Is there any comparisons between these two Russian dynamo's, aside from the fact that one was a #1 overall pick and the other is a lock for the #1 overall slot?
The thing is some people think he will be better than Kovalchuk because people have known about Ovechkin for a while. Kovalchuk came on late during his draft year, remember Spezza was the consensus #1 for years before his draft year, then a few months before everyone was like watch out for the Kovalchuk kid. Ovechkin people have been talking about for a few years now, also didn't Columbus take him with their last pick last year, trying to pull something, since his birthdate was close to the cut off?
Ovechkin people have been talking about for a few years now, also didn't Columbus take him with their last pick last year, trying to pull something, since his birthdate was close to the cut off?
I think that was the Panthers. Imagine if that worked out...
Is there any comparisons between these two Russian dynamo's, aside from the fact that one was a #1 overall pick and the other is a lock for the #1 overall slot?
yes they are essentially identicle players except ovechkin is simply better at their current stages... he is much better defensively, much more of a defined player then kovalchuk at 18.. from what ive seen i dont think he is as fast as kovalchuk but that doesnt mean anything, his quickness is still tops.. they say he has the same mean streak as kovalchuk but i didnt see it in the WJC... kovalchuk is more physically dominating... everything else is pretty similar but ovechkin has a much better all around game
here is an analogy i go by: crosby is gretzky, ovechkin is jagr, kovalchuk is bure, heatley is sakic
here is an analogy i go by: crosby is gretzky, ovechkin is jagr, kovalchuk is bure, heatley is sakic
idk how to react, i understand all but...crosby = gretzky...idk, to me there is only one. if he ends up close to gretzky in stats...still wont be the same.
Ovechkin is faster than Kovalchuk, in my mind. I've seen clips and he looks BLINDING fast. However, he doesn't look as powerful as Ilya. Kovalchuk is almost 230 pounds! He's a big man, even though he looks like he's 5'11" 190, he's really 6'2", 225ish.
Ovechkin is close in size (6'+ and a little over 200 lbs) but what amazes me about him is his speed. He looks like he's in another gear all the time. I haven't seen a guy this fast out of his draft year since Paul Kariya. Also, he's better in his own zone and more of an all-around offensive player than Kovalchuk -- who to me, is a pure sniper and thinks to shoot first ALL the time.
Long term, I think Kovalchuk is going to be better. Just my opinion...
here is an analogy i go by: crosby is gretzky, ovechkin is jagr, kovalchuk is bure, heatley is sakic
I disagree with all of the comparisons.
Crosby is closest to Gretzky in that he's smallish in stature and AMAZING offensively.
Ovechkin is faster than Jagr -- even right now -- but less powerful. Jagr slows the game down and then dominates (a la Mario), while Ovechkin turns it up a few notches to blow by people.
Kovalchuk is way more powerful than Bure. Pavel was a speedy sniper; Kovalchuk carries the puck way more than Pavel ever did, even in his 60-goal campaigns. He's a dart in-and-out kind of scorer, whereas Ilya is the carry-the-puck type.
Heatley is not Sakic at all -- Sakic plays with more speed, Heatley will be more of a physical factor (in that he'll be harder to knock of the puck physically). They have similar mentalities though.
Ovechkin is faster than Kovalchuk, in my mind. I've seen clips and he looks BLINDING fast. However, he doesn't look as powerful as Ilya. Kovalchuk is almost 230 pounds! He's a big man, even though he looks like he's 5'11" 190, he's really 6'2", 225ish.
Ovechkin is close in size (6'+ and a little over 200 lbs) but what amazes me about him is his speed. He looks like he's in another gear all the time. I haven't seen a guy this fast out of his draft year since Paul Kariya. Also, he's better in his own zone and more of an all-around offensive player than Kovalchuk -- who to me, is a pure sniper and thinks to shoot first ALL the time.
Long term, I think Kovalchuk is going to be better. Just my opinion...
Just to add something to that, during pre game Sam, Al and JD were talking about Ovechkin and I think it was Sam that said Ovechkin is better than Kovalchuk and will be better than him.
To me it doesn't matter if he's better than Ilya or not because he's obviously going to be a great player by the way people are raving about him, but I just want the Rangers to get him so damn bad. I mean, for ONCE let us be the lucky ones.
Crosby is closest to Gretzky in that he's smallish in stature and AMAZING offensively.
Ovechkin is faster than Jagr -- even right now -- but less powerful. Jagr slows the game down and then dominates (a la Mario), while Ovechkin turns it up a few notches to blow by people.
Kovalchuk is way more powerful than Bure. Pavel was a speedy sniper; Kovalchuk carries the puck way more than Pavel ever did, even in his 60-goal campaigns. He's a dart in-and-out kind of scorer, whereas Ilya is the carry-the-puck type.
Heatley is not Sakic at all -- Sakic plays with more speed, Heatley will be more of a physical factor (in that he'll be harder to knock of the puck physically). They have similar mentalities though.
they were NOT comparisons, only where they place in CALIBER
ie: one player is a star the other is a SUPERSTAR... sorry i didnt make it more clear before
unless you guys get a lot of clips there in ny, i dont think anyone of us has any idea how good ovechkin is compared to kovy. i saw some clips of ovechkin - i dont think they were the best ones, but they showed his wrist shot - which was awesome. problem was it took him a while to get it off, and no one was around him. he didnt look overwhelmingly fast, honestly. he looks big and strong, but didnt remind me at all of kovy, more like vanek with less dangle.i think i saw the highlight package here in the rangers board. i think he will be great - but kovy is pure goal scoring - ovechkin sounds like less scoring, more all around player.
Kovi is getting better defensively this season. Go and read the recent NHL.com articles about him. His +/- is a carrer high. Bure was a pure sniper, but IMO Kovi will become a more complete scorer.
BTW I'm 90% sure that Crosby will become a Ranger. There no doubt that the NHL will make sure, that such a good player will play in the biggest market.
unless you guys get a lot of clips there in ny, i dont think anyone of us has any idea how good ovechkin is compared to kovy. ...he looks big and strong, but didnt remind me at all of kovy, more like vanek with less dangle.i think i saw the highlight package here in the rangers board. i think he will be great - but kovy is pure goal scoring - ovechkin sounds like less scoring, more all around player.
Kovalchuk is a lot more than pure goal scoring. He *creates* offense. There is a big difference.
Having watched both in Russia: Ovechkin is a very mature player with a strong overall game. He is a professional. Kovalchuk's a kid who LOVES to play; his desire to win is unmatched. To me, Kovalchuk brings more to the plate because of his unbielivable emotional commitment to hockey.
Personalities. Kovalchuk is a goofball, but a very intelligent kid (his emotions take over sometimes, but he ain't Alex "Hay" Kovalev). Ovechkin is quiet. He is an old soul; he had a tragedy in his life that made him mature quickly. Ov is more politically correct and less open. I dunno if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
Kovi is getting better defensively this season. Go and read the recent NHL.com articles about him. His +/- is a carrer high. Bure was a pure sniper, but IMO Kovi will become a more complete scorer.
BTW I'm 90% sure that Crosby will become a Ranger. There no doubt that the NHL will make sure, that such a good player will play in the biggest market.
once again..... they were not player type comparisons, only comparisons in caliber of their stardom
Last edited by in the hall: 03-24-2004 at 09:46 AM.
It's better to be humble than arrogant. Kovy just got caught AGAIN using an illegal stick. He just seems to NEED to break some rule to survive. Kovy has problems. He's an amazing player to watch--I personally LOVE watching Kovalchuk score--but he hates defense, shows up late for practice, uses illegal sticks--bottom line he just hates discipline. Hence the nickname "Fat Kovy".
Kovy is pure offense, Ovechkin is more all-around. Ovechkin has no part of his game lacking. He may not be as good in a given area as a specialist in each individual area, but his completeness is someting a lot of players don't have. As for who will be better, it depends on what you see as being "better." If better is a complete player, probably Ovechkin will win that one, but if "better" means scoring more goals, Kovy I think would win that one at least at this point. As for who will be better in the future, you can't really predict. WHo can predict how Ovechkin will handle all the attention of being drafted #1, the large contract he will get, the pressure by the media and some fans to be the next Mario Lemeuix....we'll have to see.
i just said they were not player type comparisons, only comparisons in caliber of their stardom
Your "comparisons" make no sense any way you look at them. How can you compare "stardom" when two of the kids you mentioned are not even in the NHL, and the other two are so young in their careers? At this point, your projections are based on the PSOOM method ("pulling somethin' out of my butt). I can say with the same conviction that Malkin = Mogilny; Crosby = Friesen and Ovechkin = Holik (in terms of stardom of course), and be just about as right as you are at this point. :p
Your "comparisons" make no sense any way you look at them. How can you compare "stardom" when two of the kids you mentioned are not even in the NHL, and the other two are so young in their careers? At this point, your projections are based on the PSOOM method ("pulling somethin' out of my butt). I can say with the same conviction that Malkin = Mogilny; Crosby = Friesen and Ovechkin = Holik (in terms of stardom of course), and be just about as right as you are at this point. :p
because they are predictions the same way people comparing ovechkin to kovalchuk is
People often mistake political correctness and media savvy with humbleness. There was this junior player once... Projected to be a #1 draft pick. Loved by the media. It didn't hurt that he was a good Canadian boy who gave great interviews - humble, heartfelt, etc. But... slowly but surely people started hearing things about his behavior when the cameras weren't rolling: expectations of special treatement, me-first attitude, trade demands, etc. Not very consistent with a "great character guy" label he was getting. It took a while for fans to realize that the guy wasn't a Joe Sakic in the making.
The point is, there is a lot more to these people than meets the eye. Making generalizations and assumptions will lead you nowhere.
because they are predictions the same way people comparing ovechkin to kovalchuk is
Well, if you have seen Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Heatley and Crosby play on a consistent basis - perhaps you have a point... But something tells me you haven't.
Well, if you have seen Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Heatley and Crosby play on a consistent basis - perhaps you have a point... But something tells me you haven't.
what does seeing them play have to do with the hype around them?
what does seeing them play have to do with the hype around them?
What does hype have to do with projected stardom? Daige was the most hyped prospect of his generation. Victor Kozlov was hyped as a star. Vincent Lacavalier was called the next Gretzky. Hype and stardom are two different things. Judge potential stardom on what you see - not what you hear.
