Ovechkin top 10 player of all time?

[Mike8]

Wait a minute, so a scrub winger like Ovechkin, a 1 trick pony who's lazy, camps out at the dot, hepped up on steroids, gets nothing but PP goals and empty netters is 10th in assists since 2005-06? I find that hard to believe

While I don't believe Ovechkin's a one-trick pony who's lazy at all, I think you're operating on a really poor premise there. You're taking the precise season Ovechkin entered the league until now -- with almost no top players other than Malkin, Crosby and Kane playing that entire period, and even fewer having their peak or prime years wholly within that period. It's not a very compelling argument.

How about total assists from 2011 onwards?

1. Giroux - 448 in 666 GP
2. Backstrom - 437 in 618 GP
3. Crosby - 433 in 556 GP
4. Kane - 423 in 640 GP
5. Wheeler - 414 in 671 GP
6. Karlsson - 414 in 599 GP
7. Getzlaf - 398 in 607 GP
8. Thornton - 392 in 626 GP
9. Malkin - 390 in 540 GP
10. Kopitar - 386 in 665 GP
11. Voracek - 378 in 659 GP
12. Kessel - 369 in 678 GP
13. Yandle - 356 in 677 GP
14. Burns - 348 in 645 GP
15. Tavares - 347 in 638 GP
16. Seguin - 341 in 652 GP
17. Carlson - 329 in 638 GP
18. Suter - 328 in 664 GP
19. Benn - 328 in 648 GP
20. O'Reilly - 324 in 633 GP
21. Marchand - 322 in 639 GP
22. H Sedin - 321 in 520 GP
23. Hedman - 321 in 595 GP
24. Hall - 320 in 548 GP
25. Krejci - 318 in 598 GP
26. Kucherov - 314 in 500 GP
27. Keith - 309 in 636 GP
28. Toews - 306 in 625 GP
29. Letang - 304 in 493 GP
30. Pietrangelo - 302 in 647 GP
31. Staal - 301 in 668 GP
32. Zetterberg - 298 in 496 GP
33. Bergeron - 297 in 618 GP
34. Johansen - 295 in 645 GP
35. McDavid - 294 in 341 GP
36. Josi - 294 in 616 GP
37. Stamkos - 293 in 554 GP
38. MacKinnon - 291 in 508 GP
39. Subban - 290 in 618 GP
40. Doughty - 286 in 665 GP
41. Stepan - 284 in 643 GP
42. Huberdeau - 283 in 520 GP
43. Gaudreau - 282 in 449 GP
44. Koivu - 278 in 580 GP
45. Pavelski - 277 in 668 GP
46. Duchesne - 268 in 616 GP
47. Giordano - 265 in 610 GP
48. Kuznetsov - 263 in 467 GP
49. Eberle - 263 in 639 GP
50. Couture - 261 in 604 GP
51. Byfuglien - 261 in 528 GP
52. Shattenkirk - 261 in 591 GP
53. Krug - 260 in 509 GP
54. Bailey - 259 in 638 GP
55. Barrie - 258 in 539 GP
56. Nugent-Hopkins - 258 in 587 GP
57. Ovechkin - 257 in 662 GP
58. Scheifele - 254 in 503 GP
59. Spezza - 255 in 582 GP
60. Stastny - 253 in 582 GP
61. Panarin - 249 in 374 GP
62. Landeskov - 249 in 615 GP
63. Oshie - 248 in 606 GP
64. Barkov - 248 in 463 GP
65. D. Sedin - 246 in 519 GP
66. Perron - 244 in 599 GP
67. Couturier - 242 in 632 GP
68. Schenn - 242 in 633 GP
69. Draisatl - 241 in 405 GP
70. Zuccarello - 240 in 519 GP
71. Leddy - 237 in 658 GP
72. Okposo - 235 in 596 GP
73. Vanek - 234 in 560 GP
74. Bozak - 232 in 601 GP
75. Steen - 229 in 548 GP

 

[GreatGonzo]

While I don't believe Ovechkin's a one-trick pony who's lazy at all, I think you're operating on a really poor premise there. You're taking the precise season Ovechkin entered the league until now -- with almost no top players other than Malkin, Crosby and Kane playing that entire period, and even fewer having their peak or prime years wholly within that period. It's not a very compelling argument.

How about total assists from 2011 onwards?

1. Giroux - 448 in 666 GP
2. Backstrom - 437 in 618 GP
3. Crosby - 433 in 556 GP
4. Kane - 423 in 640 GP
5. Wheeler - 414 in 671 GP
6. Karlsson - 414 in 599 GP
7. Getzlaf - 398 in 607 GP
8. Thornton - 392 in 626 GP
9. Malkin - 390 in 540 GP
10. Kopitar - 386 in 665 GP
11. Voracek - 378 in 659 GP
12. Kessel - 369 in 678 GP
13. Yandle - 356 in 677 GP
14. Burns - 348 in 645 GP
15. Tavares - 347 in 638 GP
16. Seguin - 341 in 652 GP
17. Carlson - 329 in 638 GP
18. Suter - 328 in 664 GP
19. Benn - 328 in 648 GP
20. O'Reilly - 324 in 633 GP
21. Marchand - 322 in 639 GP
22. H Sedin - 321 in 520 GP
23. Hedman - 321 in 595 GP
24. Hall - 320 in 548 GP
25. Krejci - 318 in 598 GP
26. Kucherov - 314 in 500 GP
27. Keith - 309 in 636 GP
28. Toews - 306 in 625 GP
29. Letang - 304 in 493 GP
30. Pietrangelo - 302 in 647 GP
31. Staal - 301 in 668 GP
32. Zetterberg - 298 in 496 GP
33. Bergeron - 297 in 618 GP
34. Johansen - 295 in 645 GP
35. McDavid - 294 in 341 GP
36. Josi - 294 in 616 GP
37. Stamkos - 293 in 554 GP
38. MacKinnon - 291 in 508 GP
39. Subban - 290 in 618 GP
40. Doughty - 286 in 665 GP
41. Stepan - 284 in 643 GP
42. Huberdeau - 283 in 520 GP
43. Gaudreau - 282 in 449 GP
44. Koivu - 278 in 580 GP
45. Pavelski - 277 in 668 GP
46. Duchesne - 268 in 616 GP
47. Giordano - 265 in 610 GP
48. Kuznetsov - 263 in 467 GP
49. Eberle - 263 in 639 GP
50. Couture - 261 in 604 GP
51. Byfuglien - 261 in 528 GP
52. Shattenkirk - 261 in 591 GP
53. Krug - 260 in 509 GP
54. Bailey - 259 in 638 GP
55. Barrie - 258 in 539 GP
56. Nugent-Hopkins - 258 in 587 GP
57. Ovechkin - 257 in 662 GP
58. Scheifele - 254 in 503 GP
59. Spezza - 255 in 582 GP
60. Stastny - 253 in 582 GP
61. Panarin - 249 in 374 GP
62. Landeskov - 249 in 615 GP
63. Oshie - 248 in 606 GP
64. Barkov - 248 in 463 GP
65. D. Sedin - 246 in 519 GP
66. Perron - 244 in 599 GP
67. Couturier - 242 in 632 GP
68. Schenn - 242 in 633 GP
69. Draisatl - 241 in 405 GP
70. Zuccarello - 240 in 519 GP
71. Leddy - 237 in 658 GP
72. Okposo - 235 in 596 GP
73. Vanek - 234 in 560 GP
74. Bozak - 232 in 601 GP
75. Steen - 229 in 548 GP

So sitting first in goals, first in ES goals, second in points, 4th in ES points, and 4th in PPG...doesn’t make up for that? Also why choose 2011? Why not 2010 and make it a 10 year span where he sits 27th?

it’s almost like you intentionally left out a season where he finished with 50 assists.

 

[TheAngryHank]

While I don't believe Ovechkin's a one-trick pony who's lazy at all, I think you're operating on a really poor premise there. You're taking the precise season Ovechkin entered the league until now -- with almost no top players other than Malkin, Crosby and Kane playing that entire period, and even fewer having their peak or prime years wholly within that period. It's not a very compelling argument.

How about total assists from 2011 onwards?

1. Giroux - 448 in 666 GP
2. Backstrom - 437 in 618 GP
3. Crosby - 433 in 556 GP
4. Kane - 423 in 640 GP
5. Wheeler - 414 in 671 GP
6. Karlsson - 414 in 599 GP
7. Getzlaf - 398 in 607 GP
8. Thornton - 392 in 626 GP
9. Malkin - 390 in 540 GP
10. Kopitar - 386 in 665 GP
11. Voracek - 378 in 659 GP
12. Kessel - 369 in 678 GP
13. Yandle - 356 in 677 GP
14. Burns - 348 in 645 GP
15. Tavares - 347 in 638 GP
16. Seguin - 341 in 652 GP
17. Carlson - 329 in 638 GP
18. Suter - 328 in 664 GP
19. Benn - 328 in 648 GP
20. O'Reilly - 324 in 633 GP
21. Marchand - 322 in 639 GP
22. H Sedin - 321 in 520 GP
23. Hedman - 321 in 595 GP
24. Hall - 320 in 548 GP
25. Krejci - 318 in 598 GP
26. Kucherov - 314 in 500 GP
27. Keith - 309 in 636 GP
28. Toews - 306 in 625 GP
29. Letang - 304 in 493 GP
30. Pietrangelo - 302 in 647 GP
31. Staal - 301 in 668 GP
32. Zetterberg - 298 in 496 GP
33. Bergeron - 297 in 618 GP
34. Johansen - 295 in 645 GP
35. McDavid - 294 in 341 GP
36. Josi - 294 in 616 GP
37. Stamkos - 293 in 554 GP
38. MacKinnon - 291 in 508 GP
39. Subban - 290 in 618 GP
40. Doughty - 286 in 665 GP
41. Stepan - 284 in 643 GP
42. Huberdeau - 283 in 520 GP
43. Gaudreau - 282 in 449 GP
44. Koivu - 278 in 580 GP
45. Pavelski - 277 in 668 GP
46. Duchesne - 268 in 616 GP
47. Giordano - 265 in 610 GP
48. Kuznetsov - 263 in 467 GP
49. Eberle - 263 in 639 GP
50. Couture - 261 in 604 GP
51. Byfuglien - 261 in 528 GP
52. Shattenkirk - 261 in 591 GP
53. Krug - 260 in 509 GP
54. Bailey - 259 in 638 GP
55. Barrie - 258 in 539 GP
56. Nugent-Hopkins - 258 in 587 GP
57. Ovechkin - 257 in 662 GP
58. Scheifele - 254 in 503 GP
59. Spezza - 255 in 582 GP
60. Stastny - 253 in 582 GP
61. Panarin - 249 in 374 GP
62. Landeskov - 249 in 615 GP
63. Oshie - 248 in 606 GP
64. Barkov - 248 in 463 GP
65. D. Sedin - 246 in 519 GP
66. Perron - 244 in 599 GP
67. Couturier - 242 in 632 GP
68. Schenn - 242 in 633 GP
69. Draisatl - 241 in 405 GP
70. Zuccarello - 240 in 519 GP
71. Leddy - 237 in 658 GP
72. Okposo - 235 in 596 GP
73. Vanek - 234 in 560 GP
74. Bozak - 232 in 601 GP
75. Steen - 229 in 548 GP

So Giroux has played 666 games and somehow Gritty was created ,coincidence?

 

[zappa4ever]

I was simply responding to the attempted dig at the poster who said '30 apples a year was pathetic' when in fact OV is Top-10 in Assists since 2005-06.
570 Assists is impressive for a Winger

The argument that Wingers should be amassing assists over goals is one of the weirder ones. I think Ovechkin is 55/45 ratio for G/A over his career where some ppl seem to think he's at 698G and 100A or something

Centers distribute the puck and Wingers score is something that most everyone agrees on. Look at the All-Time assists/points lists and see Centers occupying 80%+ of the spots

While I don't believe Ovechkin's a one-trick pony who's lazy at all, I think you're operating on a really poor premise there. You're taking the precise season Ovechkin entered the league until now -- with almost no top players other than Malkin, Crosby and Kane playing that entire period, and even fewer having their peak or prime years wholly within that period. It's not a very compelling argument.

How about total assists from 2011 onwards?
....

 

[GreatGonzo]

I was simply responding to the attempted dig at the poster who said '30 apples a year was pathetic' when in fact OV is Top-10 in Assists since 2005-06.
570 Assists is impressive for a Winger

The argument that Wingers should be amassing assists over goals is one of the weirder ones. I think Ovechkin is 55/45 ratio for G/A over his career where some ppl seem to think he's at 698G and 100A or something

Centers distribute the puck and Wingers score is something that most everyone agrees on. Look at the All-Time assists/points lists and see Centers occupying 80%+ of the spots

It has already created this idea of reliance between centers and wingers, except the idea is that Wingers depend entirely on centers, and that Ovechkin depends entirely on his centers to score. Except what is being completely ignored is the reliance centers have on their wingers to score.

Centers don’t have any assists without their wingers scoring, most of the time it’s the wingers job to get open, pull the trigger, and put the puck in the net. Much like wingers still depend on centers to possess the puck and find them to make good passes, preferably in spots suitable to score.

Each position contains different responsibilities, and many love to use things like defense and lack of assists against Ovechkin. He is a scorer, he is looked at to score, he leads the caps in scoring goals, and PPG over the past 5 years. He has 31 more points than Backstrom in just 13 more games. He is also their top playoff producer and scorer while being second in PPG to Backstrom I. The same time frame.

Ovechkins offense is extremely valuable to the Caps, always has been. To continue acting like he’s a product of his centers, or that his lack of defense and assists totals somehow make him a liability and are detrimental to the Caps winning, is just ridiculous.

 

[hockeeyyy]

I can't believe there are people arguing that Ovechkin is not a top-ten player of all time. The man literally reinvented the way we could score goals. He was better than the Rocket, arguably more valuable to the league than Lidstrom, and Messier was one of the most overrated centres of all time (you are welcome, Vancouver fans).

I think Ovechkin sits nicely in the top ten. His detractors are going to miss him when he's done.

 

[DFC]

If Ovy is AT LEAST in the conversation for best goal-scorer of all time--I believe we're at the point where it's time to admit he IS the best, based on longevity--then it's pretty hard to keep him outside the top ten. The only players of the past couple of generations who were clearly better were Mario, Gretzky, and maybe/probably Sid. I guess it gets weird when you add goalies, because comparing Ovy to Hasek is apples to oranges. To me, it's pretty safe to say he's a top 10 forward, quite safe to call him a top 10 skater, and very likely a top 10 player.

He's doing something very, very amazing. Most of us here, up until the last couple of years, had a CONCRETE belief that Gretzky's records would never be touched. And now Ovy is closing in on one, and might even be a favorite to break it. Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, for the most part, with all the mythology around Gretzky, that is utterly ****ing insane.

Anybody who says they thought that record was reachable is lying. But here we are, in the modern era, with a guy who just won't stop scoring goals.

 

[alphabetical]

So sitting first in goals, first in ES goals, second in points, 4th in ES points, and 4th in PPG...doesn’t make up for that? Also why choose 2011? Why not 2010 and make it a 10 year span where he sits 27th?

it’s almost like you intentionally left out a season where he finished with 50 assists.

The greatest measure of a player's all time value is the number of assists in the last 17 days. Screw 10 years or career numbers. That's crazy fanboy talk. ovechkin is tied for 215 in passing. End of discussion.

 

[GreatGonzo]

The greatest measure of a player's all time value is the number of assists in the last 17 days. Screw 10 years or career numbers. That's crazy fanboy talk. ovechkin is tied for 215 in passing. End of discussion.

That’s why guys like Francis and Oates are clearly superior to Ovechkin. Assists tell all, goals? Pssshhh any one can score 700 goals.

 

[nabob]

What a terrible thread. Of course he is. He’s a top 3 goal scorer or all time. Possibly the best of all time.

 

[Zuluss]

How about total assists from 2011 onwards?

Ovechkin is 11th in assists among wingers, even if we intentionally leave out all his high-assists seasons
Player Season Finder | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[Mike8]

The man literally reinvented the way we could score goals.

How?

 

[Mike8]

Ovechkin is 11th in assists among wingers, even if we intentionally leave out all his high-assists seasons
Player Season Finder | Hockey-Reference.com

This was obviously not the point of my post, and it's pretty evident that I wouldn't be oblivious to his total points. It's a little frustrating to have good faith discussions with responses like this, by the way. I'm not at all combative nor an Ovechkin detractor -- I was responding to someone who selected years to demonstrate Ovechkin's prowess when it comes to amassing assists; my response was to highlight the difficulty in using 2005 as the 'starting point'.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

OV will never top Crosby even if he beats Gretzky's record.

Ovi>Crosby

 

[wetcoast]

So sitting first in goals, first in ES goals, second in points, 4th in ES points, and 4th in PPG...doesn’t make up for that? Also why choose 2011? Why not 2010 and make it a 10 year span where he sits 27th?

it’s almost like you intentionally left out a season where he finished with 50 assists.

The bottom line is that no one is denying what an elite goal scorer Ovechkin is, as I have him as the best goal scorer of all time.

but all this noise about him being a playmaker simply hasn't been true at all since 10-11 and at age 25.

Since then his best assist totals were good for 68th (along with 3 others), 71st (along with 6 others) and 51st (along with 11 other players) and he has had less than 30 assists in 5 seasons (will be 6 this year) and 3 seasons of 36,38,38.

That's not even really very average when you stop and think about how much TOI and PP time he gets.

From 06-11 he was a dual threat and was 6th in assists over that period of time but since then this talk about being anything more than average (and he has really been in the 3rd tier of top line players 30X3) as shown above.

 

[Fantomas]

Mike8 is doing the best sealioning act I've seen in a good long while.

 

[GreatGonzo]

The bottom line is that no one is denying what an elite goal scorer Ovechkin is, as I have him as the best goal scorer of all time.

but all this noise about him being a playmaker simply hasn't been true at all since 10-11 and at age 25.

Since then his best assist totals were good for 68th (along with 3 others), 71st (along with 6 others) and 51st (along with 11 other players) and he has had less than 30 assists in 5 seasons (will be 6 this year) and 3 seasons of 36,38,38.

That's not even really very average when you stop and think about how much TOI and PP time he gets.

From 06-11 he was a dual threat and was 6th in assists over that period of time but since then this talk about being anything more than average (and he has really been in the 3rd tier of top line players 30X3) as shown above.

No one is calling him a playmaker, only that his playmaking abilities aren’t as inferior as many like to suggest or use against him. It’s about context, it’s about holding it against him, a GOAL SCORER, and arguably the best pure one at that, for not putting up more assists.

It then became an argument used against Ovechkin that suggested that because he has more goals than assists, that the doesn’t make his line mates better or contribute to his team winning. That assists suddenly hold more value than goals, that him being the most dominant goal scorer of his era and arguably of all time gets to be lessened because his assists totals don’t meet the standards that suddenly are being enforced.

I am not one to suggest that he is an elite playmaker, only that he is good....but that’s not his game. His game is to score goals, his game is to shoot, that’s how he plays hockey, and honestly it really hasn’t proven him wrong yet.

You also have to look at the Caps roster. How many scorers has he had on his line? Very little. Guys like Semin and Green were scoring a lot during those days, even Knuble had 29 goals one year. Now look at his teams goal scoring from 2011 and on, Oshie was the first Capital in 7 years to score at least 30 goals in 2017. Backstrom not being a goal scorer, didn’t score 20 goals after 2010 until 2016.

I’m not trying to make excuses, only showing that the Caps scoring outside of Ovechkin isn’t exactly top notch. They have had some good goal scoring years from guys like Oshie, Wilson, even Brouwer had some good seasons, but he has always lapped his teammates in terms of scoring.

No one is or should say Ovechkin is an “elite” playmaker, but he isn’t bad. His assists numbers are down, yes....but he still makes up for it with his goal scoring dominance, which alone puts him in some very very unique company, which has lead him to some amazing accomplishments.

 

[edog37]

Top 20 sure. Not Top 10. Top 10 guys changed the way the game is played or were unique in their approach. Ovechkin is pretty predictable for the most part.

 

[wetcoast]

No one is calling him a playmaker, only that his playmaking abilities aren’t as inferior as many like to suggest or use against him. It’s about context, it’s about holding it against him, a GOAL SCORER, and arguably the best pure one at that, for not putting up more assists.

Yes and the context of this thread is TOP 10 PLAYER OF ALL TIME And the results I listed above after Ovechkin's first 6 years puts him really low among other top 50 forwards and separates other payers from him for now.

It then became an argument used against Ovechkin that suggested that because he has more goals than assists, that the doesn’t make his line mates better or contribute to his team winning. That assists suddenly hold more value than goals, that him being the most dominant goal scorer of his era and arguably of all time gets to be lessened because his assists totals don’t meet the standards that suddenly are being enforced.

The irony here is awesome.

Also his goalscoring exploits don't get lessened because his assists totals aren't high.

But there is zero chance getting around the fact that he has become more of a goalscorer than an overall and more balanced force up to age 25

I am not one to suggest that he is an elite playmaker, only that he is good....but that’s not his game. His game is to score goals, his game is to shoot, that’s how he plays hockey, and honestly it really hasn’t proven him wrong yet.

Once again this is about top 10 all time not some shorter period of time.

There are simply very many players who also displayed elite goalscoring and a more complete game.

You also have to look at the Caps roster. How many scorers has he had on his line? Very little. Guys like Semin and Green were scoring a lot during those days, even Knuble had 29 goals one year. Now look at his teams goal scoring from 2011 and on, Oshie was the first Capital in 7 years to score at least 30 goals in 2017. Backstrom not being a goal scorer, didn’t score 20 goals after 2010 until 2016.

Ovi has had some people good personal around him for the majority of his career.

Part of the reason that other caps don't score as many goals is the ice time and focus on the capitals getting an Ovi shot that there are lesser opportunities for his linemates than for alot of other top players over time.

I’m not trying to make excuses, only showing that the Caps scoring outside of Ovechkin isn’t exactly top notch. They have had some good goal scoring years from guys like Oshie, Wilson, even Brouwer had some good seasons, but he has always lapped his teammates in terms of scoring.

This is really weak as I pointed out above, team mates aren't dragging his assists totals down, anyone watching him in the last 10 years can see the shifting in his game since 10-11.

No one is or should say Ovechkin is an “elite” playmaker, but he isn’t bad. His assists numbers are down, yes....but he still makes up for it with his goal scoring dominance, which alone puts him in some very very unique company, which has lead him to some amazing accomplishments.

No he isn't bad overall for his career but the trend in the last 8 years doesn't hold up very well against other guys viewing for the top 10 of all time.

His goalscoring exploits can partly be attributed to this small shift in his game and his slight decline from his prime as an overall threat.

 

[K Fleur]

Interested to hear who would be in your top five.

There are probably better ways to find a laugh.

 

[edog37]

Ovi>Crosby

One of the most absurd things I’ve seen on this board

 

[Radiohead]

Ovechkin is pretty predictable for the most part.

50 goals per year is predictable, I agree.

 

[Bigrigwilly43]

Top 20 sure. Not Top 10. Top 10 guys changed the way the game is played or were unique in their approach. Ovechkin is pretty predictable for the most part.

Wow. Predictably what? The only thing you can predict is that he will lead the league in goals and his team to the playoffs seemingly year in and year out.

 

[Zuluss]

This was obviously not the point of my post, and it's pretty evident that I wouldn't be oblivious to his total points. It's a little frustrating to have good faith discussions with responses like this, by the way. I'm not at all combative nor an Ovechkin detractor -- I was responding to someone who selected years to demonstrate Ovechkin's prowess when it comes to amassing assists; my response was to highlight the difficulty in using 2005 as the 'starting point'.

Young Ovechkin was indeed an excellent playmaker. Not Jagr-excellent, but still a very competent quarterback on PP and actually a double threat when he was flying down the left side of the ice. He made a lot of great passes, which were hard at times, and sometimes unexpected to his linemates, but back 10 years ago people watching OV would roll their eyes at his linemates "how could you NOT score from that pass?" pretty much every other game.

In terms of career as a whole, Ovechkin's playmaking also looks good. He will most probably compile his way past 700 career assists, which will put him in top50 all-time and firmly top10 among wingers. Yes, one can complain about the length of his playmaking prime and the height of his playmaking peak, but consistency and longevity matter, and if you pitch his playmaking career against someone like Hossa or Kovalev, I am not sure who will comes out on top.

The last several seasons, starting from 12/13, Ovechkin is indeed focusing on goal-scoring. He can no longer do it all, but he keeps his core competency. There is no doubt I think that what he is doing is right and good for the team. Consider his 15/16 and 16/17 seasons, when his points were about the same, but in 15/16 he scored 50 goals and got a lot of attention in Hart voting and a spot on the 1st All-star team, and in 16/17 his points were evenly split between goals and assists, and he got no Hart votes and only made the 3rd All-star team.

So bringing up Ovechkin's assists post-2012 is like complaining about Joe Thornton's goals. Yes, it is true that Jumbo Joe never scored 30 goals after turning 23 and could not even hit 20 goals almost for the last decade of his career. But this is not what defines his career - he will be remembered for his stellar playmaking that continued well into his 30s, his goals are not that important.

 

[edog37]

Wow. Predictably what? The only thing you can predict is that he will lead the league in goals and his team to the playoffs seemingly year in and year out.

He’s utterly predictable where his goals come from on the ice. His game isn’t all that imaginative. He’ll either hit from one of the fave off circles or do the skate across the top of the blue line as he enters the zone.