Player Discussion Alexander Ovechkin (Vol. 2)

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RandyHolt

Keep truckin'
Nov 3, 2006
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Ovi needs to move around a bit more, if RD are unable to make a pass to him. In an open passing lane, no less.

Or, we can try Orlov up top, and make Nick have a more difficult pass, and Orlov the easier pass.
 

g00n

Retired Global Mod
Nov 22, 2007
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For sure Ovi is a shooter but there are times that he takes very low percentage shots.
I remember when I was coaching basketball. I had one kid that was a very skilled player but tried to do everything himself and wouldn't pass. He was worried about his points. He shot from everywhere, sometimes with a couple guys all over him. Sure he scored a lot but the rest of the team scoring was down. It took awhile but I convinced him to try to utilize his teammates more. He started passing more and making wiser decisions. His assists went up. His shooting percentage went up and his scoring wasn't effected at all.

This may be true in basketball where you can huck up a few shots ever couple of seconds and scores can be in the triple digits, but in hockey shots are harder to come by. Someone who can just get off a handful of shots on net per game is doing something most others can't.

There are no scrubs at the top of this list:

NHL.com - Stats
 

maacoshark

Registered User
Jul 22, 2017
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This may be true in basketball where you can huck up a few shots ever couple of seconds and scores can be in the triple digits, but in hockey shots are harder to come by. Someone who can just get off a handful of shots on net per game is doing something most others can't.

There are no scrubs at the top of this list:

NHL.com - Stats
It is true for hockey as well. I coached hockey too but had very few problems with players that wouldn't utilize their teammates. I did have one kid that just wouldn't come back in the defensive zone. He would come back to centre and wait for a break out pass. Drove me nuts but at least in the offensive zone he wouldn't take poor percentage shots.
Why post individual stats all the time. Hockey is a team sport, not an individual sport. If you want to win you need to play as a team. You guys make me laugh.
 

g00n

Retired Global Mod
Nov 22, 2007
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It is true for hockey as well. I coached hockey too but had very few problems with players that wouldn't utilize their teammates. I did have one kid that just wouldn't come back in the defensive zone. He would come back to centre and wait for a break out pass. Drove me nuts but at least in the offensive zone he wouldn't take poor percentage shots.

*sigh*

Yes, of course there are puckhogs like there are ballhogs, and cherrypickers. But there are several key differences.

In hockey shots are so much more difficult to come by. You can work for a long time just to get one that isn't crap. It's also rare for someone to be able to just go end to end all the time like some basketball stars can run the floor on opponents all night long. In hockey you automatically need to use your teammates to get the puck to the other end and even have a chance at a shot. In basketball someone just needs to inbound for you.

Is it better to have a team player who can also score? Of course. Obviously. But you don't tell an NHL superstar with a talent for getting shots to suddenly start looking to pass all the time, like you might for a developmental player. That's the point. You feed him the puck and let him dish if he can.

Ovie just got his 500th assist. He passes plenty.
 
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maacoshark

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Jul 22, 2017
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*sigh*

Yes, of course there are puckhogs like there are ballhogs, and cherrypickers. But there are several key differences.

In hockey shots are so much more difficult to come by. You can work for a long time just to get one that isn't crap. It's also rare for someone to be able to just go end to end all the time like some basketball stars can run the floor on opponents all night long. In hockey you automatically need to use your teammates to get the puck to the other end and even have a chance at a shot. In basketball someone just needs to inbound for you.

Is it better to have a team player who can also score? Of course. Obviously. But you don't tell an NHL superstar with a talent for getting shots to suddenly start looking to pass all the time, like you might for a developmental player. That's the point. You feed him the puck and let him dish if he can.

Ovie just got his 500th assist. He passes plenty.
I didnt say Ovi didnt pass. I said he sometimes takes low percentage shots. His game has changed over the years. He doesn't take near as many low percentage shots. I know when he was younger he would go 1 on 4 coming in on the left wing. Once he crossed the line line he would cut to the middle and fire a shot. Resulting in a blocked shot or an easy save and loss of possession.
He hasnt been the best team player through out his career but he has improved immensely since Trotz has been here.
 

g00n

Retired Global Mod
Nov 22, 2007
30,430
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I didnt say Ovi didnt pass. I said he sometimes takes low percentage shots. His game has changed over the years. He doesn't take near as many low percentage shots. I know when he was younger he would go 1 on 4 coming in on the left wing. Once he crossed the line line he would cut to the middle and fire a shot. Resulting in a blocked shot or an easy save and loss of possession.
He hasnt been the best team player through out his career but he has improved immensely since Trotz has been here.

Then why post that Ovi takes low percentage shots and tell a story about a kid that never passed? You can say "I never specifically said X" in these discussions all you want but at some point you have to deal with the fact that it's a semantic evasion. Be more clear about what you actually mean if you mean something other than what you're talking about.
 

Khomutov

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Sep 22, 2015
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Saw this Highlight Video of Ovechkin and his play in the 2009 Playoffs. Just amazing. He was dominant, a bulldozzer with tons of skill. I think this Playoffs, especially the 2. Round, was his peak as a player. Unfortunately with no Happy End.
 

AlexBrovechkin8

At least there was 2018.
Sponsor
Feb 18, 2012
26,743
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District of Champions
Me, to other Caps fans about our luck having Ovechkin play for this franchise knowing that he's on the back-9 of his career....

YdZ7y.gif
 

Hivemind

We're Touched
Oct 8, 2010
37,008
13,424
Philadelphia
GMGM isn't a bad GM, he just wasn't the right GM to finish the job. McPhee excels at "winning" trades to maximize assets, stocking prospect pools, investing in scouting/resources, building mobile defenses, and maximizing 2nd/3rd line types. Vegas was in a pretty darn good position to do most of that. McPhee's the type of GM who can build a franchise up, he's just struggled mightily so far at finding ways to get that franchise over the top. Vegas is in the building up phase right now, and some excellent coaching/motivation by Gallant has accelerated that dramatically*. But that's McPhee's wheelhouse. He couldn't advance past that stage with Washington, which ultimately led to some uncharacteristic moves late in his tenure that blew up in his face. We'll see how he fares with Vegas once they transition from building up to actively contending.

*Ironically enough, that acceleration may hurt Vegas in the end. It's hard to imagine them as significant sellers at the deadline at this point. But if they don't sell off, they have a ton of free agents they're poised to lose over the next two off-seasons. They need to be able to fill a roster, and trying to keep some of these players having career years will end up costing them more than they're worth. Plus stocking their prospect system was largely contingent upon them selling off some of the assets not in their longterm plans.
 

RandyHolt

Keep truckin'
Nov 3, 2006
34,639
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The sad thing is that people, seeing the success of Las Vegas, will start to think that GMGM is some sort of genius and that will make the Caps lack of success even worse. *Sigh*

True, but deep down caps fans know he tried to tank, and failed. Wasn't consensus after the draft that he wanted to tank? It will be funny to see Vegas fans if he is selling free agents while contending.

He was gifted a top 10 or better player from every single team with extra assets leftover to parlay into even better players / more picks. That gifting from the league should get him into the playoffs very easy, not to mention in a league that half make it. He is already going to be mired in mediocrity, his wheelhouse.
 
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Khomutov

Registered User
Sep 22, 2015
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In his newest interview (in Russian) Kuznetsov mentioned the skill he wanted to have from Ovi's arsenal: mental stability. Said Ovi's even keeled in the morning after any game, good or bad. Always in the same mood, fast to forget previous night. Kuzy said it's hard to do and he'd like to have that.

Where can i read this?
 

ALLCAPSALLTHETIME

Great Dane! Love that Eller feller.
Oct 10, 2009
9,234
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British Columbia, Canada
Congrats to Ovie on 600 goals scored! Absolutely amazing player.

It is incredible to see that Ovie has scored more goals than any other Caps LWer in history has points. Plus, he now has over twice as many points as the next LWer in Caps history.

Not many players have so thoroughly dominated their position in any franchise.
 
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