maacoshark
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- Jul 22, 2017
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He has been great in the playoffs until last season.Braden Holtby is #1 all time in save percentage in the playoffs but ok
He has been great in the playoffs until last season.Braden Holtby is #1 all time in save percentage in the playoffs but ok
He has been great in the playoffs until last season.
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.
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.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.
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.*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.
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.
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*
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.