Why does OV always get disrespected by the "flavor of the year"

[Eternal Leaf]

No one disrespects OV when it comes to goal scoring.

The only thing I have seen mentioned is other players have a better arsenal of shots than him. However, when it comes to putting the puck in the net, he's simply the greatest of his generation.

It's not even close.

 

[PB12]

Can you provide examples of Ovechkin "getting trashed."

I already did. I named the players. In general context those players had a lead during the season and apparently had "pass" OV as the better goal scorer, until OV got on a hot streak and caught up then past them. Meanwhile OV has multiple seasons as goal scoring leader and we never see some of those names at the top of the list again. Not calling Laine one of those guys, but its hard to do in todays NHL.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

 

[kmart]

Can you provide examples of Ovechkin "getting trashed."

Because he does all the little things right and is defensively responsible, flashy often goes hand in hand with the negative connotation of being a defensive liability like Ovechkin

from another thread... its not directly about scoring but i think it uses the same logic... defense gets praised "little things and stuff..." and at the same time the "defense liability" a bit to negative, the gab has been established, a player cant be responsible and flashy of course.

 

[Ozz]

Same reasons that GIroux, Benn, etc. were "the best player" in recent seasons according to some people. Stupid reasons, that is.

 

[Bobby Orr's Knees]

As my 6 year old says, "Ovie is a legend." Nobody disrespects him. Flavors of the year are exciting and fun. That's all it is.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I dunno, I’m not sure I see it as the OP does.

Whenever a new sniper shows up, the question is always - can he be better than Ovechkin?

Isn’t that a pretty good indicator of how good Ovechkin is?

 

[tntkid]

Calling Laine the flavor of the year.
lol

Insecure much?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Ovechkin always has his critics, but he even gets disrespected in his biggest strength. Goal Scoring. Everybody will always talk down on OV for what i like to call the "flavor of the year". Fans will always talk down on OV for his rival goal scorer. It happened with guys like Rick Nash, Perry, Kane, Stamkos, Benn, Tavares, and recently Laine. I understand people having their favorites, but why do people always trash OV to hype up the "flavor of the year".

When have any of those players other than Stamkos or Laine been talked about as being on Ovechkin's level as a goal scorer? I think you're completely making things up in your head.

 

[aufheben]

Rick Nash has literally never been hyped up as better than Ovechkin at any point. Never happened. Stamkos has a 60 goal season on his resume and will probably end up with over 600 goals when it's all said and done. Benn was playing a better overall game than OV for 2-3 seasons. Kane had his monster season.

And still, everyone will admit that OV is the greatest goal scorer of his generation, and arguably all time. This talking down on OV is mostly false.

Nash must have done something terrible in a past life, this site always has a bone to pick with him over...something.

 

[TheNumber4]

Ovies on of the best goal scorers of all time and kudos to Caps fans for not trying to shove Ovie down the throats of other fans as the best in the game (he's not anymore) based on his goal scoring.

 

[HenrikW]

Ovechkin always has his critics, but he even gets disrespected in his biggest strength. Goal Scoring. Everybody will always talk down on OV for what i like to call the "flavor of the year". Fans will always talk down on OV for his rival goal scorer. It happened with guys like Rick Nash, Perry, Kane, Stamkos, Benn, Tavares, and recently Laine. I understand people having their favorites, but why do people always trash OV to hype up the "flavor of the year".

Dude is pretty unanimously considered the greatest goal scorer of his generation, and is talked about as the greatest goal scorer of all time. Whatever disrespect you are imagining is in your own head.

^--- This.

 

[North Cole]

Ovechkin always has his critics, but he even gets disrespected in his biggest strength. Goal Scoring. Everybody will always talk down on OV for what i like to call the "flavor of the year". Fans will always talk down on OV for his rival goal scorer. It happened with guys like Rick Nash, Perry, Kane, Stamkos, Benn, Tavares, and recently Laine. I understand people having their favorites, but why do people always trash OV to hype up the "flavor of the year".

Because being the best at a thing makes you the comparable. It's actually a compliment and testament to how beast he is at scoring. If stamkos was the "flavour of the year" and then the next flavour got compared to stamkos, that would mean stamkos dethroned OV. But he didn't. So OV has to deal with the next challenger...and the next...and the next. And then when he retires, any new phenom will be the "next OV". On and on until he passes away at the age of 1008 (his final goal total) having defeated all challengers, and having watched the NHL turn to dust.

 

[aufheben]

You kind of answered your own question. Variety is just more interesting. I wouldn’t call it disrespect though.

 

[SullivanT]

Can you provide examples of Ovechkin "getting trashed."

 

[Trap Jesus]

 

[PB12]

Calling Laine the flavor of the year.
lol

Insecure much?

He is as far as his career goes...so far. Very nice numbers so far for the kid. But the key word is so far. Its a long way to go. Just ask Stamkos. But i do love watching Laine. Very good player. But its unfair to put him with OV. Talk to me in 3 years when he has 5 years under his belt.

 

[b in vancouver]

Talks down about him? Nope. People use him as the gold standard for goal scorers in the modern era and compare others to him.....that's total respect given to ov.

Ya. To the OP - this is pretty much what any sane hockey fan thinks.
Take it as a compliment towards Ovy. Some players might have better goal-scoring years but no one has approached him yet.

Lots of people want to declare that The King Is Dead. - happens with a lot of great players nowadays.
Crosby gets the same treatment a lot of times also.
Bergeron even gets it a lot nowadays and the guy is probably the most respected player league-wide, but people arguing that Couturier, Barkov, etc. are better defensively that they can't help themselves from saying Bergeron wins the Selke because of reputation or team or whatever.

There's dumb fans everywhere, fans whom hype up their own favourites or teams past the pale and people whom really don't like Ovy... but 98% of us give the man his due.

 

[heretik27]

He is as far as his career goes...so far. Very nice numbers so far for the kid. But the key word is so far. Its a long way to go. Just ask Stamkos. But i do love watching Laine. Very good player. But its unfair to put him with OV. Talk to me in 3 years when he has 5 years under his belt.

It's not unfair at all to compare them. What Laine is doing at age 19 is definitely comparable to what Ovy did when he entered the league at age 20 in terms of goal scoring. Laine(19) has 234:29 minutes of PP TOI this season with 43 goals, Ovechkin has 326:18 minutes PP TOI with 45, both are seen as PP monsters, but I'd argue the Jets have way more goal scoring depth on the PP with Scheifele, Ehlers, Connor, Wheeler, and even Perreault, which makes Laine's 19 PPG pretty impressive this year. In Ovechkin's rookie season as a 20 year old he scored 52 goals, with 544:33 minutes PP TOI averaging 6:43 min of PP TOI per game. I'd argue Laine's numbers are just as impressive as Ovechkin's, especially when you consider the damage that Laine is doing on the PP and the difference in minutes he gets vs what Ovy got when he was a year older entering the league at age 20. Outside of goal scoring though, Ovy's speed and ability to bulldoze through and around players is definitely a major difference between his and Laine's overall game. Ovy could do it all himself, whereas Laine has had glimpses of that at times, but currently just has a freaking turret for a shot that beats goalies even when they're set.

 

[Narow]

Short answer =

Long answer: he is undisputed goalscorer since entering so naturally many people want to see that change

 

[Ozz]

Ovies on of the best goal scorers of all time and kudos to Caps fans for not trying to shove Ovie down the throats of other fans as the best in the game (he's not anymore) based on his goal scoring.

That has literally happened for years. Not so much lately, though.

 

[Chet Manley]

Nitpicking of the greats happens. Not sure why but being the best paints a target on their backs for criticism. Gretzky was the greatest player ever, but there was no end of people willing to point out his flaws.

OV is a generational player. Any criticism amounts to a "but how great compared to other greats" type discussion. Or people that find it an interesting topic of when a king will fall.

 

[Regal]

Nash must have done something terrible in a past life, this site always has a bone to pick with him over...something.

That's probably true, but I don't think never being considered better than Ovechkin is an example of that

 

[IamNotADancer]

It's usually Canadians or Crosby fans who dislike Ovechkin for one reason or another. It's mostly related to Crosby being his "nemesis" yadayada so they automatically have to "hate" him.

Ovechkin is all around a very likable guy who happens to be really good at hockey as well, there should be no reason to a)dislike him and b) to trash him... but alas.. we are talking sports... one of the most tribal things in the world.

 

[LionsHeart]

It's almost like there are other great players that the NHL wants to promote to expand interest in the sport.