Who is the best right now? Check it out!

By The Tribune-Review
Sunday, February 17, 2008

That was the question posed to members of the hockey media throughout North America. The criteria were simple: Forget the past, ignore the future, and consider only the present. Who is the NHL's best player right now? The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review received 42 responses from team beat writers and national analysts. The results provided an overwhelming answer to that question - one that figures to have Penguins fans talking, if nothing else:

Player                  Team          Position  Votes
Alexander Ovechkin      Washington    Left wing  20
Nicklas Lidstrom        Detroit       Defense     7
Sidney Crosby           Penguins      Center      6
Jarome Iginla           Calgary       Right wing  4
Vincent Lecavalier      Tampa Bay     Center      2
Dany Heatley            Ottawa        Left wing   1
Daniel Alfredsson       Ottawa        Right wing  1
Chris Pronger           Anaheim       Defense     1

Tim Panaccio, Philadelphia Inquirer: "Ovechkin brings one element to his game that Sidney Crosby lacks - a tough, nasty, physical edge to go with all that raw skill. Crosby is infinitely more fun to watch, but right now, Ovechkin is the best player."

Red Fisher, Montreal Gazette: "Most valuable to his team in the league. Most goals. Most exciting to watch. Most fearless."

Mark Spector, National Post: "The object is to score and accrue points, and he does both of those things better than everyone else. Ovechkin is the classic Euro-scorer - Crosby does many things, but he is not that."

Aaron Portzline, Columbus Dispatch: "Not only is he a relentless shooter, but his passionate play without the puck puts him a half-notch above the likes of Crosby."

Darren Eliot, Sports Illustrated: "He plays with verve and he plays for keeps both physically and on the attack."

Scott Burnside, ESPN: "I am struck by just how dynamic he is. Tough as nails, loves to hit, even seems to love being hit, drives the net like nobody else in the game, has a fearsome shot and has almost single-handedly dragged the Capitals back into the division lead."

Ovechkin received 42% of votes, Nicklas Lidstrom, who is behind Ovechkin in the second place, received 17%. Enough said.

I was also impressed with what Tortorella said about Ovechkin in the pre-game press conference (Feb. 16, 2008). When he was asked how to contain Ovechkin, he said:

"You can skate with him. That's the key, he is constantly moving... But again, Ovechkin is a different animal than a lot of players in this league. You can't stop him, you just try to limit him, but you can't stop him..."