Better Hybrid: OV/Datsyuk or Crosby/McDavid?

[Midnight Judges]

My rational is that with Sid/McDavid, you have it all.

That's just nonsense though. Neither one of those guys are a physical punisher, and neither one is particularly good at defense, or has a killer shot.

 

[authentic]

OV/Datsyuk combo,...you had it folks, he was called Eric freakin Lindros

He was nothing like Datsyuk.

 

[Midnight Judges]

OV/Datsyuk combo,...you had it folks, he was called Eric freakin Lindros

can't tell if serious

 

[StoneHands]

Exactly! It’s not about making clones, it’s about a select few who are elite at multiple facets of the game

Right. I think the reason that Ovechkin and Datsyuk is my choice is because while they are both elite players, they have flaws or parts of their game that could clearly use improvement but what they are good at, they're the absolute best at. Ovechkin lacks defensive instincts and playmaking ability. Datsyuk lacks a lethal shot and size. Take their best qualities and mash them together and you have maybe the most complete player ever.

With Crosby and McDavid they don't have the same holes in their game that Datsyuk and Ovechkin have. Crosby and McDavid are really really good at pretty much everything, though they lack elite defense, so there aren't big holes in their games that the other would fill in as much. As much as giving Crosby blazing speed sounds amazing, I think what makes him so good is that he's patient and opportunistic and instead of buzzing around the play he looks for holes and pounces on his opportunities. I don't know if having McDavid's speed would help on anything other than the rush.

 

[StoneHands]

Just saying your comparaison was pretty off

Cool. I disagree.

 

[authentic]

Wait, how exactly are Datsyuk and Ovechkin winning? Crosby/McDavid would be the best player on the rush and on the cycle and infront of the net.

 

[daver]

It’s proven by his peak as he outscored Crosby from 08-10 (i don’t include 07-08 because Crosby was injured) and it also was proven by his back to back Ted Lindsay Awards and Hart trophy, also higher PPG and GPG

So Crosby was also at his peak from '08 to '10? That's really interesting considering it doesn't include his two Art Ross wins, the season when he won the Lindsay, or the season he matched OV in goals (one season after OV's peak) despite playing half the amount of games.

 

[Beauner]

That's just nonsense though. Neither one of those guys are a physical punisher, and neither one is particularly good at defense, or has a killer shot.

1) that's not really important
2) wrong
3) again, doesn't matter. Sid's won the Rocket without a killer shot. They don't ask how, they ask how many

 

[authentic]

Wait, how exactly are Datsyuk and Ovechkin winning? Crosby/McDavid would be the best player on the rush and on the cycle and infront of the net.

Actually come to think of it, it would be really damn close.

 

[Kranix]

He was nothing like Datsyuk.

It's an ovi/datsyuk combo.

 

[DFC]

See, I consider Crosby the "perfect hockey player" just by the fact that he's elite in everything. Adding McDavid's strong points like his speed just adds to what I already consider to be perfect. Sounds like we just have a difference in opinion (and I don't really think there's a wrong answer here). My rational is that with Sid/McDavid, you have it all. Vision, IQ, Sid's shot with McDavid's speed, the ability to grind in the corners or burn guys wide. Plus they're no slouches in their own end (and yes I understand Datsyuk was phenomenal in that area). The only thing Dats/Ovi have an absolutely advantage in are Dats' hands, Ovi's shot and Ovi's physicality which I really don't put a lot of stock in. But as Sid has proved before, you don't need an Ovi-like shot to win the Rocket.

An Ovi/Datsyuk hybrid would be the most electric player the game has ever seen. I just don't think it'd be better than a Crosby/McDavid hybrid.

Sid has a ton of elite attributes. But in just about every area where he's better than Datsyuk, for instance, Ovi is probably better than Sid (mainly shooting, and driving the net in prime Ovi days). And in all the areas where Sid is better than Ovi (finesse and defense), Datsyuk is at least as good as Sid. To simplify, Sid is a better goal-scorer than Datsyuk, but not the goal-scorer Ovi is. And Sid is a better playmaker than Ovi, but Datsyuk is pretty comparable with Sid there, and possibly a little better. (And, if Datsyuk had Ovi's shot, considering how Datsyuk could create space for himself, we'd be looking at a 70-80 goal-scorer.) Defensively, Sid is better than Ovi, but Datsuk was a level above Sid, and most of the rest of the league.

So it's more like, while Sid has the most balance of any player when it comes to skillset, he's not #1 in a whole lot of individual skills. Ovi and Datsyuk are/were both #1 in a lot of respective things, and, in the areas were Sid is #1 over them (vision, probably, for instance), Ovi and/or Dats was a close second (like, Dats's vision is pretty comparable to Sid's, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it equal or better).

 

[authentic]

It's an ovi/datsyuk combo.

I know, I just don't think he was much like Datsyuk to be considered a Hybrid of them. IMO more of a Getzlaf/Ovi hybrid.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Wait, how exactly are Datsyuk and Ovechkin winning? Crosby/McDavid would be the best player on the rush and on the cycle and infront of the net.

OV/Datsyuk hybrid is going to win the hart/lindsay/ross/rocket/Selke while leading the league in takeaways and throwing 200+ hits. It's a no contest.

 

[DFC]

1) that's not really important
2) wrong
3) again, doesn't matter. Sid's won the Rocket without a killer shot. They don't ask how, they ask how many

Yeah, he's won a rocket without a lethal shot, but Ovi's won like seven of them because of his lethal shot. Give Ovi Datsyuk's hands and we're talking about a guy who'd threaten Gretzky's records.

 

[authentic]

OV/Datsyuk hybrid is going to win the hart/lindsay/ross/rocket/Selke while leading the league in takeaways and throwing 200+ hits. It's a no contest.

Yeah I changed my mind, but I still don't think it's clearly them over a McDavid/Crosby hybrid.

 

[Nadal On Clay]

OV/Datsyuk hybrid is going to win the hart/lindsay/ross/rocket/Selke while leading the league in takeaways and throwing 200+ hits. It's a no contest.

No Smythe? Weak

 

[Future GOAT]

Crosby/McDavid. McDavid is already the best player out of the 4. Add the second best player's skills to him as well and he becomes probably the best player who ever lived.

 

[OilCanada92]

Wait, how exactly are Datsyuk and Ovechkin winning? Crosby/McDavid would be the best player on the rush and on the cycle and infront of the net.

Probably because Ovechkin and Datsyuk have fewer things in common so the package is bigger. If Datsyuk had Ovechkin's size, goal scoring and physicality, he'd likely be the greatest player of all time.

Put McDavid and Crosby together and you get a slightly better offensive player that still isn't winning a selke.

 

[psycat]

See, I consider Crosby the "perfect hockey player" just by the fact that he's elite in everything. Adding McDavid's strong points like his speed just adds to what I already consider to be perfect. Sounds like we just have a difference in opinion (and I don't really think there's a wrong answer here). My rational is that with Sid/McDavid, you have it all. Vision, IQ, Sid's shot with McDavid's speed, the ability to grind in the corners or burn guys wide. Plus they're no slouches in their own end (and yes I understand Datsyuk was phenomenal in that area). The only thing Dats/Ovi have an absolutely advantage in are Dats' hands, Ovi's shot and Ovi's physicality which I really don't put a lot of stock in. But as Sid has proved before, you don't need an Ovi-like shot to win the Rocket.

An Ovi/Datsyuk hybrid would be the most electric player the game has ever seen. I just don't think it'd be better than a Crosby/McDavid hybrid.

You obviously can't add something to something that's already perfect, it literally contradicts the meaning of the word perfect.

 

[ujju2]

Ovi/Datsyuk would be the best player in NHL history.

 

[biturbo19]

Combining Ovi's shot and physicality with Datsyuk's hands and vision probably makes the perfect player.

There's so much more to a player though. You can't just boil it down to that, can you?

There's just too many situations where you'd get:

Datsyuk component: peel off, strip the puck and counterattack with a schwifty deke.

Ovechkin component: AATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK.


How do you even reconcile that?

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Crosby/McDavid. McDavid is already the best player out of the 4. Add the second best player's skills to him as well and he becomes probably the best player who ever lived.

Mcdavid is not better player all time than Crosby or Ovechkin that’s ridiculous. Maybe one day but he has work too do.