Alexander Ovechkin has been sent home early from the NHL Playoffs…again. I’m starting to worry.
As far as being a great player, Alexander Ovechkin is not there yet. I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll ever get there. Sure, Ovechkin is one, not the most talented player in the NHL. Despite his skills and personal praise, Ovechkin has achieved nothing. His Washington Capitals have underperformed in the playoffs every year. In 2008 they lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2009, the Capitals blew a 2-0 lead and were knocked out by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. This year, Ovechkin’s Capitals snatched a 3-1 first-round lead from the Montreal Canadiens. What’s worse, the Capitals were the highest seed in each of those series. Losing is one thing. Losing as a favorite in three straight postseasons raises a lot of questions.
When you’re the best player on a team, the blame falls on your shoulders. That’s how sports work. Great players receive praise after success and absorb backlash after failure. The inconsistency of the Capitals’ offense in the first round is irrelevant, as is the subpar goaltending. All that matters is that Alex Ovechkin is out of the playoffs before May for the second time in three years. He hasn’t even tried a conference final yet. For a player who is supposed to be a superstar, that’s not doing it.
Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a trend. Add in the embarrassing Olympic performance, and it’s clear that Ovechkin hasn’t learned how to elevate his team(s) to greatness… something all great players must do. Ovechkin has the talent. That’s clear. There’s also no question that he could be a legend like Steve Yzerman, Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady. Until he wins, however, he’ll be flirting with a legacy more akin to that of Eric Lindros, Karl Malone and Donovan McNabb. All great players, but all shared a common destiny; zero championships.
Ovechkin is still young and time is certainly on his side. The early results are simply not very encouraging. Sidney Crosby currently has a Stanley Cup and a Gold Medal to Ovechkin’s playoff collapse and Vancouver’s embarrassing performance. Fair or not, Ovechkin is already at the point in his career where his success each season will be judged solely by postseason results. He has shown that he can win scoring titles, MVP and any other personal accolade. What we need from him are victories as spring turns to summer. Oveckin will now have to wait another year to prove that he is more than a regular-season superstar. I will certainly be waiting.
(Now, if you’re looking for someone else to blame for Washington’s failure, I’d be willing to blame Capitals fans. After blowing a 3-1 lead and being eliminated by an eighth seed, Washington fans they celebrated their team as they skated across the ice with sticks raised. Excuse me? Your team just got knocked out of the playoffs for the third year in a row against a team that scored more than 100 fewer goals than them. Booing would be the appropriate response. Heck, if that happened in Philadelphia, the Flyers would know better than to stick around after the usual handshake line. Boos would be the least of their worries. Beer, trash, and maybe some batteries would probably fall on the Flyers It’s not the fans’ fault that Ovechkin didn’t get his team past the second round, but celebrating and accepting the team’s failure won’t add to the urgency or motivate the organization to join. Hard love card from time to time. I know it’s difficult but it’s necessary and also part of the job. If you can’t handle it, quit being a fan or move to Philly for any sporting season and you’ll catch up fast. We have mastered the role of tough love.)