That's fine by me but maturity is quite ... ambiguous. I don't necessarily think that being a good boy and humble is being mature. I think that it is more about realizing your faults and overcoming them. Ilya was benched several times for either defensive laspes or staying too long on the ice I believe but each time he has come back and played a better game. A testament to that is that he was used on the PK and given defensemen-like minutes. He rose up to be the leader on a team that had been devastated by the Heatly and Snydner tragedy and when Atlanta was in the slump, he got hot. If that doesn't tell you something favorable about his character well then... Kovalchuk is very very flashy. You think it's arrogant and quite a few other people think so too. It's your perrogative but that air of cockyness is trait of a superstar. He is loved by his teammates, disliked or even hated by the opposition. If the NHL had any idea how to market the sport, they would use Ilya non-stop. That being said, I must say I enjoy his antics immensely, he adds excitement in a sport that has been in a slump since 1994. He is the definition of win at any cost, that I cannot but respect. The example of him scoring the goal with his teammates' stick and then showin' up the opposition is pure poetry. The sport needs this kind of ... lack of a better word, entertainement.
EroCap you say that the talent between the two is nearly non-existent, offensively that is. I have only seen Ovechkin in the odd games in tournaments (WJC,WC) and he looks good. I have never seen him live in person so I don't claim to be able to be the definite judge on him but I'll tell you this; He doesn't have the aura of dominance of a superstar. He plays good, shows great work ethic and looks like he belongs. However when I see Kovalchuk play... wow is the word. I only seen him live in Mtl but he is truly a beast. He dominates even when he doesn't produce. He goes from end to end (back and forth, he does backcheck alot if it isn't stellar stuff) and each time he's on the ice; you're on the edge of your seat waiting for somehting to happen. I think he's just that good. I don't see anything amazing in Ovechkin from what I have seen. Scouts says he's the best thing to come since Mario; everyone is the best thing since Mario. He might have the potential to outstrip or equal Ilya but until he produces like Ilya at the NHL level, it's all potential. To tell you how 1st picks are hyped and that they are all seen as the second coming of the Messiah and how reality is harsh. Let's throw some names around since 1990; Owen Nolan, great Career cut short by injuries but never even close to Mario. 1991; Eric Lindros, what he could have been if not for the concussions and lockouts. 1992;It was a defenseman. 1993; Alexandre Daigle, what a bust, he's decent now but no superstar. 1994;defenseman. 1995;defenseman. 1996; defenseman. 1997; Big Joey, he's developed into a strong case for superstardom though his vanishing act in the playoffs this year and his team not leaving the first-round for the last three years is not helping him. 1998; Vinnie the Prince, he had problems with his first year and then with the coach but he has proven he can play with the elite and well. A breakout year next season (More than his career high 80 points) would cement his superstar status. He is the first forward first pick to hoist the cup in this era. 1999;Patrik Stefan, he's evolved into a decent third-line checking forward. Nowhere near elite. 2000; goalie, Heatley was second overall, he's proving to be worth it. 2001; Kovalchuk, same thing as heately. 2002; Rick Nash, he can score, can he do anything else? One-dimensional as hell. And a terrible plus minus but the potential is there. 2003; goalie. So being the landed first pick doesn't mean you're going to be a guaranteed superstar and franchise player.