No Comparison
Written by Robert R Falcione, Friday June 19 2009
It’s time to stop comparing Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Put it out to pasture. Stick a fork in it. Put it to bed. (Insert cliche here). It’s over. The verdict is in. They’re completely different players.
I can hear all of you now-The Cindy-sayers, the Cherry Supporters, Caps fans, and Pens fans-”My guy is better than your guy!” Or, “They’re actually a lot alike!” Finally, “Well if (insert your player’s name here) was on that team, he would’ve won it too!” It’s time to put away the proverbial foil, and look at it without all of the numbers. Yes, without. Okay, except for maybe a few key facts.
Both Crosby and Ovechkin make a lot of money. Not scientific, but an accurate generalization. In that respect they are very much alike. Does it matter if one makes more than the other? To some, yes. But does it actually matter when comparing the two most polarizing figures in the game? No.
Crosby averages 1.37 points per game, while Ovechkin’s average is slightly lower at 1.30 points per game. Nearly Identical. Does seven-tenths actually matter? Not really. So I’ll concede that they are alike in average points per game but how they achieved those numbers is completely different. Ovechkin scored more goals, while Crosby garnered more assists. This is where we’ll find out how completely different they are.
Sidney Crosby is to the NHL what a ZR1 Corvette is to an automotive enthusiast. The ZR1 is the pinnacle of the storied Corvette namesake. It offers breathtaking performance, handling, and everything you could want in a sports car. But if you don’t know cars, you wouldn’t know what you were looking at if you saw it drive by you. Sure, you may notice it doesn’t look like every other ‘Vette that you’ve seen, but you can’t quite place it. The differences are as subtle as they are astonishing. This is Sidney Crosby. You wouldn’t think he’s one of the top players in the league, if you didn’t already know about him. (I’ll admit, the NHL wants you to know about him).
If Sidney Crosby is a ZR1, Alexander Ovechkin is an ACR Viper. You know what it is when it comes down the road, the baddest Viper of them all. A vehicle that is as raw and as awesome as it looks. From it’s big wing, to it’s unmistakable Viper looks, it’s a car to be reckoned with and wants you to know it. That’s the kind of player Ovechkin is. Raw emotion pours out of his body and everyone knows when he is on the ice. He wants you to know what he’s capable of.
What Crosby does on the ice, is for the most part, very subtle. I’ve heard him described as a “grinder with the best hands in the league.” It’s a fairly accurate description. He doesn’t overly excel in one aspect of the game. He’s not the passer Joe Thornton is, the skater Eric Staal is, or the scorer Rick Nash is. He’s physical, but he’ll never be mistaken for a tenacious hitter. Crosby is truly the some of his parts. He can score goals and set them up. With his powerful stride and impressive footwork, he has good enough legs to keep up with some of the most skilled players in the league and is gritty enough to throw now and then (see, Andrew Ference of the Boston Bruins). What makes him better than everyone else that can be described in the same manner, is known as his hockey IQ or vision.
If you are unaware of what Alexander Ovechkin does on the ice, you have never seen him play. He’s the most noticeable player on the ice since Bobby Orr. With his constant motor he opens a bag of tricks on defenders Loki would be envious of. He goes down the wing, the off-wing, the middle; hell, he flies down the ice.
A threat to score from anywhere on the ice because he’ll shoot from everywhere. He takes enough shots to make the statisticians consider early retirement. And he follows many of those shots to the net.
Crosby is possibly the smartest player in the game. He always manages to find seams in the defense, even when they’re not there. He has the ability to see them before they develop and execute the play at the precise moment. And if they are not there, he creates them. To open them up he may throw a subtle head move, or a dip of the shoulder.
Ovechkin is also a very smart player. He has the ability to find seams in the defense but is mostly successful by creating them. By charging at the opposition and forcing them back on their heels he uses his superior speed and skill to overwhelm defenders. A bull in a China-shop can be more tactful than Ovechkin when he’s determined to score a goal. He’ll expend all of his energy circling all over the zone, with or without the puck, looking for offense. As great of a player as he is, he is not a model of efficiency.
Crosby is very efficient in his movements on the ice. Using his superior Hockey IQ he watches the play develop and puts himself in the proper position. Whether it is offensively or defensively he is very aware of where he needs to be. He only relies on his athletic ability when he makes a mistake.
Ovechkin is possibly the best athlete in the league. He may be one of the best in the world. Although he is a very intelligent player, he most often relies on his superior athletic ability to make plays. Sometimes too often. But, when he can play like that for a minute straight, can you blame him? What will be interesting is to see how his play develops as he gets older. I don’t mean in the next few years. I’m thinking, ten years from now. How will he play when he’s not the best athlete in the league?
Crosby’s perfect smile looks great in all of those ads. He’s the very safe choice as the voice and face of the NHL. He’s the classic NHL gentleman. In almost interview he gives the perfect response, which in turn, gives you nothing. Polite smiles, nods, and tired cliches. Gary Bettman loves that. It would be nice to hear how “the face of the game” really feels about the pressing issues in the NHL.
Ovechkin’s unshaven, unkempt look speaks to a whole different segment of the game. His look resonates with life-long fans of all ages. From the ones that remember players going full-bore into the corners sans helmets to the ones who grew up knowing the Detroit Red Wings as the only dynasty in the game. His exuberant personality and goal-celebrations are polarizing. There are those who love them and hate them. His whole demeanor reaches out to those who are put off from the the NHL’s shameless promotion of Crosby.
I can almost hear it now. “What about hits per game?” “What about plus/minus?” “What about the penalty kill?” “What about the playoffs?” Those are all valid points. But look at who they are as players, as people. They are completely different. Their one major unifying thread is that the NHL needs them. While it would make more sense to debate which gaming system is better, and it doesn’t, the NHL doesn’t want you to stop. They don’t want you to realize you’re comparing two completely different things. If you do, they’re afraid they might become even more irrelevant in the sporting landscape. So let the debate continue, even though there is no comparison.
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