Which of the following scenarios would be best for Ovechkin’s career/legacy?

[Nadal On Clay]

Why not.

Option 1

Ovechkin rejuvenates in 2024-2025. He gets 82 pts and scores his 42th of the season with a one timer on the powerplay against the Penguins, with Crosby sitting in the box, to get the record. He ends up playing 4 more seasons after 2024-2025 and scores respectively 78, 65, 61 and 52 points. He finishes his career with 1030 goals and 1888 points, good for 3rd all time behind Gretzky and Jagr. Crosby finishes with 1887 points, having retired the season before.

The Capitals fail to make the playoffs from 2024-2025 to 2028-2029 (year of Ovechkin’s retirement).

Option 2

Ovechkin and the Caps are struggling badly to start the 2024-2025 season. Ovechkin is playing close to a PPG pace, but the team ends up in last place at the 30-game mark. Footage of Ovechkin breaks out showing him making a speech to the locker room, reminding everyone that the season is not over. When asked by the medias about his speech, the following day, he shocks everyone by guaranteeing a playoff berth for the Caps. Ovechkin follows what he said and finishes the season with 101 pts and the Caps clinch the 8th seed. He finishes the year with 46 goals, and ends up 1 short of the 900 mark. Ovechkin then gets rewarded with the Hart trophy, in a year where the leading scorer (Kucherov) gets 126 pts, but misses the playoffs. McDavid missed a good chunk of the year, being injured. He then becomes the first player ever to win the Hart trophy in 3 different decades and is tied for 3rd place for the most Hart trophies won in history.

The Caps manage to beat the 1st seeded Bruins in 6 games, but Ovechkin struggles heavily, seemingly tired, due to the way he played to take the Caps to the playoffs. The Capitals get swept in the 2nd round. Ovechkin finishes the playoffs with 2 points in 10 games. He retires at the end of the season.

Option 3

Ovechkin plays at a similar level to what he did last season, scoring 65 pts (29 goals) in 82 games during the RS. The Caps young players took a huge step forward and Washington finishes as the top team in the Metro. Charlie Lindgren wins the Vezina. Ovechkin has the best playoff run of his career, scoring 29 pts in 24 games, with 20 goals, breaking the playoff goal scoring record. The Caps make the finals and it goes to 7 games. Ovechkin has an incredible showing in the finals, getting 9 goals and 11 pts in 6 games. In the opening minutes of game 7, Ovechkin suffers a brutal knee collision and completely tears his ACL and MCL and obviously can’t finish the game. The Caps end up losing, but Ovechkin gets the Conn Smythe in a losing effort. Ovechkin is forced to retire at the end of the season and ultimately isn’t able to get the regular season goal scoring record.

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[Golden_Jet]

Option 4 - none of the above

 

[Midnight Judges]

These things aren't going to happen either.

Offseason drive hfboards crazy.

 

[Killer Orcas]

Option 1 because you know OV all about the stats right now he wants that record.

 

[Acallabeth]

Option 1 seems the best for his personal legacy, as Ovechkin achieves his main ambition (NHL goals record) with a ludicrous total number and gets to retire on his own terms in good health.

But the record-breaking goal isn't epic enough.

Crosby should be in the box for diving, and the goal should be a PP one-timer on an empty net at the end of 3-minute shift. Gretzky, Lemieux and Jagr come to the ice to congratulate AO, while Crosby gets out of the box and complains to the officials.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

Option 2 he get the record and get to play some years in the khl

 

[biturbo19]

Contrasted with Crosby...OV situation is a lot more dependent on just brute force scoring accolades. He eventually won that Cup...but most of his career has been, not winning that Cup. And all about just being, probably the best goal scorer in NHL history. So it's whatever enhances that resume the most for him.

 

[bobholly39]

Option 1 is definitely last

I voted option 2. Hesitated with option 3, but I do prefer 2.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Option 2

Imagine Winning the Hart, scoring 100 pts and breaking Gretzky’s goal record all in one season while pushing 40 years old. This would be unprecedented and probably never seen again. He would retire on top despite a poor playoff performance, which was never his cup of tea anyway

 

[Midnight Judges]

Option 2

Imagine Winning the Hart, scoring 100 pts and breaking Gretzky’s goal record all in one season while pushing 40 years old. This would be unprecedented and probably never seen again. He would retire on top despite a poor playoff performance, which was never his cup of tea anyway

That is total nonsense.

 

[TheGuiminator]

That is total nonsense.

He only passed the second round once in his 19-year career. Not to mention that the Capitals were strong favorites for a decade or so.

His runs in 2009 and 2018 were very good to excellent, but are still outliers considering its only 2 runs out of 15.

So yes, it’s safe to say that playoffs aren’t Alex Ovechkin’s cup of tea. For a player of this caliber, his playoff resume has been very mediocre.

 

[Midnight Judges]

He only passed the second round once in his 19-year career.

Your post betrays a lack of understanding for how hockey works.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Your post betrays a lack of understanding for how hockey works.

I certainly lack understanding of how a top regular season team led by Ovechkin can have so many choke jobs and only manage to pass the second round once in 15 playoff runs.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I certainly lack understanding of how a top regular season team led by Ovechkin can have so many choke jobs and only manage to pass the second round once in 15 playoff runs.

I agree. Your posts demonstrate a certain lack of understanding.

For example, Ovechkin has led his team in playoff points and playoff goals more times than your beloved Sidney Crosby.

Whereas every reasonable and knowledgeable hockey fan would conclude that player is not the problem, your posts do not demonstrate a comprehension of what actually happened.

 

[TheGuiminator]

I agree. Your posts demonstrate a certain lack of understanding.

For example, Ovechkin has led his team in playoff points and playoff goals more times than your beloved Sidney Crosby.

Whereas every reasonable and knowledgeable hockey fan would conclude that player is not the problem, your posts do not demonstrate a comprehension of what actually happened.

Of course, you need to bring Crosby into it when he has nothing to do with the conversation. Classic response from you.

But if you wanna go that route, start a poll on who’s the better playoff performer between Ovechkin and Crosby.

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

#3 :it gives him the the playoff record by a good margin (a few players clogged at 16-17 goals while he reigns supreme at 20). 9 goals in the final. He still is #2 all time for total season goals. So he gets to be seen as the best goal scorer all around whether it counts or not. Add a 2nd Conn Smythe on top of that. A lot of players have won 1 Conn Smythe, but 2, that's special.

 

[Bluesguru]

How do you not take the 1,000 goals?

 

[JPT]

These things aren't going to happen either.

Offseason drive hfboards crazy.

The question isn't "which of these will happen?"

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Option 2 gives him another Hart? He would turn have more of them than Crosby and Jagr combined while also being the GOAT goal scorer.

I say it that

 

[ChaosAgent]

(Pens fan here so take opinion however you want)

Ovechkin's greatness is defined in two ways.

His insane peak from his rookie year through 2011 where IMO he was narrowly better than Crosby. Certainly he was more terrifying; he instilled the fear factor in opposition players and fans like McDavid does now.

Since that time he has been a star player but mostly a great accumulator. Even if IMO he has been a few steps down from other players and heavily reliant on a Powerplay that entirely revolves around his slapshot.
Even though I think Crosby has been by far the better hockey player since 2012 or so, when Ovechkin breaks Gretzky's record that will be such a mind-boggling achievement that I'd be conflicted on who has the greater legacy.

That is to say that I don't see some miracle run or Ovechkin putting up a Hart of Smythe performance as being remotely feasible. I'd question what PEDs he was on if he did it. But I could see him putting the goals title so out of reach that he'd put himself ahead of Crosby, McDavid and Howe.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Option 4.

Ovechkin slows down alot over the next couple seasons as father time takes his toll. He averages 6 goals a season over the next 7 years. The caps doggedly try to do anything they can to get him the records spending all their draft capital and young talent while not making the playoffs.

Finally at age 46, Ovechkin gets the record but fans are so bored that his only legacy is his choice of political leaders. Caps franchise goes bankrupt and relocate to Quebec City as "Les Capitales"

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Option 1 because you know OV all about the stats right now he wants that record.

I'm guessing you and a few other voters don't realize that he would also have the record in Option 2.

Maybe OP needed to be more clear about this.

To be clear, all you're voting for is for him to finish with 1 more point than Crosby instead of winning a Hart Trophy and a playoff round

 

[Caps8112]

Of course, you need to bring Crosby into it when he has nothing to do with the conversation. Classic response from you.

But if you wanna go that route, start a poll on who’s the better playoff performer between Ovechkin and Crosby.

agree with MJ on this. your statement that the playoffs is not Ovis cup of tea is laughable at best. Sure he didnt have the success that the pens did but he was never the problem. From his rookie year almost till Holtby came along his TEAM had seven guys named sally playing defense with whatever dumpster fire goaltender they could find. After that They lost to the team that went to the finals like 4 years straight. After his cup run he still performed adequately in the playoffs. Maybe less then a superstar but he was in his mid 30s and again his team went back to offering zero help and dumpster fire goaltending. Crosbys playoffs have been around the same as Ovis since their cup wins. Kuznetsovs well documented issues hurt the last 6-7 years along with Backstrom being unable to play. Holtby fell apart and all of his young replacements were a joke. Where you get drafted and how management builds your TEAM has a lot more to do with how many cups your going to win then anything one player can do. Not hating on Crosby but if he had been drafted by Arizona he may have zero cups. Hockey is the ultimate team game.

 

[TheGuiminator]

agree with MJ on this. your statement that the playoffs is not Ovis cup of tea is laughable at best. Sure he didnt have the success that the pens did but he was never the problem. From his rookie year almost till Holtby came along his TEAM had seven guys named sally playing defense with whatever dumpster fire goaltender they could find. After that They lost to the team that went to the finals like 4 years straight. After his cup run he still performed adequately in the playoffs. Maybe less then a superstar but he was in his mid 30s and again his team went back to offering zero help and dumpster fire goaltending. Crosbys playoffs have been around the same as Ovis since their cup wins. Kuznetsovs well documented issues hurt the last 6-7 years along with Backstrom being unable to play. Holtby fell apart and all of his young replacements were a joke. Where you get drafted and how management builds your TEAM has a lot more to do with how many cups your going to win then anything one player can do. Not hating on Crosby but if he had been drafted by Arizona he may have zero cups. Hockey is the ultimate team game.

Pittsburgh was on the brink of bankruptcy when they drafted Crosby. They also finished last in the standings during Crosby’s rookie year. The team was a train wreck. The following year, they immediately bounced back, making the playoffs with 105 points, with Crosby sweeping the Ross, Hart, and Lindsay trophies. The next year, they reached the Stanley Cup Final and ultimately won the championship the year after.

And yes, you have to be a Crosby hater to deny or minimize the impact he had in elevating his team to the next level. While hockey is a team game, Crosby was the main reason his team became contenders so quickly. The rapid turnaround from 2006 to 2009 is clear evidence of his influence. In that regard, I believe he deserves the benefit of the doubt that he could have elevated any team, regardless of who drafted him in 2005.

 

[Letsdothis]

Pittsburgh was on the brink of bankruptcy when they drafted Crosby. They also finished last in the standings during Crosby’s rookie year. The team was a train wreck. The following year, they immediately bounced back, making the playoffs with 105 points, with Crosby sweeping the Ross, Hart, and Lindsay trophies. The next year, they reached the Stanley Cup Final and ultimately won the championship the year after.

And yes, you have to be a Crosby hater to deny or minimize the impact he had in elevating his team to the next level. While hockey is a team game, Crosby was the main reason his team became contenders so quickly. The rapid turnaround from 2006 to 2009 is clear evidence of his influence. In that regard, I believe he deserves the benefit of the doubt that he could have elevated any team, regardless of who drafted him in 2005.

Malkin was almost as impactful for Pens as Crosby.