This years NHL playoff season has been overwhelming to say the least. The sixteen teams that began this incredible playoff run have left fans enamoured and lusting for more as the field has now been cut to seven with the seemingly premature exit of the Washington Capitals, a team most poolies had in the Eastern Conference Finals at the very least. With overtime becoming a nightly occurrence (already 20 OT games in under 2 rounds this year surpassing the 18 from last seasons entire playoff run) and predictability at an all time low, there isn't much more we could hope for in April or May. But amidst all the tension and the hype, there's something else that happened this playoff season that hasn't happened since the '06-'07 playoffs; Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby were not both a part of it.
With the concussion Crosby sustained in early January and the rumours that he would probably not return no matter how deep the Penguins were able to advance this year, many perceived this as Ovechkin's moment for greatness. The Capitals seemed poised and ready for a deep playoff run led by their Russian phenom and Sid the Kid could only watch from the press box. Ovechkin and company clearly did not seize this moment as they were handily swept aside by the Tampa Bay Lightning in a fairly uneventful second round clash. For the fourth straight year the Capitals have dominated the regular season racking up four straight Southeast division titles, two Eastern Conference titles and a Presidents Trophy, yet have nothing more than a pair of first round wins over the NY Rangers to show for it in the post-season. At what point does the onus begin to fall squarely on the shoulders of Ovechkin, widely considered to share the title of the best player in the world with the aforementioned Crosby? With both of these superstars now on the outside looking in on the playoffs, I thought it fitting to take a glimpse at their young careers (Ovechkin is only 25 and Crosby 23) and see how the perceptions of these two hockey giants differ based upon wins and losses.
The Ovechkin-Crosby debate has become a staple among the hockey world since the two squared off against each other in the Gold Medal game of World Junior Championship in 2005. Crosby showed utter dominance in the QMJHL collecting 303 points in 121 games in just 2 seasons with Rimouski before being drafted number 1 overall by the Penguins in 2005 as one of the most coveted draft picks in recent memory. Ovechkin, taken number 1 the year prior to Crosby, was widely regarded as one of the most talented Russian's in the world and proved just that by leading Russia to a World Junior Gold Medal in 2003. In 2005 the hockey world got their first true glimpse at one of the greatest blossoming individual hockey rivalries of this era as Sid and Ovie took centre stage in Grand Forks to play for Gold. However, the much anticipated Russia-Canada and Ovechkin-Crosby matchup didn't quite have the muster that most people were so eager to see. Ovechkin was hurt midway through the second period and the Canadian juggernaut assembled because of the NHL lockout went on to dismantle the Russians 6 - 1. Round one goes to Crosby.
The next time fans would get a true taste of this rivalry would be the 2005 - '06 NHL regular season where, coming out of a lockout, the hockey God's quickly erased the negative memories of a work stoppage by creating an arms race for the Calder trophy. Ovechkin and Crosby dazzled fans and asserted themselves among the elite in the NHL immediately by posting 106 and 102 point seasons respectively. Ovechkin sniped 52 goals and fell just 4 short of Jonathan Cheechoo's 56 for the Rocket Richard trophy. Both superstars, however, were unable to lead their teams to playoff hockey and they finished next to each other in the basement of the Eastern Conference. Not surprisingly, Ovechkin was awarded the Calder trophy that June with Crosby finishing a close second. Round two to Ovechkin.
Rounds three and four of this heavyweight tilt seem to be split decisions as both stars became young legends individually. Crosby, fresh off his Calder trophy loss to Ovechkin, took the NHL by storm in '06-'07 and became the youngest NHL player in history to win the Art Ross trophy at 19 years of age. Crosby, joined by that years Calder winner Evgeni Malkin, would make up one of the most dangerous duos in hockey to this day and led the Penguins to a playoff birth. The 120 point season for Crosby would also earn him the Hart trophy and Lester B. Pearson award as the league's most outstanding player judged by the NHL players association. Not to be outdone, Ovechkin would win the Hart trophy, Lester B. Pearson award, Art Ross trophy and Rocket Richard trophy with 65 goals and 112 points in '07-'08. Ovechkin is still the only player in NHL history to capture all four awards in the same season and was able to lead the Caps to the playoffs that same year. The two had cemented themselves as the NHL's premier superstars and new faces of the game.
Following Ovechkin's record breaking season in '07-'08 it seems as though this argument of the greatest player in the game has seen a separation. It is extremely easy and difficult at the same time to make a case for either Crosby or Ovechkin as the greatest individual player in today's game solely based on individual numbers because the two are seemingly so equally matched. The only true separation between the two can be the achievements of the teams they have respectively led. Crosby captained the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances and boasts a Stanley Cup ring. He will live on in Canadian hockey lore as the image of the 'Golden Goal' in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver will be forever etched in the minds and hearts of the Canadian faithful. Ovechkin, meanwhile, has yet to reach a conference final with the Caps and was a part of one of the poorest Russian showings in an Olympic hockey game as they were embarrassed 7 - 3 by the Canadians in the quarterfinals. The talent level of each team is not in dispute either as the Capitals and Penguins have been powerhouses in the NHL for several years now and both the Russian and Canadian teams were slated to play for Gold.
In a game clearly defined as a 'team sport', individual greatness always seems to be represented by team wins and losses. Is it fair? No, probably not. Is it a reality? Yes, plain and simple. The greatest individual players in team sports are constantly defined by how they are able to perform in the post-season and how they are able to lead their teams to greatness. Legends like NFL hall of famer Dan Marino are forever slightly tarnished because of his inability to capture that career defining win. Is the perception of individual greatness within team sports one that needs to be redefined, or is it simply the mark of the true greats that they are able to seize that greatness and will their team to victory? The great debate will continue to rage on as it always has, continuing to beg the question of who is the best. It's early on in both their young careers and we expect many more years of excellence from both Ovie and Sid the Kid, but for now one must acknowledge that this two horse race has a clear cut thoroughbred in Crosby. Sid has emerged not only as one of the most talented players in the NHL today, but as a born leader and a true winner. Until Ovechkin is able to prove his worth in post-season hardware, it seems as though he will play second fiddle in the great debate to a much more seasoned and accomplished Crosby.
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