Ovechkin is fast

[West]

Personally I'd rather not see my top scorer (that's what AO will be) go out of his way to make the big hit. Survive a big hit, yes. Go into high traffic areas, yes. Take an oppurtunity to finish a hit, ok.

But your making him sound like Eric Lindros and always looking for the big hit ruined his career IMO.

 

[MojoJojo]

Personally I'd rather not see my top scorer (that's what AO will be) go out of his way to make the big hit. Survive a big hit, yes. Go into high traffic areas, yes. Take an oppurtunity to finish a hit, ok.

But your making him sound like Eric Lindros and always looking for the big hit ruined his career IMO.

The opposite is true. Lindros plays timid now, which makes him ineffective. His injury problems dont stem from playing hard hitting hockey, but from keeping his head down. When he was young and in his prime dishing it out, he was pretty safe.

 

[Mothra]

But your making him sound like Eric Lindros and always looking for the big hit ruined his career IMO.

Not keeping his head up ruined his career

 

[allelsefails]

There is a limited supply of clips to watch so far, and personally I think the jury is still out. Promising, though. Here are a few.

Ovechkin and Pitkanen:
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~gdogum/ovechkin-pitkanen.avi

Ovechkin and Tootoo:
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~gdogum/ovechkin-tootoo.avi

Ovechkin and Gonchar:
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~gdogum/ovechkin-gonchar.avi

Might need to download a DivX codec to view these. http://www.divx.com/divx/

Oh I still love that Tootoo/Ovy collision. You can see the physical reverb of it as Ovechkin shakes, retaining his balance. What a great piece of video.

 

[Drake1588]

All credit for those clips, or I should say the archiving thereof, to CapitalPunishment55 and his site.

I would tend to agree with Vlad that Tuomo Ruutu is the best overtly physical young forward with loads of offensive talent that I've seen of late. Can Ovechkin become a hitter like that, a physical player like that? Perhaps... but I suspect Ovechkin's calling card will be his ability to stand up to physical play when making plays rather than a penchant for seeking it out. If someone runs him, he will probably be able to get the better of the exchange more often than not and he should be a terror on the forecheck. His physical attributes should make him fairly fearless. I don't think he'll initiate to quite the extent you see from Ruutu and I don't think he will physically intimidate other players, but he should have the size and the snarl to stand up to most anyone. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mothra]

All credit for those clips, or I should say the archiving thereof, to CapitalPunishment55 and his site.

I would tend to agree with Vlad that Tuomo Ruutu is the best overtly physical young forward with loads of offensive talent that I've seen of late. Can Ovechkin become a hitter like that, a physical player like that? Perhaps... but I suspect Ovechkin's calling card will be his ability to stand up to physical play when making plays rather than a penchant for seeking it out. If someone runs him, he will probably be able to get the better of the exchange more often than not and he should be a terror on the forecheck. His physical attributes should make him fairly fearless. I don't think he'll initiate to quite the extent you see from Ruutu and I don't think he will physically intimidate other players, but he should have the size and the snarl to stand up to most anyone. Nothing wrong with that.

I agree about Ruutu....he is simply a battering ram hitting anything and everything....with world class skill to boot......and I dont see Ovechkin playing quite like that.....But after seeing Ovechkin in the WC I have a feeling he will be delivering his fair share of very big hits....and very much will be on the giving side, not just being able to hold up to being hit.......he went out of his way several times to hit people, and hard, in that tourny......

 

[West]

The opposite is true. Lindros plays timid now, which makes him ineffective. His injury problems dont stem from playing hard hitting hockey, but from keeping his head down. When he was young and in his prime dishing it out, he was pretty safe.

Lindros had injury problems above and beyond his concussions (although they have had the most cumlative effect) along with just about every other player who's been know for the big hitter (Clark, Peca, B. Lindros, Kasparitis, ect.).

Personally I'd hope AO play's a game closer to Sakic than Lindros. It'll give him a better longer career.

p.s. I can't imagine anyone calling Sakic a timid player. Although that's a good discription of Lindros now.

p.s.s. Eric got at least one of his concussions by just going head to head for a big hit and his brother Brett got most of his concussions that way to my understanding.

 

[Kaizer]

Ovechkin and Tootoo:
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~gdogum/ovechkin-tootoo.avi

BTW, Ovechkin is only 16 years old kid on this video.

 

[EroCaps]

I agree about Ruutu....he is simply a battering ram hitting anything and everything....with world class skill to boot......and I dont see Ovechkin playing quite like that.....But after seeing Ovechkin in the WC I have a feeling he will be delivering his fair share of very big hits....and very much will be on the giving side, not just being able to hold up to being hit.......he went out of his way several times to hit people, and hard, in that tourny......

I think you and Drake are right on the money.

 

[Mothra]

I think you and Drake are right on the money.

The Drake is a smart guy.....

 

[Chimaera]

Chimaera, I saw on another thread where you'd met Ovechkin (perhaps with the Caps fans who came down to Raleigh for the draft at the after party?). I also saw him in person at a pre-draft youth clinic, and at 6'3 I was looking down at him-he may be closer to 6'0. Also, he is one wiry rascal-incredibly ripped, clearly in excellent condition, but I think that the 215-220 might be a bit high. I'm thinking more 200-ish. What were your impressions?

For what it's worth, Alexandre Pichard had bigger guns

Yeah, I saw him at the after party, and in the stadium. It was kinda weird, I was actually at a urinal next to him and his dad. Or at least, I kinda guessed that after I was done washing my hands and all. You know, guy code and not looking over. Foppa_Rules, I'm not.

Well... Having shook his hand, and met him, he did look pretty solid. Especially when standing next to Malkin, who's just a rail. He looks pretty solid overall, though I have to say it's pretty hard to tell completely in a suit. He definitely looks like he has less to go to fill out then a lot of the other players did. I mean, if you look at a guy like Jeff Schultz, he's all frame, and no meat. Ovechkin looked pretty solid for the most part. I didn't get down and literally grasp his legs or anything, but I will say the were one of the things that struck me a little bit, they're definitely pretty well built.

As for the height, I'm 5'11"-ish (close to 6 foot. ) And he was a good 2 inches taller than me, so, he's easily 6'1". The 6'3" some have reported is definitely a bit on the tall side. But once again, can't say I took a tape measure to him.

 

[Foppa_Rules]

Is there any way we can confirm those times? Any links?

 

[Kaizer]

Is there any way we can confirm those times? Any links?

http://www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?96650

At McKeens, there's a quote next to Ovechkin's #1 ranking from a scout detailing another sequence playing for Dynamo where Yushkevich tried to crush him and bounced off. AO then flattened Oleg Kvasha.

http://alexovechkin.narod.ru/video/rosa_dyn-sev_19.11.04.avi
All thanks to Slay
He didn't flat Kvasha, I think. But He'd used his body well and forced Oleg to lose his puck so easy. IMO.

 

[littleHossa]

According to the link Kovalchuk got 13,93 in 2003-2004, so we can say that Ovechkin is about as fast as Kovalchuk.

 

[Smokin_Al_Koken]

Yeah, I saw him at the after party, and in the stadium. It was kinda weird, I was actually at a urinal next to him and his dad. Or at least, I kinda guessed that after I was done washing my hands and all. You know, guy code and not looking over. Foppa_Rules, I'm not.

Well... Having shook his hand, and met him, he did look pretty solid. Especially when standing next to Malkin, who's just a rail. He looks pretty solid overall, though I have to say it's pretty hard to tell completely in a suit. He definitely looks like he has less to go to fill out then a lot of the other players did. I mean, if you look at a guy like Jeff Schultz, he's all frame, and no meat. Ovechkin looked pretty solid for the most part. I didn't get down and literally grasp his legs or anything, but I will say the were one of the things that struck me a little bit, they're definitely pretty well built.

As for the height, I'm 5'11"-ish (close to 6 foot. ) And he was a good 2 inches taller than me, so, he's easily 6'1". The 6'3" some have reported is definitely a bit on the tall side. But once again, can't say I took a tape measure to him.

Cool deal, maybe I was standing on a rock or something unbeknownst to me. He and some other draftees (Pichard, Woitowski (sic), Chipchura, Barker) were hanging around after the clinic in their sweats ready to board the "prospect bus" and head back to their hotel I assume. Ovy didn't seem overbearingly huge upper body-wise, which isn't to say that he wasn't big and in great condition because he was. I'm guessing his legs are as thick as tree trunks.

 

[Kaizer]

Yes, the difference is only 0.03 seconds but as I know standard size of rink is 61m (200ft) by 25.5m (85ft) (In Europe rinks are 4m longer and 4m wider than in North America).

 

[littleHossa]

Oh sorry, I finally found who that guy with 13,71 was, Gaborik! So the past results were of the All-Star games, I though that they were of some All-Star or special games in Russia where Kovalchuk might of participated, yes Ovechkin is very fast then.

Rinks as far as I remember are 100ft x 85ft in NA and 100ft x 100ft in Europe.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Ovechkin...is he on the WJ team? Im sure he is but i just want to CONFIRM my question.

 

[PanthersRule96]

If you paid attention to him at the world cup, you would've seen the crazy speed he had. I think he and Lisin are two of the best skaters in the world in terms of prospects. Ovechkin does it all.

 

[littleHossa]

No he got cut because of bad attitude and poor skating.

 

[pucks1]

I said *one* of the league's hardest hitters. Ovechkin can't be that? Why does every major prediction for an unproven prospect=extreme homerism. It's not like I'm writing it with gold ink in the sky over every Province in Canada.

lmao

 

[Masao]

According to the link Kovalchuk got 13,93 in 2003-2004, so we can say that Ovechkin is about as fast as Kovalchuk.

That was on a smaller (NHL-sized) Rink

 

[Foppa_Rules]

No he got cut because of bad attitude and poor skating.

 

[Foppa_Rules]

WOW!!!! I thought Ovechkin was fast, but I didn't know he was THIS fast!!! Are you sure the competition was around a European-size rink? I know the rink itself was a European rink but is anybody SURE they didn't only race around part of it the size of an NHL rink or something? Did anybody see it? I just wan't to be sure, because this is amazing if it's true. This would mean that he's faster than Marian Gaborik.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Oh sorry, I finally found who that guy with 13,71 was, Gaborik! So the past results were of the All-Star games, I though that they were of some All-Star or special games in Russia where Kovalchuk might of participated, yes Ovechkin is very fast then.

Rinks as far as I remember are 100ft x 85ft in NA and 100ft x 100ft in Europe.

I hope for your sake there's a typo in there somewhere!