DrMoses said:So, is it more impressive to outplay a bunch of AHLers or more impressive to outplay future HHOF members and offensive dynamos like John leClair who are the reason Sidney scores points according to most Ovechkin nut huggers?
Bobby Orr's Knees said:Crosby will win it. His GA totals will be a lot better then Ovechkin's, barring an injury to Crosby, on the strength of his assits. The only assists Ovechkin gets is when he creates a play, and his linemate manages not to screw up enough to prevent him from scoring.If the stats are close, Crosby will still win - and I don't have a problem with it because he is 18, and because the NHL needs to market its new star.
GregStack said:The question is: How much should +/- come into play for the Calder?
Phaneuf, Crosby, Vorobiev, Meszaros, Steen, Ovechkin, and Miller have all been great thus far (I apologize for leaving anyone out).
But at the end of the season, if Crosby has 82 points, and owns a -45, and Steen has 74 points, but owns a +25, should Steen get consideration?
I think we all know it'll be Crosby or Ovechkin, and that's fine, they're both phenominal, but how much should something like +/- come into play?
Dr.Sens(e) said:I don't buy this "Ovechkin should win it, but Crosby will."
If Crosby wins it, he will have to earn it.
Maybe if Crosby were playing with worse players those assists would have been goals; he'll often pass up the opportunity to shoot the puck because by dishing it off to a competant teammate he creates more total offense. Ovechkin doesn't have that luxury and needs to take the shot himself, as evidenced by his shot total being nearly double that of Crosby.Bonzai said:Crosby plays on a line with Recchi and Leclair, correct?
AO plays with Halpern (career high 22 goals I think) and Willsie (AHL veteran, NHL newcomer)
Even if Crosby gets 20-30 more points than Ovechkin, I think Ovechkin is deserving. The argument that he has no supporting cast relative to Crosby simply CANNOT be refuted.
Also, being 2 years younger should not give SC any leverage in the race. He very well may turn out to be the better player by the time he's AO's age, but the Calder goes to the most impressive rookie performance. I would venture to say that AO would have 5-10 more points at this point playing on the Pens.
I am not bashing Crosby or overhyping AO in any way whatsoever. I just think that producing a PPG on a team full of scrubs is more impressive than producing 1.5 PPG on a team loaded with skill and veterans who have scored hundreds of goals during their careers.
roshiajin said:Yeah ... we already saw what happened last month.
Ovechkin was robbed last month though. If the season ended today, Ovechkin would deserve it but Crosby would get it due to him having 2 more points and being the media darling.thomasincanada said:Cripes.. some of you people never stop whining. It's like being in grade school around here.
borro said:One of the issues comparing Crosby and Ovechkin is like comparing Gretzky and Lemieux. Which one do you take? The answer is both! Apples and oranges. From a Caps point of view, AO has meant far more to his team than Crosby. Crosby seems to be the press favorite. Bias appears obvious. As far as on the ice, AO is the man, then Phaneuf. Crosby is probably 4th behind Lundqvist.
I don't mean to attack you at all, I am just wondering if both Ovechkin and Lundqvist keep up their current paces for the rest of the year (Ovechkin, let's say over 50 goals, 80-90 points, Lundqvist approximately 30-40 wins, 1.80 GAA, .930 SV%), who would you give the award to?Epsilon said:Henrik Lundqvist is the best rookie in the NHL right now. Hopefully he gets enough starts to contend for the award.
It isn't whos the best near 18 year old award, it's the rookie of the year. Crosby being 18 and Ovechkin being 20 should be irrelevent.Jaded-Fan said:For what it is worth, Crosby was 17 as recently as 3 months ago.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/players/3737/
I would actually call them about equal right now, but I will give Crosby one edge, I am not entirely sure that AO would be up to this level when he was only a handful of months into his 18th birthday. But strictly looking at each of them, right now, it is a wash.