Who will leave the bigger legacy: Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin?

[DrDangles]

If you don't have Malkin to add, then it's doesn't really matter who you will choose.

Sure it does. Even if you want to argue they're completely equal players, center is still the more important position to build around.

Then you add in that when it comes to scoring goals, the gap between Ovi and Sid is closer than the gap between Sid and Ovi in terms of playmaking, skating, hands, vision/IQ and the choice is obvious.

 

[shtorm2005]

Sure it does. Even if you want to argue they're completely equal players, center is still the more important position to build around.

Why it's important if you get same result? Without Malkin, or Backstrom+Kuzy you get zero cups. If result it same, then there is no right answer. Either guy will do the job, entertain fans.

 

[shtorm2005]

Im sure any GM would be happy no matter who they get, young Ovy or Sid.

 

[artempogba]

As Players, Crosby and Ovechkin had a similar impact on the teams they played on. Ovechkin will be remembered as a greater player and hockey personality. He will be remembered as a best and greatest in one of the most important things in hockey. In scoring goals. And hopefully Crosby will not have some other injuries, because that will take away from his legacy. For me it will be interesting to see how Crosby performs at 33-34. Don’t think it will be as good as Ovechkin at 33-34. Ovechkin at 33-34 in goalscoring wins against a younger stars like Draisaitl, Matthews, Laine, Pastrnak and so on. Crosby at 31-32 in playmaking looses against a younger stars like McDavid, Kucherov, McKinnon, Kane and so on.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

If Ovi breaks the goals record probably him, but I don’t think of it as “bigger” so much as different- Crosby slots into the pens legacy and the hyped Canadian once in a gen player thing- Gretz, Lemieux, Crosby, probably McDavid- like, his legacy will be massive, and rightfully so. Ovi will go down as the fun loving Russian who was a physical beast and then became the best shooter/scorer the game has ever seen. Just.. different.

 

[daver]

If by legacy you mean who is viewed as the better hockey and will be rated higher all-time then it's Crosby.

 

[Hatfield]

Crosby's Penguins as a team.
Ovechkin as a player.

Both may hit top 10 in points or end up just outside. Ovechkin, known for his shooting will likely finish top-3 in goal-scoring. Crosby, known for his passing/playmaking, probably will struggle to hit top 10 in assists. Even if both of them went down with career-ending injuries today, Ovechkin's already top-10 in his specialty, three goals away from 7th. Crosby's not in the top-25 in his.

History really doesn't care about "all-around". Or /60.

Exactly. You have to think of it from the perspective of a kid in 30 years perusing the record books, learning the history of the game. Ovechkin has, and will have, the gaudy numbers that stand out.

 

[daver]

Since a lot of this is based on "if OV breaks the record", we can also wonder "if Crosby wins another Cup and a Conn Smythe" he would be among the very best playoff performers of all-time and alone with Roy as the only three time Conn Smythe winners.

He could go down as one of the biggest winners in hockey history.

Who would you rather be? Barry Sanders or Tom Brady/Joe Montana?

 

[Star Ocean]

Ovechkin for sure. Crosby is a crybaby.

 

[Julien LG]

Its a given now that Ovechkin will bang in another 200 goals in the next 5 years but Crosby will be lucky to add 250 pts to his resume in the same time span ?

 

[txpd]

The verdict will come in over the next five years. We still have spectacular and important times ahead. Either or both could win more cups. Its too bad they will never get to play in a finals against each other. These Metro Division 2nd rounds are the best we get but they have all been epic so far.

Two things.
1. Crosby was supposed to be the better. He was the next thing. He was what the league promoted for his first season. Ovechkin was the Calder though. Crosby got a 2nd assist in his first game and the same night Ovechkin scored 2. Crosby got the headline. Many NHL fans are unaware that Ovechkin has more points. But Ovechkin knocking down the all time greats evens the ice.

2. Yes, given the choice a team would rather a center to start with than a wing. Yes, the Penguins have 3 cups to the Caps 1. But during the run of their careers the Pens have the 2nd best record and the Caps the 3rd. Even with him being a winger the Caps managed that with only 3 top 5 picks. I think the Caps did just fine

 

[artempogba]

Its a given now that Ovechkin will bang in another 200 goals in the next 5 years but Crosby will be lucky to add 250 pts to his resume in the same time span ?

It is not given. But if Ovechkin does break the record. No matter what Crosby will do the next years Ovechkins accomplishment will be greater.
To break an unbreakable record is special.

 

[daver]

The verdict will come in over the next five years. We still have spectacular and important times ahead. Either or both could win more cups. Its too bad they will never get to play in a finals against each other. These Metro Division 2nd rounds are the best we get but they have all been epic so far.

Two things.
1. Crosby was supposed to be the better. He was the next thing. He was what the league promoted for his first season. Ovechkin was the Calder though. Crosby got a 2nd assist in his first game and the same night Ovechkin scored 2. Crosby got the headline. Many NHL fans are unaware that Ovechkin has more points. But Ovechkin knocking down the all time greats evens the ice.

2. Yes, given the choice a team would rather a center to start with than a wing. Yes, the Penguins have 3 cups to the Caps 1. But during the run of their careers the Pens have the 2nd best record and the Caps the 3rd. Even with him being a winger the Caps managed that with only 3 top 5 picks. I think the Caps did just fine

#1 Bolded - And he has been, and could very well end up as the consensus #5 player all-time.

#2 Bolded - Francis and Yzerman have more points than Mario while playing in the same era

 

[JD1]

This is kind of like coming to blows arguing which 25 year old scotch is better

 

[bobc222]

I saw this quote a few years back from an HFer and think it applies here.
Ovechkin and Crosby are both great players. Crosby is better and has had great, downright amazing moments in his career. However, overall, Ovechkin's career is more... history shaking. Particularly when you consider what he's doing on the all time leaderboards.

 

[Trade]

People really gonna act like it’ll be such an amazing feat if Ovi goes and Emmitt Smith’s his way to the all-time goal record?



No one is out here claiming McDavid and Drai are the new Backstrom and Ovi. Ask a majority of young NHL stars who they looked up to and who’s game they’d like to emulate for their NHL career and they’re gonna say Sid.

Ovechkin is a phenomenal goal-scorer, Sid is phenomenal at all aspects of the game.

 

[Trade]

Ovechkin.
Crosby is the better player but with all his injuries etc...I think his legacy suffers.

Ovechkin is part of a very small list of players to hit 700 goals, he will hit 800.

Just like how Lemieux has been long forgotten since he was a scrub who couldn’t stay healthy but the Legend of Mike Gartner lives on for eternity.

Gartner’s the sixth best player of all time at the moment that according to Ovi-stan standards.

 

[Herregud]

Since a lot of this is based on "if OV breaks the record", we can also wonder "if Crosby wins another Cup and a Conn Smythe" he would be among the very best playoff performers of all-time and alone with Roy as the only three time Conn Smythe winners.

He could go down as one of the biggest winners in hockey history.

Who would you rather be? Barry Sanders or Tom Brady/Joe Montana?

The fact that Sanders, with no team success to speak of, is even brought up in a conversation (and it's done regularly) with Joe Montana really speaks volumes about what people remember and what they gravitate toward.

Ovechkin has team success and a wealth of personal accolades to go along with it, thus, he's no Sanders. Crosby's no Tom Brady.

 

[artempogba]

People really gonna act like it’ll be such an amazing feat if Ovi goes and Emmitt Smith’s his way to the all-time goal record?



No one is out here claiming McDavid and Drai are the new Backstrom and Ovi. Ask a majority of young NHL stars who they looked up to and who’s game they’d like to emulate for their NHL career and they’re gonna say Sid.

Ovechkin is a phenomenal goal-scorer, Sid is phenomenal at all aspects of the game.

Wrong. People don’t act. It will be something amazing if and when Ovechkin breaks the record.
And McDavid play is much more like ovechkin. and also Crosby is not phenomenal at everything. The only one is playmaking. All others is good to very good. But Crosby’s playmaking is not near ovechkins goalscoring.

 

[Herregud]

Just like how Lemieux has been long forgotten since he was a scrub who couldn’t stay healthy but the Legend of Mike Gartner lives on for eternity.

Gartner’s the sixth best player of all time at the moment that according to Ovi-stan standards.

Gartner obviously doesn't hold a candle to Lemieux, but there are a lot of people that don't even know how few games Lemieux played until it's brought up in a thread, or they go and seek out that information themselves. Total numbers are all that matter to the casual masses, and when we talk about legacy, that's the audience we're referring to. Not to the relatively few experts or die-hards.

If it comes down to one being remembered over the other, it's going to be Ovechkin, but it will most likely be a scenario where both are, deservedly, remembered side-by-side as rivals of equal importance to the game.

 

[daver]

The fact that Sanders, with no team success to speak of, is even brought up in a conversation (and it's done regularly) with Joe Montana really speaks volumes about what people remember and what they gravitate toward.

Ovechkin has team success and a wealth of personal accolades to go along with it, thus, he's no Sanders. Crosby's no Tom Brady.

While not a weakness, team success is not a strength for OV; it is for Crosby with individual performances that justify his stature as a winner and a noted leader.

 

[Herregud]

While not a weakness, team success is not a strength for OV; it is for Crosby with individual performances that justify his stature as a winner and a noted leader.

Team success is absolutely a strength for Ovechkin. People enjoy pretending that the regular season doesn't matter, but it does. The Penguins and Capitals were the two most successful teams of the last decade, by wins. The Cup tally in that period is 2-1 in favor of Pittsburgh. Yes, Crosby has 3 in total, and that's what we're discussing, but Ovechkin's team hasn't been dwelling in the cellar over his career.

As people have appropriately pointed out, Crosby's playoff resume is going to stand out in comparison to Ovechkin's, and rightfully so, but it does not mean that Ovechkin's teams have sucked.

Going back to the Sanders comparison, only two times in Sanders' career did his team finish first in their division. This is compared to nine for Ovechkin, and he's currently staring down the barrel of a tenth.

 

[daver]

Team success is absolutely a strength for Ovechkin. People enjoy pretending that the regular season doesn't matter, but it does. The Penguins and Capitals were the two most successful teams of the last decade, by wins. The Cup tally in that period is 2-1 in favor of Pittsburgh. Yes, Crosby has 3 in total, and that's what we're discussing, but Ovechkin's team hasn't been dwelling in the cellar over his career.

As people have appropriately pointed out, Crosby's playoff resume is going to stand out in comparison to Ovechkin's, and rightfully so, but it does not mean that Ovechkin's teams have sucked.

Going back to the Sanders comparison, only two times in Sanders' career did his team finish first in their division. This is compared to nine for Ovechkin, and he's currently staring down the barrel of a tenth.

Drive for show, putt for dough. When compared to the all-time great players, OV's playoff resume is lacking, and vs. Crosby, especially on the international scene.

If you want to argue that OV's goalscoring exploits will wow people in the future moreso than Crosby's accomplishments then you have to acknowledge that noone is going to give a shit about the Caps three Presidents Trophies, or if they do, then Crosby's three Cups will wow them way more.

It is a stupid OP to be honest. Both have established themselves as being among the most noteworthy players outside of the Big Four.

 

[daver]

As people have appropriately pointed out, Crosby's playoff resume is going to stand out in comparison to Ovechkin's, and rightfully so, but it does not mean that Ovechkin's teams have sucked.

Nice strawman.

 

[txpd]

#2 Bolded - Francis and Yzerman have more points than Mario while playing in the same era

Ok. And?