The better career: Crosby or Ovechkin?

[KaseMeOutside]

Sid has more individual achievements, but Ovechkin having the goal scoring record will be more prestigious than any cup or gold medal, because it's going to be several decades before anyone gets close, and no current player is really on a trajectory to come close

I remember last year some people were trying to argue Matthew's could catch him, it is basically mathematically impossible unless he plays to like 45, he's just missed too many games in his career and this year he's going to be low to mid 30s. Nobody is challenging this record any time soon

 

[daver]

I believe the vast majority view Crosby as the best player. The premise of the poll is who has had the better career, and you could argue Ovi’s case due to legacy(greatest goal scorer), better raw seasons(because of Crosby’s injuries),

It's not reasonable to think that the number of games played isn't considered when awarding the Hart/Lindsay. Noone disputes Jagr's level of play in 99/00 or Mario's level of play in 92/93 despite the small gaps in points over their competition. Both players get the benefit of the doubt in seasons where they missed 10/12 games. OV doesn't win the Lindsay in 09/10 based on his raw numbers nor does Crosby win the Lindsay in 2013 and barely lose the Hart.

Both had two seasons where they won both the Hart and Lindsay and were indisptuably the best/most most valuable player. Ovechkin has a season where he won the Hart and another where he won the Lindsay, Crosby has another season where he won the Lindsay.

Give Ovechkin the edge, 4 to 3, in peak seasons.

Crosby has two more seasons where he was nominated for both the Hart and the Lindsay. Ovechkin has one more season. Crosby has three more seasons where he was nominated for either the Hart or Lindsay, Ovechkin has one more season where he was nominated for the Lindsay.

Give Crosby the edge, 5 to 2, in close to peak seasons.

I would rate their best seasons as:

Tier One:
Ovechkin 07/08

Tier Two:
Crosby 06/07
Crosby 12/13
Crosby 13/14
Ovechkin 08/09
Ovechkin 09/10

Tier Three:
Crosby 09/10
Crosby 15/16
Crosby 16/17
Ovechkin 12/13
Ovechkin 05/06
Ovechkin 14/15

Tier Four
Crosby 18/19
Crosby 20/21


Crosby has five notable other seasons with with a Top 3 in scoring and/or a Top 10 in Hart voting plus his rookie season and his 10/11 season. Ovechkin has three other notable other seasons with a Rocket win and a Top 10 in Hart voting.

Give Crosby the edge, 5 to 3, in prime seasons.

Crosby has two Conn Smythes, a playoff scoring title, a playoff goalscoring title, and a playoff PPG title (min. two rounds). Ovechkin has one Conn Smythe, and a playoff PPG title (min. two rounds).

Give Crosby the edge, 5 to 2, in peak/close to peak playoff runs.

 

[Midnight Judges]

More for my curiosity than to try to argue based off of it but is there somewhere we can see their career primary/secondary assist numbers? I’ve looked (not very hard) but haven’t been able to find it

NHL.com puts it under the “per game” drop down for some reason.

 

[paracord]

Sid has more individual achievements, but Ovechkin having the goal scoring record will be more prestigious than any cup or gold medal, because it's going to be several decades before anyone gets close, and no current player is really on a trajectory to come close

I remember last year some people were trying to argue Matthew's could catch him, it is basically mathematically impossible unless he plays to like 45, he's just missed too many games in his career and this year he's going to be low to mid 30s. Nobody is challenging this record any time soon

Matthews is on the trajectory. He has a higher GPG average and I think more goals than Ovi had at this point.

Do I think he'll continue that pace and break the record? No. But he's on pace right now.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

More for my curiosity than to try to argue based off of it but is there somewhere we can see their career primary/secondary assist numbers? I’ve looked (not very hard) but haven’t been able to find it

Ovechkin is ahead by 271 goals. Crosby is ahead by 209 primary assists and 128 secondary assists.

 

[wetcoast]

Right. I'd foresee the goals record potentially getting beaten before someone goes PPG for 20 straight seasons. Just playing 20 seasons is very rare, let alone scoring at a PPG rate.

Right now Matthews is on pace for the goals record but he's already sunk for Crosby's 20 straight record because he was under PPG in his first season.

McDavid after this year will only be HALF WAY to Crosby.

Both records are going to be extremely hard to beat, not sure that one would be harder than the other as both take not only a lot of skill but scoring environments come into play as well.

 

[wetcoast]

Matthews is on the trajectory. He has a higher GPG average and I think more goals than Ovi had at this point.

Do I think he'll continue that pace and break the record? No. But he's on pace right now.

Matthews isn't going to catch Ovechkin and it's not only the injuries.

If AM is going to get serious about the race he needs to insist on being the focal point for the PP and get more PP TOI and also insist on being the go to guy in all EN situations.

Also the stupid defensive things AM does really hurts his chances at glory right?

 

[authentic]

Crosby hasn’t even broken the PPG record. He needs one more to break it because Gretzky had 20 consecutive PPG seasons

Actually scratch that, my bad. Gretzky had 19 seasons

Plus Gretzky has the 48 game season with exactly a point per game, while Crosby has been above every season. Funny to think I remember predicting early on that Crosby would do this, I just always had a hard time picturing him below a point per game even in his late 30s.

 

[SA16]

If Ovi isn't scoring goals, his ability to affect the game is much less than Crosby's. If Crosby isn't scoring goals, he might have 4 assists and a 60% faceoff rate. This is why he has 65 more points in 138 less games.

It's not rocket science.

But, he probably won't considering he has 8 career 4 assist games in 1,344 games.

 

[RooBicks]

To be honest, the degree of difficulty in winning a Rocket is arguably higher than a 5+ Hart finish. Every forward is competing for the Rocket, and Ovi is consistently the only one who wins. Crosby meanwhile has 10 spots he can occupy for a hart nomination. Meanwhile, after the fourth place, Hart nominations 5-10 are usually decided by a few votes, the difference between being 10th or not in Hart nominations might literally be one fifth place vote. Hart is very top heavy with voting.

Fine. They're also rewards that validate potentially different skillsets. Look at the history of goal leaders vs. hart trophy nominees so you can actually compare the results. Here's ChatGPT's evaluation of the relative strengths of either set of lists based on how many players on them are likely to make the HOF:

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TOP 5 GOAL SCORERS, 2005-2024

2005-06 Season:

1. Jonathan Cheechoo (San Jose Sharks) – 56 goalsWikipedia
2. Jaromir Jagr (New York Rangers) – 54 goals
3. Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers) – 52 goals
4. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 52 goals
5. Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators) – 50 goals

2006-07 Season:

1. Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 52 goals
2. Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators) – 50 goals
3. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 46 goals
4. Marian Hossa (Atlanta Thrashers) – 43 goals
5. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 36 goals

2007-08 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 65 goals
2. Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers) – 52 goals
3. Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) – 50 goals
4. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 47 goals
5. Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) – 38 goals

2008-09 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 56 goals
2. Jeff Carter (Philadelphia Flyers) – 46 goals
3. Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils) – 45 goals
4. Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) – 40 goals
5. Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) – 40 goals

2009-10 Season:

1. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 51 goals
2. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 51 goals
3. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 50 goals
4. Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks) – 44 goals
5. Marian Gaborik (New York Rangers) – 42 goals

2010-11 Season:

1. Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) – 50 goals
2. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 45 goals
3. Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) – 43 goals
4. Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) – 41 goals
5. Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks) – 37 goals

2011-12 Season:

1. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 60 goals
2. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 50 goals
3. Marian Gaborik (New York Rangers) – 41 goals
4. James Neal (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 40 goals
5. Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils) – 37 goals

2012-13 Season (Lockout-Shortened):

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 32 goals
2. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 29 goals
3. John Tavares (New York Islanders) – 28 goals
4. Jeff Carter (Los Angeles Kings) – 26 goals
5. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) – 23 goals

2013-14 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 51 goals
2. Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) – 43 goals
3. Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks) – 41 goals
4. Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 35 goals
5. Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars) – 37 goals

2014-15 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 53 goals
2. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 43 goals
3. Rick Nash (New York Rangers) – 42 goals
4. Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks) – 37 goals
5. Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars) – 37 goals

2015-16 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 50 goals
2. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) – 46 goals
3. Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars) – 41 goals
4. Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues) – 40 goals
5. Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks) – 38 goals

2016-17 Season:

1. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 44 goals
2. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 40 goals
3. Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 40 goals
4. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) – 39 goals
5. Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues) – 39 goals

2017-18 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 49 goals
2. Patrik Laine (Winnipeg Jets) – 44 goals
3. William Karlsson (Vegas Golden Knights) – 43 goals
4. Eric Staal (Minnesota Wild) – 42 goals
5. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 42 goals

2018-19 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 51 goals
2. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – 50 goals
3. John Tavares (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 47 goals
4. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 45 goals
5. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) – 44 goals

2019-20 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 48 goals
2. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) – 48 goals
3. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 47 goals
4. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – 43 goals
5. Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers) – 41 goals

2020-21 Season (Shortened Season):

1. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 41 goals
2. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – 33 goals
3. Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche) – 30 goals
4. Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks) – 32 goals
5. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – 31 goals

2021-22 Season:

1. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 60 goals
2. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – 55 goals
3. Chris Kreider (New York Rangers) – 52 goals
4. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – 50 goals
5. Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets) – 47 goals

2022-23 Season:

1. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – 64 goals
2. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) – 61 goals
3. Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche) – 55 goals
4. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – 52 goals
5. Jason Robertson (Dallas Stars) – 46 goals

2023-24 Season:

1. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 69 goals
2. Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers) – 57 goals
3. Zach Hyman (Edmonton Oilers) – 54 goals
4. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) – 51 goals
5. Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) – 49 goals

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TOP 5 HART FINISHERS, 2005-2024:

2005-06 Season:

1. Joe Thornton (Boston Bruins/San Jose Sharks) – Winner
2. Jaromir Jagr (New York Rangers)
3. Miikka Kiprusoff (Calgary Flames)
4. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
5. Nicklas Lidström (Detroit Red Wings)

2006-07 Season:

1. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Winner
2. Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks)
3. Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)
4. Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning)
5. Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators)

2007-08 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – Winner
2. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3. Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames)
4. Nicklas Lidström (Detroit Red Wings)
5. Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit Red Wings)

2008-09 Season:

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – Winner
2. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3. Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
4. Zdeno Chára (Boston Bruins)
5. Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils)

2009-10 Season:

1. Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) – Winner
2. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
3. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
4. Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals)
5. Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)

2010-11 Season:

1. Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) – Winner
2. Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
3. Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)
4. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
5. Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)

2011-12 Season:

1. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Winner
2. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
3. Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
4. Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
5. Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)

2012-13 Season (Lockout-Shortened):

1. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) – Winner
2. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3. John Tavares (New York Islanders)
4. Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)
5. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

2013-14 Season:

1. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Winner
2. Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks)
3. Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
4. Semyon Varlamov (Colorado Avalanche)
5. Zdeno Chára (Boston Bruins)

2014-15 Season:

1. Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) – Winner
2. Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
3. John Tavares (New York Islanders)
4. Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota Wild)
5. Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators)

2015-16 Season:

1. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) – Winner
2. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3. Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars)
4. Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals)
5. Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks)

2016-17 Season:

1. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – Winner
2. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3. Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets)
4. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
5. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

2017-18 Season:

1. Taylor Hall (New Jersey Devils) – Winner
2. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
3. Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
4. Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
5. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

2018-19 Season:

1. Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) – Winner
2. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
3. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
4. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
5. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)

2019-20 Season:

1. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – Winner
2. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
3. Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
4. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)
5. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

2020-21 Season:

1. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – Winner
2. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
3. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
4. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
5. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)

2021-22 Season:

1. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Winner
2. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
3. Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers)
4. Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
5. Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)thephwa.com

2022-23 Season:

1. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – Winner
2. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)
3. Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers)
4. Jason Robertson (Dallas Stars)
5. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)

2023-24 Season:

1. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) – Winner
2. Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
3. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
4. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
5. Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)​

 

[TheLegend27]

It's not reasonable to think that the number of games played isn't considered when awarding the Hart/Lindsay. Noone disputes Jagr's level of play in 99/00 or Mario's level of play in 92/93 despite the small gaps in points over their competition. Both players get the benefit of the doubt in seasons where they missed 10/12 games. OV doesn't win the Lindsay in 09/10 based on his raw numbers nor does Crosby win the Lindsay in 2013 and barely lose the Hart.

Both had two seasons where they won both the Hart and Lindsay and were indisptuably the best/most most valuable player. Ovechkin has a season where he won the Hart and another where he won the Lindsay, Crosby has another season where he won the Lindsay.

Give Ovechkin the edge, 4 to 3, in peak seasons.

Crosby has two more seasons where he was nominated for both the Hart and the Lindsay. Ovechkin has one more season. Crosby has three more seasons where he was nominated for either the Hart or Lindsay, Ovechkin has one more season where he was nominated for the Lindsay.

Give Crosby the edge, 5 to 2, in close to peak seasons.

I would rate their best seasons as:

Tier One:
Ovechkin 07/08

Tier Two:
Crosby 06/07
Crosby 12/13
Crosby 13/14
Ovechkin 08/09
Ovechkin 09/10

Tier Three:
Crosby 09/10
Crosby 15/16
Crosby 16/17
Ovechkin 12/13
Ovechkin 05/06
Ovechkin 14/15

Tier Four
Crosby 18/19
Crosby 20/21


Crosby has five notable other seasons with with a Top 3 in scoring and/or a Top 10 in Hart voting plus his rookie season and his 10/11 season. Ovechkin has three other notable other seasons with a Rocket win and a Top 10 in Hart voting.

Give Crosby the edge, 5 to 3, in prime seasons.

Crosby has two Conn Smythes, a playoff scoring title, a playoff goalscoring title, and a playoff PPG title (min. two rounds). Ovechkin has one Conn Smythe, and a playoff PPG title (min. two rounds).

Give Crosby the edge, 5 to 2, in peak/close to peak playoff runs.

Wow when you put it that way, Crosby’s 10/11 & 11/12 seasons could’ve also went into tier one. I’m starting to value Crosby’s unreal consistency throughout the 2010s over Ovi’s late 2000s highs and early 2010s lows.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Matthews is on the trajectory. He has a higher GPG average and I think more goals than Ovi had at this point.

Do I think he'll continue that pace and break the record? No. But he's on pace right now.

Goals per game doesn't matter if you're missing big chunks of the season as often as he does

 

[Juicy Pop]

I see them pretty equally, but Ovi will get more glamour in retirement if he breaks the record.

 

[dr robbie]

I see them pretty equally, but Ovi will get more glamour in retirement if he breaks the record.

Curious, do you know off hand who had this record before Gretzky (Howe)? Or before him (Richard)? Or before him (Stewart)?

Records come and go. Ovi will hold it for a while but someone will come along and break it again. I think the overall impact will ultimately be what "gets more glamour" when all is said and done. Not many people are arguing Stewart in the top 10 all time. Or even Morenz anymore who had it before him. It's really only one piece of the puzzle.

 

[Victorias]

Curious, do you know off hand who had this record before Gretzky (Howe)? Or before him (Richard)? Or before him (Stewart)?

Records come and go. Ovi will hold it for a while but someone will come along and break it again. I think the overall impact will ultimately be what "gets more glamour" when all is said and done. Not many people are arguing Stewart in the top 10 all time. Or even Morenz anymore who had it before him. It's really only one piece of the puzzle.

That’s an interesting point. I do think Ovi breaking the record means more than past record breaking because 1) Gretzky held it for the longest (though Howe held it for 20 years too), 2) it was viewed as a record very unlikely to be broken ( admittedly I’m not sure how it was viewed when Howe held it), and 3) it’s one of the most famous records held by the GOAT (by the time Gretzky broke Howe’s record, I imagine most considered 99 or 4 the GOAT).

I personally would take Sid’s career because winning is the objective of the game and Sid has won more. It’s true that he had more help (Malkin !) and Canada has more talent than Russia, but Sid has made his teammates better as well. Moreover, if Sweden and the Czechs can win Olympic Golds, what’s the excuse for Russia? Maybe they were robbed of an opportunity later in Ovi’s career, but an Olympic Gold would have made this closer to a tie for me.

 

[Jack Spider]

It's closer than the poll results tells. I was entering high school when they entered the league. I can agree with both sides of the argument. I voted Crosby for the Team Canada hype. It's too bad they never played together.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

That’s an interesting point. I do think Ovi breaking the record means more than past record breaking because 1) Gretzky held it for the longest (though Howe held it for 20 years too), 2) it was viewed as a record very unlikely to be broken ( admittedly I’m not sure how it was viewed when Howe held it), and 3) it’s one of the most famous records held by the GOAT (by the time Gretzky broke Howe’s record, I imagine most considered 99 or 4 the GOAT).

I personally would take Sid’s career because winning is the objective of the game and Sid has won more. It’s true that he had more help (Malkin !) and Canada has more talent than Russia, but Sid has made his teammates better as well. Moreover, if Sweden and the Czechs can win Olympic Golds, what’s the excuse for Russia? Maybe they were robbed of an opportunity later in Ovi’s career, but an Olympic Gold would have made this closer to a tie for me.

I get that it's easier for people to conpartmentalize that Crosby had Malkin as a teammate and Ovechkin did not have anyone at that level, but Ovechkin has generally played on better teams than Crosby over his career. The Caps have won 3 Presidents Trophies and may make it 4 in a few weeks. The reason the Penguins have had more playoff success is because Crosby is the more impactful player, and honestly always has been. While it was close their first 5 years the gap has only continued to widen since then.

 

[Victorias]

I get that it's easier for people to conpartmentalize that Crosby had Malkin as a teammate and Ovechkin did not have anyone at that level, but Ovechkin has generally played on better teams than Crosby over his career. The Caps have won 3 Presidents Trophies and may make it 4 in a few weeks. The reason the Penguins have had more playoff success is because Crosby is the more impactful player, and honestly always has been. While it was close their first 5 years the gap has only continued to widen since then.

That’s fair and I agree Sid is more impactful/better.

However, the Pens don’t win 3 Cups without Malkin, as he was their leading scorer for 2/3 and one was an all-time great performance.

I think if he was replaced with a typical 2C, the Pens win 1 Cup and at most 2.

 

[Deno]

Ovechkin easily.
When OV breaks Gretzky's goal scoring record that could never be broken he pushed himself way above Crosby. Gretzky scored when the league was allowing a averaging 4+ goals per game. OV has done it in a time when the league average is just slightly above 3 goals per game. OV has done the imposable in the a era of much less goal scoring. OV is by far the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. Crosby has done nothing to compare to OV achievement.

 

[Hunter368]

Lopsided result, Sid wins by a wide margin.