Thank You JR But In All Seriousness, With Whom Does One Compare Ovechkin To?
by UnleashFurry on Feb 17, 2010 1:47 PM EST
53 comments
"That...well, it just doesn't seem like exactly the comparison we looking for in this particular instance. As luck would have it, Jeremy Roenick was sitting right next to Milbury at the time, and he wasn't having this."
-D.C. Sports Bog by Dan Steinberg
By now, most if not all, of us got word of the latest unabashed teeny bopper crush and unsolicited affection Mike Milbury heaped on Sidney Crosby during the first intermission of the Canada-Norway tilt yesterday. Par for the course followed by an ace in the hole: Jeremy Roenick's response. Thank you JR. It was a welcome relief to hear (if you haven't already, catch up over at the DC Sports Bog mentioned amongst the many gems in today's Cap's Clips) some counterbalancing sandpaper-ish comments in response to Milbury's typical fawning over Crosby regardless of how much that obsession with the NHL's 'Golden Boy' has any, some or no relevance to a question's subject matter and the ensuing points being discussed at hand. To say the expression on Milbury's face after Roenick vocalized his disagreement was priceless and how much we took delight in that tense moment is an understatement. Especially to the Capitals' faithful. Make no mistake and let's not kid ourselves here. Crosby is arguably one of the best players in the NHL today, but save that for another discussion.
As if NBC's Olympic Men's Ice Hockey coverage gaffes weren't enough. But I digress ... more after the jump
Quite frankly, it is a shame that the esteemed CU alumnus, Milbury missed a golden opportunity to promote the sport or, more fittingly, the passion of Canada to those multitudes of viewers who, by casually watching Olympics yesterday, perhaps watched hockey with a bit more interest than they would normally spare for the game. Some may have wondered who this Ovechkin guy is that they hear about from time to time and maybe further wonder why all the fuss for a Russian who plays for an ice hockey team in the world's most powerful city. Perhaps not.
But since Mike, and in fairness Jeremy didn't exactly help matters, failed to answer the gist of the question posed after NBC ran a mini human interest story clip on Alex Ovechkin for viewers, and potentially new fans, I thought I'd throw that same very question out there. With whom do you compare Ovechkin to from a historical perspective within the sport of ice hockey and perhaps outside of it?
So to my fellow Rinkers, let's pick up NBC's slack just for kicks. Put yourself in Milbury's seat and answer the question that was posed to him, keeping in mind that the spotlight shining on the sport that you and I are passionate about doesn't get any bigger than this. It's the Olympics and the world's best are playing the game of ice hockey for their countries. Dig into the vast and rich history of the game, as played in the NHL and around the world, and share the phenomenon that is Ovechkin with the casual viewer and potential fan:
With whom do you compare Ovechkin to from a historical perspective within the sport of ice hockey and perhaps outside of it?
As J.P. likes to say ...
Have at it, people.
If this FanPost is written by someone other than one of the blog's authors, the opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect those of this blog or SB Nation.
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My answer
Alex Ovechkin is a unique player in NHL history. He’s got the Forsberg/Lindros skill and physical game along with unparalleled enthusiasm for the sport and his team as well as a goofy grin that never gets old. Watch him play now, since it’ll be a while before you see any other player like him.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
I was happy to see Roenick dislikes Milbury’s Canadian/Crosby schtick as much as many of us with his verbal sparring during that break.
I especially liked later on when Milbury mentioned his view that the Russians were adopting a Canadian way of playing hockey. Roenick said that the Russians are breaking all kinds of records. (Basically, if they’re copying they’re doing it better, or else they have defined their own brand of hockey).
As an American I like to see our players/teams excel, but I don’t need to think the best players in the world today have become so by copying Americans to sleep better at night.
Since you are, theoretically, trying to broaden the appeal of hockey to a non-hockey audience, I would have gone with a more well-known player from another sport…..LeBron. Lots of parallels there:
1) Probably the best player in the game
2) Highlight reel results just about every game
3) About the same age
4) Still trying to lead his team to a title….perhaps even this year.
by Hangsleben's Heroes on Feb 17, 2010 4:07 PM EST reply actions
Would you consider LeBron and Ovechkin as having a revolutionary impact on their respective sports?
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 17, 2010 4:10 PM EST up reply actions
Am not a big follower of the NBA, so will defer to others, but my sense is that while LeBron is Hall of Fame good, his impact has not been “revolutionary.”
by Hangsleben's Heroes on Feb 17, 2010 4:12 PM EST up reply actions
His impact hasn’t been yet, but he’s a revolutionary athlete. I’m not sure if there has ever been a human being with his combination of size and quickness. He’s up to 260 lbs this season and he looks more explosive than ever.
Aim for the head baby Jesus
I’m not sure if there has ever been a human being with his combination of size and quickness. He’s up to260235 lbs this season and he looks more explosive than ever
Sounds like you’re describing OV as well …
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 17, 2010 6:39 PM EST up reply actions
Don’t forget strength. LeBron might be the functionally strongest player in the game.
I have trouble calling LeBron a revolutionary player because he’s such a unique specimen — how can other players possibly pattern their games on his? Jordan was revolutionary because he polished every aspect of his game until it shone under the bright lights. He set a new standard for work ethic, much the same way Jerry Rice did in football.
LeBron, on the other hand, is physically capable of doing things that no other player has ever been able to do because of that unique physical skillset. It’s not worth trying to do what he does, because no matter how skilled you become, how practiced you get, you can’t do what he can. Kobe is the MJ model player; a great athlete with a killer work ethic who want every part of his game to be perfect. Have a look at his form, preferably in slow motion, sometime: it’s textbook perfect even in tough situations. LeBron just physically overmatches people in a way that no one else can and he gets results in that way.
The closest analogue I can come up with to LeBron in the NBA is 1998-2002 Shaq — a deceptively skilled player (in that he’s got great skills that go somewhat overlooked) who is so far ahead of everyone else in the size/athleticism combination that he dominates. LeBron is just even further out than O’Neal was, which is saying quite a bit.
As far as the Ovechkin analogue, I think it’s fair. They’re both the best players in the game, if not the most skilled and polished.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Feb 17, 2010 6:59 PM EST up reply actions
Should have included my thanks to JR. Milbury was an average player, a below average coach, an abject failure as a GM, and somewhat worse than abject failure as a commentator.
by Hangsleben's Heroes on Feb 17, 2010 4:10 PM EST reply actions
mike milbury’s career ups and downs. trend: 
by Natty Bumppo on Feb 17, 2010 4:13 PM EST up reply actions 8 recs
heh.
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 17, 2010 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
I wish that were true, the opposite is probably the reality...
What makes a good TV sports analyst (in order of importance):
1) Be Entertaining
2) Be minimally articulate
3) Have a recognizable name/face/schtick
4) Don’t be too hideous to look at
5) Be controversial (Bonus: have it make any sense)
….
4217) Know what you’re talking about
4218) Have some credibility
4219) Be consistent with what you say
PuckDaddy be damned, I'm putting CincoCinco on the back of a Schultz jersey!
by Chris meet Alex on Feb 17, 2010 5:11 PM EST up reply actions
*
What makes a good TV sports analyst (in order of importance):
What makes a good TV sports analyst in the eyes of the networks(in order of importance):
PuckDaddy be damned, I'm putting CincoCinco on the back of a Schultz jersey!
by Chris meet Alex on Feb 17, 2010 5:12 PM EST up reply actions
What makes a good TV sports analyst in the eyes of the American networks(in order of importance):
Though that I think is a little unfair to Versus. Most of their guys I think are pretty good. And take a trip up to Canada if you’ve never seen TSN or CBC cover an NHL game. They do an outstanding job.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 19, 2010 10:59 AM EST up reply actions
Hockey mullet is notably missing from the list. Melrose and Engblom come to mind. Its worth noting, the networks clearly don’t care about the quality of the hockey mullet. The mullet only needs to be present.
I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.
by iwearstripes on Feb 22, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
I figured it was a matter of time before someone noticed, but you get an un-rec for pointing it out.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Fehr and Balanced on Feb 17, 2010 5:10 PM EST reply actions
Heh. I couldn’t resist sharing your dirty little secret.
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 17, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions
Ovechkin is:
Maurice Richards heart and passion
Gordie Howes physicality
Brett Hulls shot
Pavel Bures hands and skill
all rolled into one.
Nice. How about Messier’s drive and will?
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 17, 2010 6:36 PM EST up reply actions
Could also throw in Gretzkys ability to take over a game singlehandedly. Really the sky’s the limit to how you could compare him. He is everything Crosby is not. Crosby is a sterile hockey player. Business as usual.
He is everything Crosby is not. Crosby is a sterile hockey player. Business as usual.
That’s flatly not true. They’re both elite goal scorers, Ovechkin is better at that and Crosby is a better playmaker when he wants to be. AO does wear his heart on his sleeve, but watch Crosby compete down by the goal line, watch him when he feels slighted. He’s amazingly competitive and determined to win. It doesn’t show through as exuberantly as AO’s does, but calling him sterile is just wrong.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Feb 17, 2010 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
Of course he’s competitive, if you want to be any good at any level you’ve gotta be. Im not completely slamming Crosby, hes a good player in his own right. He does compete hard, but I dont see passion. I see him working as if its a job. I like guys that wear their emotions on their sleeves, like Peter Bondra did. To me, its more fun to watch, and frankly, I think the guys on the bench get more juiced up to watch Ovie compete and celebrate and play the game like a little kid and they just want to have as much fun as he has.
You just couldn’t resist bringing Crosby into the conversation could you? Fair enough, I suppose — seems like it’s pretty much inevitable that any discussion about OV or Crosby will eventually lead to someone mentioning his counterpart.
At the risk of turning this into a full fledged Sid versus Crosby debate, you passion and intensity can be expressed and shown in a million ways. Subtle and not so subtle. I contend, and I’m sure others do as well, that Crosby plays the game with passion though perhaps it’s not expressed in the manner you prefer to see it. To infer playing competitively is mutually exclusive from passion does a disservice to how Crosby plays the game and what he brings to it with his skill and talent.
Sterile is more an adjective I would associate with Soviet era Red Army players and the first Russians that broke into the NHL. Expressionless, seemingly detached, mechanical and efficiently lethal, going about their business, etc …
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 18, 2010 11:34 AM EST up reply actions
At the risk of turning this into a full fledged Sid versus Crosby debate, passion and intensity can be expressed and shown in a million ways.
Edited.
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 18, 2010 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
Nothing shows that more than willing to park yourself in front of the net, knowing quite well you’re going to take cheap shots and some beatings.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 19, 2010 11:00 AM EST up reply actions
It’s not Milbury, it’s Roenick. He’s good.
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
by EmilyB on Feb 17, 2010 5:34 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Killing time over dinner, I ended up tuning in to NHL Live’s 6:00 hour. JR called in unannounced. They asked him if he and Milbury were going to come to blows before the end of the Olympics. He was diplomatic, but you could hear a smile and tension at the same time.
"The Caps fan doesn't say, 'is the glass half full' or 'is the glass half empty'. He wonders when the glass is going to spill."
Milbury looked ready to quit after JR hit him yesterday. It was fantastic.
My ability to post is only surpassed by my ability to pinch pennies.
I missed out on that … What happened?
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 18, 2010 9:51 AM EST up reply actions
It’s not Milbury, it’s Roenick. He’s good.
Pardon, but I’m missing what you’re saying here.
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 18, 2010 11:01 AM EST up reply actions
In what sense?
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 18, 2010 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
Physical with great hands I think was the idea. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Neely got his career basically ended with a Samuelsson hit. Let’s please not see Richards be Ulf to Ovechkin as Neely.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 19, 2010 11:02 AM EST up reply actions
Physical with great hands sure, but the similarities end there I think — he’s got a very different game than OV. I don’t remember Cam Neely being an exceptional skater nor being as athletic. But my memory has failed me before …
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 19, 2010 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
I’m only old enough to remember Bourque’s last couple of seasons, so whatever you say.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 20, 2010 8:16 AM EST up reply actions
Throwing Out a Few Non Hockey Contemporaries
-Shaun White
-Roger Federer
-Tiger Woods
-Michael Phelps
-Usain Bolt
-Lance Armstrong (in his prime)
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
"He's been pretty good since they gave him the C"
Just an idiotic thing to say. What the hell was he before they gave him the C, Mike? He was 2 Pearsons, 2 MVP’s and a Calder. He was a top-3 point getter with 6 games in hand. He was a guy who’s never punched an NHL opponent in the nads. Those are individual distinctions, Mike—the best basis for comparing um, Individuals.
I used to think Ovechkin was ‘Messier with a soviet rocket up his bippy’, but maybe there’s just no-one like him. Stranger things have happened.
Sorry, but
Wasn’t he talking about the Caps are their shot at winning a Cup, saying “they’ve been pretty good….” ?
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 19, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions
Nope.
Milbury clearly says “he’s been pretty good since they gave him the C”. Even if you set aside the fact that this statement has not a damn thing to do with the question he was asked, it’s a compound-imbecilic thing to say. (Ovechkin’s been quite a bit better than “pretty good”, since long before “they gave him the C”)
For what it's worth
I heard “been pretty good.” Sounds like Milbury eats the “he’s” or “they’ve” preceding it.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 20, 2010 10:05 AM EST up reply actions
Assinine Comment From Milbury
If the only distinction between Crosby and Ovechkin is the Cup, doesn’t the idiot recognize that Crosby wasn’t even the best player on his own team the year they won it?
We are forced, as hockey fans, to put up with the likes of Millbury and Cherry, (though turning the volume down helps, at least with Millbury). I do believe, however, that many of the on-air “personalities” are made to say things designed to create interest, even if they don’t actually believe it.
Roenick just showed why I’ve always liked him by ripping the Germans for not scoring a goal in two games because they sit back and play boring hockey. He knows the game and how to promote it, and unlike Milbury he has a good eye for breaking down positive and negative aspects of the game instead of just spouting nonsense to stir the pot.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
Some Other Russian Greats
Members of the feared KLM line.
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
The KLM line. They certainly flew high.
Fixed and free of charge.
"Where can you go from there? Where? ... Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
by UnleashFurry on Feb 22, 2010 5:25 PM EST up reply actions
ovechkin is like mark messier but a much better sniper (goal scorer).
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood"
by wolfmanshowlforever on Feb 22, 2010 4:59 PM EST reply actions
Ovechkin is a very unique talent. It is hard to compare him to a single player. What Ovechkin has:
The drive and desire Mark Messier
The shooting strength of Al MacInnis
The shooting accuracy of Jari Kurri
The skating ability of Paul Kariya in his prime
The stickhandling of Bengt Gustafsson
The ability to hit of Luke Richardson (who was regarded as the second biggest hitter of his time.. second to Scott Stevens… no one in NHL history has hit like Stevens, before or since).
I would say the closest player we’ve seen in the past 3 decades was probably Mark Messier, but Ovechkin is a better player. A better way to put it is that Messier is the poor man’s Ovechkin.
Honestly, I can say I’ve only seen three players at their peak in my life who were better than Ovechkin: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. When they put together the NHL first century team in 2017, I am sure Ovechkin will be part of the first or second team with the debate being whether he or Bobby Hull would be the first team left wing. My choice would be Ovechkin.
Let's go Caps!
I think your shooting strength, accuracy and skating ability are too generous to Ovechkin. He doesn’t shoot as hard as McInnis and he isn’t an exceptionally accurate shooter either. He’s also not as good of a skater as Kariya. In fact, if you look at all of the skills competition events, I don’t think Ovechkin would win a single one. However, he is well above average in all of those skills so when you combine all of them you get a truly remarkable and unique player.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Feb 23, 2010 12:11 AM EST up reply actions
If there were a core-strength skills competition, or perhaps a balancing one, then he might win that one. But I agree with your point — he’s not overwhelming in any of those categories by themselves, but when you put them all together it’s quite the package.
Another thing he is overwhelming at: Getting himself lost in traffic. You’d think that teams would know where AO was at all times, but often enough he’s chilling in the slot or off to the side of the circle, open for a pass and with a shooting lane. Somehow, he finds those spots in the defense that the coverages miss and he finds a way to get the puck from those spots.
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on Feb 23, 2010 12:31 AM EST up reply actions
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