Along the discussion, I took issue with anyone calling Ovechkin "shoot only" or "one dimensional." After I made those points you chimed in to disagree, so I thought you were defending those opinions.
Because in a project like the top 100 players of all time, we're not talking about John Tavares, or Benn, or Stamkos, or any of the others you listed. None of those people are anywhere near top 100 material. Nor are they play making studs by any measure.
Ovechkin has led the league in shots every year other than 2012 and 2017.
2006 - Ovi has 425 - 2nd place? 368
2007 - 392/351
2008 - 446/358
2009 - 528/372
2010 - 368/347
2011 - 367/347 (Buff)
2012 - 303 (5th place) - I don't know what the hell happened to him this season.
2013 - 220/190
2014 - 386/313
2015 - 395/304
2016 - 398/353 (Burns)
2017 - 313/320 (Burns)
2018 - 355/335
-3855 shots in seasons where he led the category.
-3270 shots taken in that same time period by 2nd place.
-That's over 15% greater than the next closest player.
-10 seasons in which he led shots on net = 585 extra shots.
-That doesn't even take into account shots attempted which would vault him into even higher position over those below him.
There is no metric that will make Ovi anything other than what he is. A really great goal scorer who, in his early career, could do it off the rush or trigger and now, is much more reliant on players like Backstrom to put the puck in his wheelhouse. He's a shoot first, shoot often guy. And as much as I'd like to say his position as a goal scorer is overrated because he shoots far more than other players (see stats above), the fact is, his shot is lethal, and even if it doesn't go in, generates rebounds, strikes fear into opposing goalies and players. I've got no problem giving him all the credit in the world as a goal scorer. He's consistently elite/great at it.
Ovechkin has been in the top 10 in assists 3 times (6th, 6th, 10th).
Crosby has led the league in goal scoring and assists. And the only reason those finishes aren't better are in large part because of dirty tactics and freak plays that cost him a pair of Hart's and Art Ross trophies. That's not even debatable. It's not like he got suspended (Ovi) or was out of shape and suffering soft tissue injuries. It's really the only reason a debate still exists. If Sid had 4 Hart's and 4 Art Ross's and 4 Lindsay's to go along with everything else, it's a landslide.
Crosby is 2nd in assists among active players (1st in per game)
Crosby is 3rd in goals among active players (4th in per game)
-That's with missing the equivalent of 1.5 years during his prime. Think about that.
Ovechkin is 1st in goals among active players (1st in per game)
Ovechkin is 11th in assists (17th in per game)
Ovechkin has 8 more points than Crosby......in 141 more games.
And this is all with Crosby playing an inherently more important position, being responsible to good as a defensive player (something Ovi has rarely been), good to great in the dot, and playing absolutely with weaker line mates than Ovechkin over the past 10+ years. The only time Crosby skated with anyone as good or better than Backstrom, was with Marian Hossa, for all of 2 months, in 2008 and they tore it up together and briefly with an aging Jarome Iginla a few years later. We're talking a handful of games.
Otherwise it's Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, Pat Hornqvist, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Malone, etc. Not exactly juggernaut offensive weapons. Other than the stars i mentioned above, which were very brief, his current W, Jake Guentzel is the highest hockey IQ guy Crosby has skated with on a regular basis.
Goal scorers put a lot of pucks in the net that are gimmies, just as folks gathering assists get some easy ones, whether they're secondary types or on the back of an long rush or amazing shot by the goal scorer. I think it was Mike or 70's that said, to really get a good idea on value, you'd have to study every single goal these guys we're in on and assign value.
But based on metrics we do have, advanced or otherwise, Crosby is one of the most balanced offensive players ever. Ovechkin is not.
