Jim Turner
April 7, 2010
There are a lot of NHL players that stood out this year but none more than Washington Capitals Captain and two-time MVP, Alexander Ovechkin. For those that attempt to argue Ovechkin is just a goal scorer look at his assist numbers and the record productivity of his line mates Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble. What separates Ovechkin from his elite peers is his total game. He is a league leader in hits; plus-minus rating and most importantly when Ovechkin put on the Captain's C, the Capitals rarely lost.
I tip my cap to other MVP Candidates like Ilya Bryzgalov, Henrik Sedin and goalie extraordinaire Ryan Miller. Sidney Crosby certainly raised his game this year in terms of goal scoring, but the fact that Ovechkin missed ten games and as of today is still tied for the league lead in goals/points speaks volumes even with Crosby’s dramatic improvement. Ovechkin is tops in so many other categories that the Hart Trophy vote is a no-brainer unless you are just dead set against Ovechkin or you want to see someone else win the award. Ironically, the fact that Ovechkin happens to be the best player on the best team could work against him this year.
In prize fights the unwritten rule is you need to knock the champ out before you take his belt and all the numbers suggest that no one is even close to knocking this champ out.
Original Story:
http://www.turnersportsdesk.com/2010/...
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