Crosby v. Ovechkin

by James Mirtle on May 13, 2009 1:03 PM CDT Comment 13 comments

A nifty graphic by the AP.

Also today, there's some nice work by Greg Wyshynski with a game-by-game look at the Crosby and Ovechkin matchup in Round 2. Ovechkin has the edge in points in the series, but I think there's a decent argument to be made that Crosby's impact has been just as important.

Here are their statistical contributions through the first six games:

PLAYER	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	TOI	PPG	PPA	SOG	SPCT
Crosby	6	6	4	10	3	2	23:04	2	1	29	20.7
Ovechkin	6	7	6	13	6	6	23:58	2	3	38	18.4

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While I’d hate to see the series end, I’d love to see the Caps clinch it.

"Serious question: Is Ovie going to demand a trade if they lose this series? Any chance of this?"

by Bald Pollack on May 13, 2009 1:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think what amazes me about this series is how much it has been Ovechkin and Crosby putting their teams on their backs at times. A lot of the supporting cast hasn’t been the factors you’d expect.

Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD

by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on May 13, 2009 2:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It really shows their all-stars talent.

26 Card Jet

by Tommelot on May 13, 2009 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love how the graphic uses average shift length to measure time on ice.

by RyanV on May 13, 2009 7:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It does seem to carry a bit of a Washington bias, as I think it’s fairly well known that Ovechkin stays abnormally long on the ice…

by Habs on May 13, 2009 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think it’s a bias in either direction. Shift length is a more useful stat that straight TOI in this case because the Capitals played a whole game more than the Penguins did, so using that statistic would make it look ridiculously lopsided.

Of course, not using goals per game, PPG, and so on makes the other stats look different than maybe they should, too.

Pittsburgh Black And Gold -- So new, it still smells like paint!

by JustinM on May 14, 2009 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have to say, over the last 2 years I had a lot of difficulty finding reasons to respect Crosby – from his on-ice demeanor to his interviews, his attitude, everything. I just couldn’t bring myself to like that player.
Over the course of this series, I’ve been hugely impressed by his quiet determination. It certainly changed my opinion of him.

by Habs on May 13, 2009 10:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

He has matured a bit. But I’m glad to hear your opinion has changed — he’s a phenomenal player and someone we’ll be watching perform like this for a long, long time.

I think his interviews are starting to improve, too. A little anyway.

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on May 13, 2009 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

his interviews are much like mario’s were when he was playing. it took probably 5 years or more for 66 to really open up and trust the media because he had seen so many players get burned because of it. i would have a hard time believing that since sid lived with mario his first season in the league some of that caution did not rub off.

" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run

by oldtimehockey09 on May 13, 2009 11:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mario’s (and others’) advice to Sidney was likely something along the lines of “be very careful what you say.” It’s a heavy burden being in the spotlight so much at a young age, so it’s no wonder he was very cautious about showing his personality. It’s not easy for anyone to be criticized and picked apart, but I imagine it’s easier to handle if the criticisms are only due to being “boring.”

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on May 13, 2009 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly. id much rather have my superstars have the personality of a wet mop (towards the media) then have them being primma donnas like terrell owens

" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run

by oldtimehockey09 on May 14, 2009 1:15 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

That, and Mario didn’t speak very much English when he got to Pittsburgh. I’m sure that didn’t help him.

Pittsburgh Black And Gold -- So new, it still smells like paint!

by JustinM on May 14, 2009 10:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would never expect an interview with a hockey player to offer any real meaningful content. 99% of the interviews are “recite the cliche and say ‘you know’ a lot”.

Glen Sather is a Hockey Genius.

http://glensathersucks.com/
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by poploser on May 14, 2009 4:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs