Do you think Ovechkin's legacy will improve over time?

[Plural]

Well there might have been a few people dismissing him all together but he made the vast majority of people's at least top3 ever even before the WC. I argued for him being the GOAT of all team sports here on hfboards even before he won the cup.

I'd say most included him as a contender for the Goat. But a there always was a portion of people saying he can't be unless he wins the Cup. Those people exist in all sport fans and even if we don't agree with them, it's not like their opinion is somehow invalid. It's an opinion on subjective listing.

 

[filinski77]

The problem with him is that since they won the NHL Cup (that`s pushing ten years) there is this perception that the only purpose of his career is to break that record. His entire, or even the team`s effort go in that direction. Everything else is a foot note at best.
His records doesn`t happen in a "natural way" at least that`s what it feel like. People don`t like that type of cheryy picking record chasing.
Nobody has ever felt that Gretzky kept on playing in the 90s to chase records, it was just a byproduct of his play.
That``s wey I don`t think that Ovechkin`s legacy will grow. Hos greatness is based on his sensational, outstanding play from 05-10- Not on his stat chasing in the last 10 years of his career. And people always remeber first what happened last.

But that perception is completely wrong. If a handful of misinformed (or biased haters) fans feel that way, it doesn't make it reality.

Ovechkin has been a great player since the cup. He's not out here compiling 30 goal seasons and finishing 90th in points year-in, year-out.

Age	Points Rank	Goals Rank
39​	11th	1st
38​	72nd	36th
37​	40th (32nd)	9th (9th/gp)
36​	16th	4th
35​	64th (27th /gp)	13th (8th/gp)
34​	18th	1st
33​	15th	1st

Ovechkin has accumulated still some of the best totals in the league over that span since the cup. He has not been record chasing anything.
Despite being aged 33 to 39 in this timeline, he's still 23rd in points and 4th in goals since 2018/2019. Only 1 goal behind 3rd, and 30 points behind 12th.

The Capitals only goal since the cup was not solely to only help him get the record.
Ovechkin has still been year-in, year-out the best (or one of the best) players on that team. The Caps have made the playoffs EVERY year except for one. The Caps have made a 1st round draft pick every year (except for 1) from 2018 to 2024, The Caps have made 8 2nd round draft picks in the last 7 years. And the Caps have a great prospect pool and set of young NHLers while also being a top team this year,

So I repeat - people can say that there is that perception, but the actual facts and stats will say the complete and utter opposite.

 

[Midnight Judges]

The problem with him is that since they won the NHL Cup (that`s pushing ten years) there is this perception that the only purpose of his career is to break that record. His entire, or even the team`s effort go in that direction. Everything else is a foot note at best.
His records doesn`t happen in a "natural way" at least that`s what it feel like. People don`t like that type of cheryy picking record chasing.
Nobody has ever felt that Gretzky kept on playing in the 90s to chase records, it was just a byproduct of his play.
That``s wey I don`t think that Ovechkin`s legacy will grow. Hos greatness is based on his sensational, outstanding play from 05-10- Not on his stat chasing in the last 10 years of his career. And people always remeber first what happened last.

They have the 3rd most wins in the NHL during his career despite them being a lottery team when he came on board. They're #4 in the NHL since the 2010-2011 season.

They've had the #1 powerplay in the NHL during his career. #3 in goals for.

They're currently swimming in young talent that they drafted or acquired.

What exactly is it you think the Capitals have sacrificed for Ovechkin's career success in his later years?

But that perception is completely wrong.

Where is this unsupported narrative coming from? Who is perpetuating it and how has it taken hold?

Truly, it's fascinating.

 

[MadLuke]

The problem with him is that since they won the NHL Cup (that`s pushing ten years) there is this perception that the only purpose of his career is to break that record.

Seem revisionist a bit, the year after they won the cup Ovechkin had "only" 607 goals and just turned 33... how many people had the idea of the goal record being in play back then ?

And the Capitals were the cup champ, had a 104 pts season, third in the east, we can bet a lot of money that winning a back to back cup were all they thought about.

Ovechkin scoring 215 goals in his next 344 games has a 33-38 years old winning 2 others Rocket, who saw that coming ? The league scoring had just went up, without it it would have been just impossible.

The 5 season after the cup he scored at a 0.625 goals per games, that a 51+ goals by 82 paces, thats even higher than young Ovechkin pre-cup win career pace of 0.605 gpg.....

In 2014 at least that was the reaction:

Will Ovechkin catch Gretzky in career goals?

Will Ovechkin catch Gretzky in career goals?

forums.hfboards.com

Feel like the idea of him catching up Gretzky must be more recent than the 2018-2019 season, even more so the idea of any sacrifice the team would be making to help make it happen, that must started only when the Caps started to miss the playoff in the latest (2022-2023 ?).

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't think people came around on the idea that Ovechkin went from "theoretically could" break the record to "more likely than not will break the record" until he posted 50 goals in 2021-22, by end of season that got him to 780 goals, which is 214 short of Gretzky's total.

 

[seventieslord]

I don't think people came around on the idea that Ovechkin went from "theoretically could" break the record to "more likely than not will break the record" until he posted 50 goals in 2021-22, by end of season that got him to 780 goals, which is 214 short of Gretzky's total.

114

 

[WarriorofTime]

114

D'oh, my bad