hockey for half a year, and it already gives fantastic results.

By: jkay1818

jkay1818 — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:14:24 +0000

it’s simple, it also comes down to leadership. You can count numerous, numerous comments by even caps fans how laich should be the captain or other players. You would never hear a wings fan saying there should be another captain aside from yzerman.

By: rfoster75

rfoster75 — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:09:32 +0000

I mean, there many reasons why you can’t compare the two. We’ll have to wait and see until Ovie’s career is over is the main reason. But more obvious than that is that, Yzerman was a center??? My first line center had better be the best two way player on the ice, not my sharp shooting winger. Silly argument.

By: danaking

danaking — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:31:09 +0000

Ovechkin seems to be “getting” it right now; let’s see how it holds up over a period of years before we start comparing him to Yzerman. True, 8 is not a center, but wings should consistently backcheck, as well. he’s looked better lately. let’s see how that holds up.

And, sacrificing his stats or not, Ovechkin has quite a way to go before being compared to Yzerman as a leader.

By: bhwksr1

bhwksr1 — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:29:03 +0000

Even being a blackhawks fan I can say Yzerman had class as a player. Simply stated I cannot say the same for Ovechkin.

By: daryllh

daryllh — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:11:40 +0000

I don’t know what’s more of a facepalm….

Comparing Yzerman to Ovechkin or having Dale Hunter mentioned in the same story…the same internet as Scotty Bowman.

By: stakex

stakex — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:10:37 +0000

These type of comparisons are impossible to make. First of all, we will never get to see if Ovechkin is really becoming a better two way player since he hardly plays when the Caps have a lead under Hunter.

Second, Hunter is not nearly as good as Bowman. People expect players to just be good… but a lot of it has to do with the coach they play for. Hunter doesn’t seem to care about teaching Ovechkin, instead he just takes him off the ice. Its sorta kinda maybe working so far this year, so it hard to question… but will that be true if the Caps lose tm?

And finally…. Yzerman was a center. When you play center, you are suppose to be a good two way player. Ovechkin on the other hand, plays left wing. As a winger, he has less defensive responsibilty then Yzerman was suppose to have. Centers will always be better defensively then a winger. This is always where the comparisons between Crosby’s two way play and Ovechkin’s fall apart. One plays a position where two way play is a main focus…. the other doesn’t. So to really trash Ovechkin for lack of two way play is a cheap shot, since he plays the least defensive position in hockey.

By: whipwell

whipwell — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:10:33 +0000

Agree. OV is no Stevie-Y. But what is interesting his how in general, the media is very nit-picky AND flip-flops when discussing his game…too offensive/not defensive enough, too many shots/not enough shots, too much hitting/too cautious post-suspensions, too much ice time/too little ice time, too selfish/now he’s a team player, etc. I hope he wins a Cup because I am a huge fan, but also because I can’t wait to see if the media will embrace him as a champion, or make the claim that he’s “not as good a champion as players X, Y and Z.”

By: scoops1

scoops1 — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:51:36 +0000

Not even close. Yzerman is the greatest captain in all of sports.