LeftBackLegend
Registered User
- Oct 15, 2011
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Agreed with the above. Kovalchuk has trouble with his temper and composure, though.
What prevented Kovalchuk from reaching Ovechkin/Crosby/Malkin level?
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Agreed with the above. Kovalchuk has trouble with his temper and composure, though.
jeangauthier
Registered User
Some guys are just not up to play in the NHL..........great talent............mentally homesick?
Who knows..............
Who knows..............
Rayzorexe
Meh..
He was one of the top players in the NHL when he was still playing in the NHL. The fact that he's no longer in the discussion is the fact he left to go home. If Kovalchuk was still in the league till he was 36 and then goes home, no one would be discussion about him bolting for the KHL.
He came into the league during the dead puck era. 41 goals was a lot pre-lockout, as it was good enough to tie for the goal-scoring lead in 2003-04. He was also second in league scoring that year. The four years in Atlanta post-lockout he was dynamite, but the Thrashers never were. When he was traded to New Jersey his offense, predictably, dried up.
Johnnybegood13
Registered User
- Jul 11, 2003
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Having a good KHL season but who the hell is his teammate Panarin with 10 more points?
2nd in league scoring by 2 points behind Radulov
2nd in league scoring by 2 points behind Radulov
CHGoalie27
Don't blame the goalie!
So versatile&gifted player also much better at hockey than Ovie no doubt. Ovie is just very good at converting his much lesser skillset to goals. Physical side relative even imo but Kovy better at pretty much everything else also meaner.
Spade
Resident Tool
Kovalchuk is IMO the most physically insane athlete the NHL has had in the past 2 decades. And that's impressive considering he played in a league that has had some pretty decent athletes. He just never got tired and he could skate like a rocket to boot. You add that to some great hands and a finisher's mentality and you can see why he was so good.
Dude was Ovechkin before Ovie was, he was hyped and he lived up to the billing. He was the forward version of a workhorse defenseman, one of the few guys that played minutes that top pairing defenders played.
Ovechkin created more space for himself with his physicality which also helped open up space for his teammates due to his presence. If Kovalchuk did that, I think he could have been as productive as Ovie, but he'd also probably slow down a lot faster and his career would be shorter than it is. That just wasn't his game. You hear a lot about Ovechkin's drive to score, and while Kovy also was a goalscorer, he didn't play a style that was "all-sacrificing" to get that goal. That's probably the biggest separation for me.
Dude was Ovechkin before Ovie was, he was hyped and he lived up to the billing. He was the forward version of a workhorse defenseman, one of the few guys that played minutes that top pairing defenders played.
Ovechkin created more space for himself with his physicality which also helped open up space for his teammates due to his presence. If Kovalchuk did that, I think he could have been as productive as Ovie, but he'd also probably slow down a lot faster and his career would be shorter than it is. That just wasn't his game. You hear a lot about Ovechkin's drive to score, and while Kovy also was a goalscorer, he didn't play a style that was "all-sacrificing" to get that goal. That's probably the biggest separation for me.
Kovalchuk is one of the best players in NHL history. He's easily right up there. Anyone who watched him for any amount of time could see it. Blame it on early bad-coaching and bad-teammates, but point-totals aside he's right there with Ovechkin
He was always a selfish player in Atlanta, and proved it again when he left New Jersey.
Russians like him can stay home. Good riddance to that guy.
Russians like him can stay home. Good riddance to that guy.
TheAngryHank
Expert
- May 28, 2008
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Fedorov and Kovy were similar in that respect , beautiful /effortless strides and blazing speed. I loved watching both of them. Very very dynamic.
Devil Dancer
Registered User
- Jan 21, 2006
- 18,601
- 5,808
Kovy was a fantastic NHLer, and may be up there with the big 3. In my mind two things held him back: 1) he played for pretty crappy teams with less offensive support than the big 3 got/get in their primes and maybe more importantly 2) scoring is a young man's game, and his best offensive years came in the pre-lockout, low-scoring era.
Peak Kovy today on a decent offensive team is a 55-60g, 95-100p player.
I think he's behind Ovie and Geno, but not by much.
Peak Kovy today on a decent offensive team is a 55-60g, 95-100p player.
I think he's behind Ovie and Geno, but not by much.
yep. i used to watch them over and over again on youtube when i came home from school everyday. then i got to see it in person, and holy ****
I wonder why ppl always have to discuss some theoretical Ovechkin vs. some theoretical Kovalchuk in vaccum. They are not competing in any stats competition. Hockey is a team game and so on. The whole assumption Kovalchuk is not on par with those players is just a product of partially a russophobic sting(enigmatic Russian, no heart, gone to the KHL for money and other BS. you'll obviously find all of it in this thread in some posts) and partially because ppl never think of factors a single player can't control. Again it's not a stats competition. A player having scored .2 less PPG isn't necessarily a worse player.
And btw what about the HF favorite? Kovalchuk has carried the Devils to the SCF. Something Ovechkin hasn't done yet.
And btw what about the HF favorite? Kovalchuk has carried the Devils to the SCF. Something Ovechkin hasn't done yet.
Trottier
Very Random
I appreciate that, though I never was left wanting with Kovalchuk, at least on one end of the rink.
The other guy (Kovalev) you compared him to, however, disappointed me frequently in his career. Ultimately became less and less of an admirer of his game through the years. Uber-skilled and uber-unreliable.
Remember when people made a big deal about Ovi scoring 30 goals in each of his first 10 seasons? Kovalchuk was 1 goal off of that in his rookie season(only played 65 games that year)
It's not that Kovy underachieved per say, but it's just that Malkin, Crosby, and Ovi are just slightly better. Nothing wrong with that. I mean it's a long winded question and you may as well ask why Stamkos reached those levels.
Plural
Registered User
- Mar 10, 2011
- 33,830
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Why do you feel that?
People have the weirdest opinions around here. Every single coach that has ever been coaching Ovechkin has said that he is a team player. He buys in to every plan the coach has.
As for the OP. Kovalchuk just simply was not just as good as these three. Close, but not quite. But the Kovy in NJ was a monster.
WJC superstar. Scored the GWG when Russian came down 0-3 in the finals to beat Canada 5-3.
Volodya Krutov
Lost Cosmonaut
- Jan 18, 2012
- 8,135
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Volodya Krutov
Lost Cosmonaut
- Jan 18, 2012
- 8,135
- 1,036
People read too much into total points. Kovalchuk only scored 83 points in 11-12 but it was hands down the best season he's ever had. Man was a real difference maker, effective in all situations. Kovalchuk was not only a scoring winger but an elite hockey player that year.
Your old Jofa helmet
Registered User
Standing and waiting for a one-timer... standing and waiting, standing and waiting... also happened to be big, greedy and dumb. Even Nash is a better player
