The Face Of The NHL
2/09/2009 | Posted by
Devin
Of the four major sports in the US right now, the NHL gets the least amount of exposure. There are several reasons for this. For one, the lockout didn’t help their cause. When the NHL had to cancel an entire season of play, it absolutely killed them. When they came back the following season, only the die-hard fans returned at first. Second, having a television contract with Versus isn’t the best place for NHL hockey. I tend to believe that both the NHL and ESPN wish they had each, but both don’t, so both ignore each other.
Because of this lack of exposure, someone who doesn’t follow the sport only gets a certain amount of coverage or information. Typically if this were the NBA, the common sports fan would only hear about LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. In the NHL,
it’s almost always about Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, or if someone is in the news for the wrong reasons (Todd Bertuzzi, Sean Avery). If you ever happen to catch a national television game on Versus or NBC, get ready for wall to wall coverage of Mr. Crosby. NBC goes as far as having a “Crosby Cam” in which you can follow his every move for the entire game, minus the bathroom break in between periods.
I don’t necessarily blame the NHL for latching on to Sid the Kid as much as they do. They need a star player to help market the game and he has been that player since the day he was drafted. However, I feel it is the wrong person. The face of the NHL shouldn’t be Sidney Crosby, it should be Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin was also a first overall pick in the NHL draft; however he had to wait a year before playing due to the lockout. Since coming into the league, no player has been more dynamic and game changing than Ovechkin. He has taken the Washington franchise on his back and appears to be in position for a second straight division championship for the Caps. Let’s take a look at the breakdown.
Crosby:
- 2006 NHL All-Rookie Team
- 2007 Art Ross Trophy (Most points in regular season)
- 2007 Lester B. Pearson Award (Best player as voted by his peers)
- 2007 Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP)
- 2007 & 2008 NHL All-Star Team
In his first three full seasons of NHL play, Crosby finished with 102, 120, and 72 points respectively.
Ovechkin:
- 2006 NHL All-Rookie Team
- 2006 Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
- 2008 Lester B. Pearson Award (Best player as voted by his peers)
- 2008 Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP)
- 2008 Art Ross Trophy (Most points in regular season)
- 2008 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (Top Goal Scorer – 65 Goals)
- 2006, 2007, 2008 NHL All-Star Team
- 2008 Sporting News NHL Player of the Year
In his first three full seasons of NHL play, Ovechkin finished with 106, 92, and 112 points respectively.
Granted, Crosby has taken Pittsburgh further in the playoffs, but he has also had a lot more help. For the few years that the Pens toiled with moving and trying to get a new arena out of the deal, they had a slew of top draft picks that allowed them to stock up with extra talent. Can you imagine if Ovechkin had someone like Evgeni Malkin playing next to him? They would be unstoppable. But he doesn’t, and
Washington isn’t unstoppable. I’ve seen enough hockey games to know that Ovechkin is by far the superior player. He plays a complete game which includes hitting and playing defense. When Crosby isn’t scoring, he is usually seen crying to the referees. This is backed up by an NHL player survey that was done by ESPN in which 52% of the players surveyed said that Crosby is the biggest on ice complainer in the game. (Read the survey here). What can I say, you can’t argue with statistical data.
If you haven’t seen any NHL games in a while or only casually follow the sport, trust me when I tell you that Alexander Ovechkin is the player you want to follow. Catch a Caps game next time they are on and you’ll know what I mean. Alexander Ovechkin should hands down be the face of the NHL.
Because of this lack of exposure, someone who doesn’t follow the sport only gets a certain amount of coverage or information. Typically if this were the NBA, the common sports fan would only hear about LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. In the NHL,
it’s almost always about Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, or if someone is in the news for the wrong reasons (Todd Bertuzzi, Sean Avery). If you ever happen to catch a national television game on Versus or NBC, get ready for wall to wall coverage of Mr. Crosby. NBC goes as far as having a “Crosby Cam” in which you can follow his every move for the entire game, minus the bathroom break in between periods.I don’t necessarily blame the NHL for latching on to Sid the Kid as much as they do. They need a star player to help market the game and he has been that player since the day he was drafted. However, I feel it is the wrong person. The face of the NHL shouldn’t be Sidney Crosby, it should be Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin was also a first overall pick in the NHL draft; however he had to wait a year before playing due to the lockout. Since coming into the league, no player has been more dynamic and game changing than Ovechkin. He has taken the Washington franchise on his back and appears to be in position for a second straight division championship for the Caps. Let’s take a look at the breakdown.
Crosby:
- 2006 NHL All-Rookie Team
- 2007 Art Ross Trophy (Most points in regular season)
- 2007 Lester B. Pearson Award (Best player as voted by his peers)
- 2007 Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP)
- 2007 & 2008 NHL All-Star Team
In his first three full seasons of NHL play, Crosby finished with 102, 120, and 72 points respectively.
Ovechkin:
- 2006 NHL All-Rookie Team
- 2006 Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
- 2008 Lester B. Pearson Award (Best player as voted by his peers)
- 2008 Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP)
- 2008 Art Ross Trophy (Most points in regular season)
- 2008 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (Top Goal Scorer – 65 Goals)
- 2006, 2007, 2008 NHL All-Star Team
- 2008 Sporting News NHL Player of the Year
In his first three full seasons of NHL play, Ovechkin finished with 106, 92, and 112 points respectively.
Granted, Crosby has taken Pittsburgh further in the playoffs, but he has also had a lot more help. For the few years that the Pens toiled with moving and trying to get a new arena out of the deal, they had a slew of top draft picks that allowed them to stock up with extra talent. Can you imagine if Ovechkin had someone like Evgeni Malkin playing next to him? They would be unstoppable. But he doesn’t, and
Washington isn’t unstoppable. I’ve seen enough hockey games to know that Ovechkin is by far the superior player. He plays a complete game which includes hitting and playing defense. When Crosby isn’t scoring, he is usually seen crying to the referees. This is backed up by an NHL player survey that was done by ESPN in which 52% of the players surveyed said that Crosby is the biggest on ice complainer in the game. (Read the survey here). What can I say, you can’t argue with statistical data.
If you haven’t seen any NHL games in a while or only casually follow the sport, trust me when I tell you that Alexander Ovechkin is the player you want to follow. Catch a Caps game next time they are on and you’ll know what I mean. Alexander Ovechkin should hands down be the face of the NHL.
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