I tend to agree. Especially since many voters are going to hate having to leave one of Giroux or Stamkos off the teams.
TBH, that's kind of Kovalchuk's m.o. when it comes to post season all-stars. His best season tend to coincide with career/stand-out years from players. In his best seasons, he has a 2nd and a couple of thirds, certainly not legendary, but it does show him to be the consistent #2-4 LW behind Ovechkin since the lockout.
Also, he probably shouldn't have even been 2nd team LW in 03-04. In my opinion Elias should have been 1st team, with Naslund close behind. Elias was unreal that year.
What are the chances he gets top 10 in LW and RW voting this year?
Hawerchuk has the lowest plus/minus amongst Hall of Famers at -92.
LaFontaine is next at -4 and Dino has -2.
I had to look this up because I knew it Federko was another one with a crazy high plus/minus and he was -132. That might take the cake among HHOFers. The stat didn't start until 1968 and unless we are talking about a pure shutdown defenseman with little offense, I suspect Federko's number is safe.
Like I said in the other post, it isn't a big deal because plus minus doesn't tell the whole story of things. Kovalchuk was on a really bad team. It is strange seeing Hawerchuk at -92. He wasn't a Selke winner, but he would be a guy I would describe as at least "reliable and trustworthy" in his own end. But then again, Winnipeg was terrible back then too.
Get this, Kirk Muller is -146. Not quite HHOF membership but it tells you something. Muller certainly was not bad defensively but probably a product more of going against top players I would think
I tend to agree. Especially since many voters are going to hate having to leave one of Giroux or Stamkos off the teams.
I actually asked Dejan Kovacevic this on his blog (he owns a vote for the ASTs). He said that the Hockey Writers Association said to their group that votes that Neal should be voted as a RW, and all of Giroux and Stamkos and Malkin should be voted on as centers.
Kovalchuk has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th in NHL goals. That makes him one of the best scoring left wingers of all time. Sure he has lots of warts, but nobody can dispute his offensive abilities.
Despite what some have said, he is not far behind somebody like Brett Hull. He's more dynamic that Hull though, so that's not a great comparison.
I actually asked Dejan Kovacevic this on his blog (he owns a vote for the ASTs). He said that the Hockey Writers Association said to their group that votes that Neal should be voted as a RW, and all of Giroux and Stamkos and Malkin should be voted on as centers.
Also, he probably shouldn't have even been 2nd team LW in 03-04. In my opinion Elias should have been 1st team, with Naslund close behind. Elias was unreal that year.
Kovalchuk led the league in goals and was 2nd in points. He also had Atlanta in a reasonable position in the standings for a good chunk of the year before the bottom fell out on them (as it was prone to doing).
Like Heatley, if his career ended tomorrow then Hockey might as well forget about him as there isn't much to say beyond the numbers produced. It would not be a shame or disservice to overlook their contributions to hockey history, except as footnotes regarding the Thrashers franchise.
Kovalchuk has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th in NHL goals. That makes him one of the best scoring left wingers of all time. Sure he has lots of warts, but nobody can dispute his offensive abilities.
Despite what some have said, he is not far behind somebody like Brett Hull. He's more dynamic that Hull though, so that's not a great comparison.
I say give him a full career first before putting him in Hull's camp.
Hull finished 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th 10th in goals with those first place finishes by massive amounts. Hull is also among the best playoff performers to play the game.
As for similarities, neither was very good defensively, got criticized for not backchecking, etc. being selfish to an extent. If Kovalchuk is even in Hull's neighbourhood when all is said and done I'll be impressed.
