You know more hits means you’re chasing the puck more right?
Yeah, I never understood why people view "hits" as a positive for Ovechkin. Most of his hits are not very influential on the play. I mean, sure, it takes its toll and the guy is a truck, but, to me, it is not something that enhances his game tremendously. I'd love to see a "heat map" of Ovechkin. He seems to spend A LOT of time on the perimeter (which is not a criticism, he is a shooter and he gets open, that's his job). He does not seem to be a "dirty area" guy. Which, once again, is not a criticism; with his shot, he does not need to be. His biggest value is getting open and unleashing that shot.
I really fail to see how the NUMBER of hits is an enhancer. I feel like it is a failed attempt at picturing him as a complete player/power forward. He is a VERY powerful/strong player, but I never saw him as a pure power forward. Of the rush, he definitely overpowers defenders though, so I guess it is semantics. Anyway, we are discussing the best of the bests here, so I guess some weird differentiators need to be found.