Ovechkin is now halfway to Gretzky!

[Dellstrom]

- 3 Hart Trophy's
- 3 Lindseys
- 1 Art Ross
- 4 Rocket Richards

He's absolutely a lock. That's an insane resume.

Even the 3 Harts alone. People have gotten in for A LOT less.

 

[Acallabeth]

But this season Ovechkin is arguably the best player on planet Earth! He is solid defensively and has been very good offensively. His stats could be better but his level of play has been excellent.

His stats are also a result of a very poor puck luck with over 20 posts/crossbars and the searching process for his linemates.
I'm very satisfied with AO's game this year, and I'm sure nearly all Caps fans are, but though stats aren't everything, you can't be the best unless you stand above your tier, and Ovechkin is just climbing the top scorers ladder and is still behind Backstrom in scoring.

 

[octopi]

I don't know, have you watched them both play THIS season? It is only half way through the season but if things keep going how they are the "debate" may have to be re-opened.

Of course they are both phenomenal players so it really is like arguing which ice cream flavor is the best.

it's chocolate cherry chip, you ignorant buffoons!

Ovechkin will be a Hart candidate if he keeps up his play of late.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Heatley and Lecavalier were never close to being as talented as Ovechkin. Please don't compare.

Lecavalier and heatley were pretty talented. They declined due to injuries and generally not taking care of their bodies. Lecavalier was notorious for this.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

If the Caps could find a RW that meshed with Ovie and Backstrom that would go a long way to helping him score more goals or at the very least help his line score a lot more goals.

Mind you, that was sort of the situation with Gretzky and Kurri. Lol.

I believe Ovie will one day be regarded as one of the best goal scorers of all time but I still think Gretzky, Brett Hull and Mike Bossy would be considered better.

 

[Iceman]

He's absolutely a lock. That's an insane resume.

Even the 3 Harts alone. People have gotten in for A LOT less.

People have gotten in on playstyle and reputation alone.

 

[Iceman]

If the Caps could find a RW that meshed with Ovie and Backstrom that would go a long way to helping him score more goals or at the very least help his line score a lot more goals.

Mind you, that was sort of the situation with Gretzky and Kurri. Lol.

I believe Ovie will one day be regarded as one of the best goal scorers of all time but I still think Gretzky, Brett Hull and Mike Bossy would be considered better.

I already consider him a top 5 goalscorer - but it's subjective of course and depends on how much higher you value the base statistics such as gpg and goals total than other things.

 

[Plural]

never had 50 in 50 and never had 70 so no he won't

Completely irrelevant. When Rocket scored 50 in 50 it was in watered down league. When Gretzky and Bossy did it it was in the high scoring 80's.

Ovechkin and his 65 goal campaign is right up there with the best goal-scoring efforts in the history.

 

[Plural]

Selanne did not get better into his late 30s.

He didn't become better than he was in the late 90's. But his two seasons after the lockout were much better than few years before it. So, in a way he did become better.

Crazy fact about Selanne: His best scoring finish (8th) after the lockout came as 40 year old. I think that is one of the most overlooked statistical abnormalities in few years. How often do you see 40 year old in the top-10?

 

[AD1066]

I believe Ovie will one day be regarded as one of the best goal scorers of all time but I still think Gretzky, Brett Hull and Mike Bossy would be considered better.

I did an analysis of Bossy and Ovechkin recently, and depending on how much validity you give to adjusted stats, Ovechkin already has an argument over Bossy. But there are some who inveitably become defensive when a childhood hero / legend stands to be eclipsed by a current player. It's easy to get hung up on the consecutive 50+ goal seasons, being a nice round number, but in present terms Bossy's production is closer to that of an incredibly consistent 40-50 goal scorer who peaked closer to 60 in a few years. But Ovechkin's 65 goal season is superior to any of Bossy's, and a number of his other seasons also compare very favorably.

 

[Gardner McKay]

LOL. 600 max and even that is unlikely.

He has 6 years left on his contract. If he averages 26 goals a year just over those 6 years he will break 600. I think he easily gets 650. He is absolutely a lock for the hall of fame.

 

[Voight]

He's absolutely a lock. That's an insane resume.

Even the 3 Harts alone. People have gotten in for A LOT less.

3 x Hart Winners

Gretzky (9)
Howe (6)
Eddie Shore (4)
Lemieux (3)
Howie Morenz (3)
Orr (3)
Bobby Clarke (3)

He'd get in almost solely based on the Harts, before mentioning the Art Ross, Richards and multiple All-Star tam nods (not ASGs, the end of the season teams)

Plus he's got a few records :

Only player to be named to the NHL First All-Star Team in each of his first five seasons
Most goals scored by a left-winger in a season (2007–08) – 65 goals
Most points scored by a left-wing rookie (2005–06) – 106 points
Most shots on goal by a left-winger in a season (2008–09) – 528 shots
Most shots on goal by a rookie in a season (2005–06) – 425 shots
Point streak in consecutive games to start an NHL career by a No. 1 overall pick (2005–06) – 8 games
Most regular season points by a Russian-born NHL rookie (2005–06) – 106 points
Fastest overtime goal – 6 seconds; (December 15, 2006 vs. Atlanta Thrashers; tied with Mats Sundin and David Legwand)
First player to be named to both the NHL First and Second All-Star Teams in the same season: 2012–13

 

[WarriorofTime]

I'm still hung up on the guy who said 600 is unlikely. Like at some point your level of hatred overshadows any rational thought about that player. Kind of sad. 20 years from now you'll look back and be like "Wow. That guy was an amazing talent."

 

[Fantomas]

He didn't become better than he was in the late 90's. But his two seasons after the lockout were much better than few years before it. So, in a way he did become better.

Crazy fact about Selanne: His best scoring finish (8th) after the lockout came as 40 year old. I think that is one of the most overlooked statistical abnormalities in few years. How often do you see 40 year old in the top-10?

Fair enough, but when saying that Selanne got better one has to acknowledge that he first got worse. While with Colorado he was terrible.

 

[Bradys Boys]

He's already going to be Hall of Fame.

600 is really easy for him to get.

 

[Fantomas]

Well, at the time Selanne has 684 goals (+44 po goals), so yeah.

You are wrong. You can't just look at numbers without considering the context of the time in which they were produced.

Selanne was not a better scorer than Ovechkin. His 76-goal season is not better than Ovechkin's 65-goal season.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

He didn't become better than he was in the late 90's. But his two seasons after the lockout were much better than few years before it. So, in a way he did become better.

?

That was due to him using the lockout to recupprate, thus his 05-06 campaign was his healthiest in years, and the ridiculous amount of power play time he was able to receive because of the rule changes, which also resulted in an increase in league wide scoring.

 

[King King]

Doesn't catch Gretzky, but reaching 700+ is certainly plausible.

As for the hall, first-ballot entry.

 

[Tutu to]

Crosby will always be better....and by a margin

 

[WarriorofTime]

Crosby will always be better....and by a margin

At scoring goals?

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Crosby will always be better....and by a margin

Why do you always have to bring up Crosby in an Ovi thread ?

 

[tazzy19]

I'd put Hull's 86 goals above Gretzky's 92 goals. Scoring was significantly lower in 91 than 82 and he was 35 goals ahead of anybody else, the biggest gap ever. I agree that Ovechkin's 65 goal year is right up there with the best, it's Gretzky/Lemieux caliber.

Except for the fact that Gretzky also scored 120 assists to go along with his 92 goals. How many did Hull have? To put it into perspective, Hull lost the scoring title that year by 32 points (to Gretzky funnily enough). The year Gretzky scored his 92 goals, he won the scoring title by about 65 points.

 

[Fantomas]

Except for the fact that Gretzky also scored 120 assists to go along with his 92 goals. How many did Hull have? To put it into perspective, Hull lost the scoring title that year by 32 points (to Gretzky funnily enough). The year Gretzky scored his 92 goals, he won the scoring title by about 65 points.

He wasn't talking about assists. Learn to read.

 

[FinRuutu]

Crosby will always be better....and by a margin

But still you seem insecure about it.

 

[KCC]

He'll most likely get 700-750. Who knows though, there's been a few super fast declines from 100 point guys to barely roster players, like Heatley and Lecavalier.

This is my guesstimation assuming he can keep up a decent pace.