Fiji Water
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- Jan 16, 2004
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With Ovechkin's recent slump...What do you all think the ceiling is for this kid? Is he still a potential mega-star? Or do you think he will merely be a good first line forward?
So has Ovechkin's potential been downgraded?
- Thread starter Fiji Water
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EroCaps said:
He has the tools, but a massive ego. It will take some serious maturing for him to become the talent he was projected to be at this time last season.
Vlad The Impaler
Registered User
EroCaps said:
'Generally' is what I was meaning to imply. I think the past several years we've all had big expectations for this guy. I could name a few examples of him being a bit of an attitude at the WJCs in Halifax, where he was compared to Ilya Kovalchuk:
1) At the Fanfest target shooting pointing to Marc-Andre Fleury and saying "i do this to you tomorrow" and hitting 4/5
2) Being yelled at by his teammates for lack of effort during pre-game practice.
3) Quote on Team Canada through his interpreter: 'We'll be able to handle them, we are better."
4) During the gold medal game, and the whole playoff part of the tournament for that matter, stayed unable to back up his words. So let's do something really childlish like taking a blatant dive in front of the Canadian goalie to celebrate how really frustrated we are!
He thinks (or knows) he is head and shoulders above the rest talent-wise. Call me a hard sell on him, but I am looking forward to seeing him try to prove it. He has the talent but I expect a rough adjustment.
Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
Hmmm Russian Hater ?
This guy is one of the most simple character that came as a Superstar in Russia. I saw a clip on him on how much the ''team'' is the word he use the most often & he doesn't want to be categorize as a loner.
This guy breath ''team concept'', he's in his russia team , willing to do anything to help the team before his stats.
So maybe not showing superb stats must be a downgrade but coming from an 18-19 years old who is willing to help the team more than to think of his stats in his draft year is very honorable if you ask me.
I love Russian players & it's very rare to see a mature player like Ovechkin @ his age.
Telperiën
Registered User
I'm starting to like him more and more.Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
Yeah, and Alfredsson promised a Stanley Cup for the Sens. They say you can't achieve it until you start talking about it...Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
Like you, I'm not completely sold on the Ovechkin-the-next-one theme. But you can't completely blame it on him. All the hype is probably getting to him and while he's known to be a very humble person, we should cut him some slack if he shows a bit of cockiness.Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
However, I think you're standing by a valid point about hype making him cocky... But come on! How many young players don't get snagged by that? There might be applause and admiration for all the moves Ovechkin makes right now but if he ever wants to be a NHL superstar, he'll have to battle it out just like all the others who lived up to their hype. He could be a superstar in a few years, but on the downside, there's always the scary thought of being classified along the likes of Daigle et al.
Vlad The Impaler
Registered User
EroCaps said:
That's the problem. I honestly can't say what "generally" would mean in his case. He's been rated all over the place from bust to messiah. Usually, I can pretty much sum up the opinions and "average them" but in this case, I have been unable to do so.
Every player should have an ego - it's good for them.
And something else - Russians are different people. And trashtalking isn't uncommon between players - I would encourage trashtalking than just staying put, taking a number and shoving a stick up the guy's grill a period later.
And something else - Russians are different people. And trashtalking isn't uncommon between players - I would encourage trashtalking than just staying put, taking a number and shoving a stick up the guy's grill a period later.
This is the first time I've ever seen anyone say he has a massive ego.
From the interviews I've seen, it looks like he's a down to earth kid.
From the interviews I've seen, it looks like he's a down to earth kid.
IlyaK17 said:
Hehe, I am by no means a Russian hater. My favorite player in the NHL is Sergei Fedorov and I am a big fan of numerous others. One thing that does enerve me though are attitude problems. I like players who put up and shut up (i.e. Fedorov, Nash, etc...) Ovechkin was always good with the fans here, but I guess what really soured me was the the FanFest with the dramatic incident with Fleury. He did a lot of talking here, and really did nothing in the playoffs to back himself up... but kept talking. This year I have to commend him on admitting to his subpar play, but his poor performances don't help his projections either.
I'll even admit to the fact most young players tend to have egos. When I was 16 I thought I was hot stuff too. It's just my personal experience with the guy have left me soured on him. I found him childish and I don't think he's the best prospect to go first overall in awhile and he's had difficulty being consistent (or even noteworthy at times) in each WJC tournament he has participated in. The only forwards in the past 10 years I would rate his potential ahead of that have gone first overall are Stefan and Daigle. And I am judging them on their NHL performance, not their potential when they were picked.
Again... great skills, rough adjustment... but not Rick Nash, Joe Thornton, Ilya Kovalchuk, or Vincent Lecavalier... even though he's probably going to be closest to Lecavalier.
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Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
I don't get what you mean by being unable to back up his word, didn't he score in the final, and they beat team Canada in the final. I don't see what word he didn't back up
jacklours said:I don't get what you mean by being unable to back up his word, didn't he score in the final, and they beat team Canada in the final. I don't see what word he didn't back up
He didn't score in the final. He was held pointless in Halifax. Team Russia did win, and deservingly so, they were the better team. But Ovechkin had nothing to do with it. Grigorenko, Taratukhin, and Perezhogin really carried the guys in the playoff portion of the tourney I felt. It's not that Ovechkin is terrible here, I just don't think he's Nash, Kovalchuk, or Thornton. More like a Lecavalier. We'll see.
You can cite that he was 16 at the time, but he had trouble this year too.
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Sting
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- Feb 8, 2004
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I've got a strange feeling he's not going to be all he's hyped up to be. He didn't look very good at the WJC where a lot of players come out. Crosby showed us all why he's going to be #1 in 2005. I think that kid will easily be a #1 player in this league...Ovechkin..eh...I'm not quite sure he's the answer to the Penguins' problems.
Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
If any Canadian player did this he would be looked at as 1) humourous and 2) confident. I don't see where ego comes into this. Players do it all the time.
Hitman said:
To be general and to say 'if it was any canadian' implies a cultural bias... I was there, I am being subjective and looking at the situation as it was. There was no humour in it other than the fact Ovechkin was serious when he said it and it made a lot of people laugh.
No one looked at Alexandre Daigle who said "no one remembers who is drafted second" and thought, "hey, what a great thing to say!" One just thinks, "whoa, what a cocky overpaid kid that is."
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Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
Well, Nash was the 13th forward when he was 17. It's not like he did all that much.
I think maybe you expected a bit much from Alex. He did very well for a younger forward in Halifax.
Dr_Chimera said:
This I agree with. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that he was young, had a great showing in Cape Breton, and got a bit carried away back in Hali. I just responded with my own personal feeling that:
a) is no Nash, Kovalchuk, or Thornton... but will be more like a Lecavalier
b) has been brought up to 'saint-like' status in Russia and has displayed some less than modest behavior (e.g. Fanfest comments, pre-gold medal game interview)
c) done some childish things on the ice (e.g. 2003 dive)
d) did not do what was expected of him in the WJCs in 2004
I do think he:
a) has the tools
b) has the potential to be a great player
I just don't think that's going to come easy to him.
What I don't agree with are the comments made to the effect that I am some sort of Russian-hater because I don't think Ovechkin is the prequel to Sidney Crosby or Gilbert Brulé.
Jacob
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- Feb 27, 2002
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Exactly. Just like when Fleury wrote on the piece of paper "I am a goaltender, not a statistician," signed it, and gave it to his coach. That was humorous, but if a Russian kid does that he's got an ego.Hitman said:
I like seeing all the people coming out of the woodwork and saying that they have "bad feelings" about Ovechkin. I hope someone bookmarks this post and drags it back up a few months into Ovechkin's NHL career, whether he's playing well or not.
I'm not guaranteeing he'll be a star immediately. But, IMO, the hype is warranted.
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CSKA
Registered User
1. Nash is no Kovalchuk or Thornton !
He is a goal mashine .....thats it ....a one way player .
2. Most of the people here didnt see ovechkin play .......and thats for sure.
He has it all ! Mark my words ! He has a bright future !
He is a goal mashine .....thats it ....a one way player .
2. Most of the people here didnt see ovechkin play .......and thats for sure.
He has it all ! Mark my words ! He has a bright future !
I agree.
He's complete.
The closest thing you'll ever find to a Russian Power Forward with hands of velvet.
He's complete.
The closest thing you'll ever find to a Russian Power Forward with hands of velvet.
CSKA said:
I wasn't comparing their styles of play, I was comparing their potential. This is my last post.
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