Comments on: As hot as Marleau is, Alex Ovechkin is not http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/ ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports.com Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:09:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: baymac408 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131573 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:28:13 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131573 As a SHARKS fan I really hope he keeps a steady pace on contribution.. Especially when it’s playoff time.. We all know how bad we want that cup! LETS GET IT SHARKS.. Bay are is in full effect

]]> By: jdvalk http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131566 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:18:19 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131566 Did anyone see what he did in the KHL? He scored! No “the same old moves” garbage, no “he’s a baby” claptrap, no “he’s not elite no more” nonsense, just plenty of goals and assists. The problem is a GM hired by Abe Pollin on his 5th coach a decade and a half in, and who’s running who knows what system without success. There’s your problem, not #8.

]]> By: lazykyosuke http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131540 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:25:56 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131540 Seems like OV is playing like Kovy (when Kovy played for ATL) his heart isn’t in the franchise anymore. Really started last year (or two years ago) when the NHL suspended him and he decided to not do the Skills competition. Then add the coach changes, different style of play, just seems like nobody has his back. Hard to play for an organization you don’t respect.

]]> By: rg3isvictory http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131536 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:19:32 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131536 The Caps GM, G.M. needs to shoulder much of this blame. Either get OVI some help or trade/buy him out. This team got rid of its second best weapon b/c Semin wasn’t willing to be used improperly. Like it or not but OVI is limited to skating and scoring. Not laying down to block shots and play shut down Def. Maybe the Caps have talent in the minors & didn’t want to spend money on a sour grape like Semin but G.M.’s job is to build the best team. This offseason included losing Semin while not replacing him or adding much in depth. The team is loaded with blue collar and above average talent while lacking game changers. OVI maybe be the best guy on the team but without help, he’ll never be the best on the ice!

]]> By: phillyphanatic77 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131531 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:42:05 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131531 It amazes me how hard it has become for one the leagues prolific scorers to find the back of the net. Even last season, in a down year, he scored 38 goals, which would have been a career year for a lot of players. But this season hes been absent. There’s just something about the Caps so far this season where it seems everyone is underachieving. Is it time for a change of scenery? Ive only seen a little bit of the Caps this season but the time I watched Ovi has been invisible. Is it mental? A physical issue? His linemates? The coaching? Being stagnant in the same city? Who knows, but there would definitely be teams lining up with solid offers if he was on the block. Sometimes a struggling superstar needs a fresh start. Or maybe he’ll straighten it out in DC and regain the form we all expect.

]]> By: westof1club http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131523 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:22:18 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131523 Playing without Backstrom, next to Brouwer or Laich, scores 38 goals in a defensive system (5th overall in NHL). 2 points per game on his KHL team. He’s elite. The fact you don’t like him doesn’t change that.

Caps need scoring depth to disperse opposing lines.

]]> By: polegojim http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131518 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:10:58 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131518 West… Ovi isn’t a victim.

Many have forgotten WHY all the changes occurred… it was because the Caps either missed the playoffs… or were one and done… and have never finished what they started.

That has all been during the Ovi years.

Give me a grinding, work horse team with chemistry any day of the week, over Superstars.

]]> By: eyeh8goodell http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131516 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:07:45 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131516 Stop with the excuses. Ovi hasn’t been “elite” in going on 3 seasons now. At some point you guys have to face reality. Ovie wasn’t doing anything even when he had “help” over the last couple years.

]]> By: westof1club http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131514 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:59:06 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131514 Somebody name the 2nd leading goal scorer on the Caps last year. Then tell me management hasn’t made it easy to shut this team down. Marleau has other finishers on supporting lines, Ovi doesn’t.

Ovi is elite. He just can’t do it alone. Leonsis has ridden the Ovi train long enough. Spring for some help. Chimera shouldn’t be the team’s 2nd best goal scorer.

]]> By: ravenscaps48 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131511 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:55:17 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131511 I said the same thing the other day, but got so much negative feedback… It might be best for both the team as well as Alex

]]> By: 19to77 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131505 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:33:46 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131505 Buddy, be fair – coaches switch NHL wingers from side to side all the time. At that elite a level, the hockey IQ necessary to grasp the angle changes is fairly common. Maybe it takes them a few games to figure it out, but they don’t look THAT useless while doing it – and most of them aren’t as skilled as we’re all supposed to believe Ovi is, either.

]]> By: 19to77 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131504 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:29:48 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131504 Three seasons, three coaches, and he’s looked pretty anaemic under all of them. It’s not a system thing, a personality clash thing or any other excuse the media makes for him by blaming anyone and everyone else. Somewhere along the line, he just stopped giving his all.

]]> By: stakex http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131502 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:29:15 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131502 Two things worth pointing out when it comes to Ovi’s slow start is that for the first four games he was playing a position in which he had never played before. Thats obviously going to hurt his play. Also, the Caps as a team have looked simply awful. You can blame Ovi for that if you want, but its far from his fault (or at least only his fault). Their defensevie zone play has been bad, their breakout has been laughable, and they can’t get setup in the offensive zone. Thats why no one is scoring on the Caps, and why they are last in the east.

The funny part about everyone saying defenses know how to play Ovi and all that is the guy still scored 38 goals last year while playing on a defense only team. His overall point total was down because none of his linemates were scoring and he had a career low in assists… but he was still scoring.

]]> By: 19to77 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131498 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:19:46 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131498 Oh, I don’t know, he’s a couple seasons removed from “prolific” in my mind.

]]> By: ethanmacleod1685 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131486 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:39:36 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131486 Marleau over ovi anyway!

]]> By: dcfan4life http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131480 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:18:05 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131480 This is absolutely true. His curl and drag move hasnt worked one on one in a few years since its so well known. Defenders know he loved to use them as a screen and shoot between their legs so they are playing closer to him. And he always goes top near side shelf on his one time slappers, so goalies on the PP always move there. He should go lower or far side just once in a while. There is no doubt in my mind the league figured him out.

]]> By: macjacmccoy http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131474 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:13:43 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131474 When will people stop making excuses for Ovi? Bad Coaching, bad linemates, injuries, slow starts etc. . Maybe its time people just stop with the hyperbole and call a spade a spade. He has lost a step. Now he isnt a bum all the sudden but he is no longer a superstar player. Heck he might still be an all star but hes not the shoe in guaranteed top 10 scorer he use to be.

Once people get over the NHL propaganda of Ovi being some kind of second coming must watch player, and everyone realizes hes just a normal guy. Then all the questions about why he isnt living up to that will go away.

]]> By: buckeyeshockey http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131468 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:02:22 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131468 just trade him to Buffalo

]]> By: sjsharks66 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131467 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:52:05 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131467 So i guess it wasn’t Hunters fault after all?

]]> By: hallsy86 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131461 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:31:53 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131461 Buyout!

]]> By: govtminion http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131460 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:19:46 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131460 They started off with him playing next to Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johannson- that didn’t work, so they shuffled things around to the above example. He’s not playing well with ANYONE- as the article says.

]]> By: letsgopens8771 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131459 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:17:17 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131459 True, but that is not why he is not preforming. He is just too inconsistent and he is a baby when things don’t go his way like with both Boudreau and Dale Hunter. I think it is just that teams have figured out how to stop him. They have been bringing in shutdown defensemen to stop Ovi, especially when he lugs the puck like he loves to do. They just know what is coming when he steps on the ice.

]]> By: trick9 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131457 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:12:55 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131457 They need to stop playing him with 4th liners and get him good line-mates. Playing him with Beagle and Crabb just makes it very easy for other teams.

]]> By: scaarepittschamberofcommerce http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131453 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:55:52 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131453 ill give you the benefit of the doubt and say you took that quote from ovechkin verbatim hahaha.

]]> By: joecat111 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/as-hot-as-marleau-is-alex-ovechkin-is-not/comment-page-1/#comment-131452 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:55:22 +0000 http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1016010#comment-131452 Stop trying to score highlight reel goals and try some garbage ones on rebounds…they all add up the same way.

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