The game used to "come to Ovechkin"
Here's an excerpt on Ovechkin from Thomas Boswell online chat via Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog)...
THOMAS BOSWELL, the Washington Post:
The Caps aren't a very talented team any more, so they have to get close to 100% production and mistake-free play from the players they have or they are what you've seen so far __not even a playoiff team. They used to be thrilling to watch. I watched the tape of the Ranger game over again and, on far too many shifts, they just looked like a bunch of donkeys on skates. They're not a physical team but they're no longer a high-skill team either. What are they? A 10-13-1 team that could be somewhat better __but nothing special, imo__ if they learn Oates system and eventually play as a unit.
Semin is gone. Green will, presumably, never be Green again. Laich has been out all season. Ovechkin has been a shadow of himself for a long time and now he just seems lost on the ice; he's only had three (3!) even-strength goals all year. Over the weekend, he was as responsible for the two three-goal defeats as much as anyone. He made mental mistakes or took foolish gambles in the neutral zone and his TWO penalties within 20 seconds turned Sunday's game from 1-1 to 3-1 in a blink. Just isolate on Ovechkin and watch the game through him. The game used to "come to him." Or maybe he was so fast and decisive that he went to it. Now, it seems to go away from him. And he seems confused. How much of that is paralysis from too many new systems to learn? How much of it is getting-old-fast because his body must be 80 in hockey years? How much of it is less talented players around him?
We're very close to needing a whole new set of seriously-lowered expectations for the Caps. Hope they convince me otherwise. I have no idea what you do for/with Ovechkin. You can't trade that contract. If you take away the "C" you have undercut the face of the franchise. Somehow, you have to support him and find out how he should play at THIS point in his career.
Oh, by the way, Ovechkin is -11 on +/- for the last TWO years combined! Also, in the first 339 games of his career, he scored 228 even-strength goals and 111 on the PP. This year, it's 3 even-strength and 6 on PP. They sure have picked up his patterns.
I thought Ovechkin actually looked very sad at the end of Sunday's game, really concerned. I think he cares (usually). It would be better if he DIDN'T care. Then there might be an easy fix. The bad news might be: This is what he is now.
If things go like this, Ovechkin might not be on the team Russia's roster at Sochi Olympics. I think last time he was on the FOURTH line. This time he might not even make the fourth line. Sad.
But he will carry the torch, obviously.
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7 comments:
Meh. I think you're overstating the importance of an article by a guy who doesn't even cover hockey regularly and has several errors of omission at least-- pinning the game's loss on Ovechkin's penalties is pretty inaccurate. It doesn't bother to explain several factors, not the least being
1) Ovechkin avoiding making a knee on knee hit that he could have been suspended for
2) Ovechkin trying to avoid taking the same weak interference call he got nailed for in Boston
3) The fact that two different refs calling two different penalties on him at the same time is very rare and means that at least one of them was probably not seeing it accurately. Basically, the Rangers got two free gift goals out of that.
4) The Caps having to kill extra time on those penalties was the refs not calling the play dead after the first goal went in and wasn't acknowledged.
5) Repeat, Boswell is not a hockey expert.
I could go on. (I have to say, TJ, I'm kind of surprised. Lately it seems like you just repost random articles and agree with them, whether they're accurate or not. It paints a very lopsided picture.)
To say they won't use him in Sochi, even on the 4th line? Crazy. For one thing, there's his recent play in the KHL as the counterbalance. For another, they've invested too much in him. He'll be there, and I think he'll be better than everyone expects.
1,2 - he looked indifferent, should've turn around and chase him.
3 - Even Ovi agreed on the first call which was pretty obvious.
You don't have to be a hockey expert to see that something is really wrong with Ovi. The reason I've posted this is because Boz used a very good description "the game used to come to Ovi". Now watch Ovi and you can see that he is lost there, he doesn't feel the game anymore. That's scary.
lazy player who doesn't back check and DEFINITELY does not deserve to be the captain
Posting an article for one line when the rest of the article is crap is still really not a good representation of facts, unless you acknowledge the rest of the article being crap. (And just to point out some support for that article being biased, check the reaction to it at Japers' Rink.)
You also don't have to be a hockey expert to realize Ovechkin's playing a different position, with a good center but a 4th line winger, in a new system, under a new coach, in a shortened season that had a laughably short camp. (Or maybe I am giving people too much credit to realize that this.) And he's 27. He's certainly not bottom of the heap, but players peak at earlier ages. He had an amazing peak that he's probably not going to hit again, though he's certainly capable of improving enough to be a solid, elite player for the rest of his career.
Look, I have no problem with people pointing out something is wrong with Ovi right now. Something is. What is frustrating is that people stop there, and don't think any more about why it is-- which is why simply dumping biased articles out there with no comment otherwise hurts far more than it informs.
(1,2, not going to argue that he should've chased him, because I agree. But if you do that, you have to acknowledge what he was doing to avoid a potential suspension/penalty call and not just say, "he didn't take the hit and that was a bad move!" Not that you said that, but that's what the commentary and artcile implies. And regarding your reply on 3, that still means he should have only gotten one penalty called on him, just to be nitpicking.)
Let's agree to disagree. Thanks for posting!
Ovi not in Sochi? Next Half of this year will tell if he is going or not.
I agree with Anonymous but I also do with TJ on the part that Ovi is lost. But I say Ovi is only lost with the caps right now. He did well at the WC and at the KHL. I doubt that he will be this bad with another team hahaha!
Ovi wouldn't be doing this bad if the system weren't so terrible and the other players wouldn't be playing bad.
All that adds up and it's not helping his case.
I think either Caps rebuild their team which it will take more than one year since they got rid off good players... Like Sasha! Or they get a better coach that miraculous transforms this team.
I say they need both.
Of course I was sarcastic about Ovi's not going to Sochi. But it actually might happen if he continues to deteriorate. Who wants a guy who is a liability? If he plays like he did last Sunday vs Canadians, Russians are doomed.
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