Return of the King

Okay, "the King" might be pushing it, but Sidney Crosby is undeniably one of the most talented guys ever to lace up the skates. This is a short analysis on his comeback from a long absence due to concussion from last season.

The number of severe concussions in NHL seem to have increased in the past seasons. Maybe it's the fact that the game is now faster than ever and high-speed collisions have devastating effects. Maybe it's the instigator rule, that penalizes quite heavily on starting the brawls on the ice and thus making it less appealing to take matters in players' own hands after heavy hits on the most important players. Maybe it's just that the topic of concussions has become very popular in the gossipy sports journalism? Maybe we just have started to care more about player's health after some disturbing incidents and careers that have been cut off mid flight. Whatever the reason, concussion discussion is on, with high volume.

Sid the Kid has been cleared for contact practice. He must be torn apart with emotions. On the other hand he has to be afraid of the symptoms returning after receiving another hard hit. Then again, he was on top of the pedestal, the poster boy of hockey, the leading player in the league, and must hate having a white helmet for contact warning in practice and not being able to play the game he loves. The salary keeps rolling in even if he's not on the ice for games. The kid is a multimillionaire for the rest of his life. But that isn't the driving force. It is achieving immortality in the history of hockey by being the best of an era.

Well, young Mr. Crosby and his position among hockey's greatest is probably one of the most discussed topic in the hockey online boards. There's fans and haters, both equally emotional. But merely the fact that this much heated debate exists around him is a testament to the fact that he is a special talent. And everyone, who follows the game, should welcome Sidney Crosby back to the rinks with open arms.

But then, the prognosis. What will happen when he actually returns. The pressure is high now with the clearance from doctors, and Pittsburgh Penguins management has to eventually make the decision to let him loose. Will there be some unspoken league wide agreement to respect his return and let him accommodate to the game or will there be some loose cannons on the ice, aiming to crush him just to make a permanent dent in the Penguins' future. This way or that, given the time and avoiding further setback, Sidney Crosby will start to deliver in the offensive columns. Penguins will take a giant leap forwards and become the team to beat for the championship. After Crosby gets all cylinders pumping, he needs to be taken under special surveillance and constant harassment by the opposition. Hard hits will follow.

I'm eagerly waiting for Crosby's return, but also have a healthy dose of scepticism on his ability to remain healthy under the growing pressure. I hope he can avoid Marc Savard's destiny of losing the enge of his game due to constantly having to look over his shoulders and keep out of trouble, while at the same time diverting from the finely tuned optimal tracks in his game and perhaps opening the door for even bigger disasters in the form of physical contact. I hope he can return to his full potential and help the whole league take a step up in the competitive levels just to not let him dominate too much. Then it's up to the other star players in the league to overthrow the King from his throne. With talent, not with violence.

Regular season heroics, the MVP

Ended up thinking about the MVP honours and decided to share a few words on that too. There are quite a few angles to look at this, but eventually we're often seeing this trophy going to the biggest scorers in the league. Flashy, celebrated, easy to remember moments. Well, there's other trophies for just that. The Art Ross for scoring title and Rocket Richard for most goals. MVP should have deeper justification criteria. Some thoughts will follow..

Goalies, anyone? Hasek got the Hart twice, for significant heroics, Theodore once for maybe a little less. Some guys in the past decades too, but in general it's been a trophy for the players.

Defencemen then? Chris Pronger is the only one since Bobby Orr to get this. And Pronger at his best sure was a dominating player on the ice. One could argue for Ray Bourgue, Niklas Lidström and such greats. Eventually, were talking about the most important forward here.

Defensive forwards? Top plus-minus, most steals, blocks, checks, penalty killing? Naah, we're really talking about another scoring title here. Which is okay, but on the other hand, we could spread the criteria a bit more. Even Pavel Datsuyk hasn't won this and he's about as complete package as it gets on both offence and defence. All-time. Maybe if he'd still have some crushing checking ability, he would be loved all around.

Last years' hottest, Ovechkin and Crosby have already tasted this prize. Something tells me that these guys will have their names on the vase some more times in the years to come. The Sedin twins seem to be taking over the scoring department with speed, so that surname should appear on the trophy a few more times.

Ovien and Crosby are out this season. Ovie punised for playing more defence and Crosby for the unfortunate concussion. Sidney Crosby would have taken this honour this season without a question if he'd been able to play full season. He would have actually beaten last decade's records on the scoring categories too. Let's hope he comes back strong for the next season.

So, who's going to take it this year? My guess is Daniel Sedin. He'll win the Art Ross with ease and he's really been solid all year long. Doesn't matter that he's playing on the most complete team of the season and with a fantastic line with brother Hank and Ryan Kesler. All of the guys are having tremendous seasons.

Some might throw Martin St. Louis in the mix. And why not. He's definitely most points per pound and has really again showed it's a skill game today in NHL. He's benefitted of the awesome linemate Steven Stamkos, who has somehow dimmed down on the second half of the season. In comparison to the brightest stars, of course.. it's tough to get criticism for scoring "only" about a point per game.

Corey Perry has been mentioned. He'll win the Rocket, and has to give big thanks to great linemates Getzlaf and Ryan. Another impact player on an impact line.

Well, apart of these obvious candidates, some credit should go to the "lonely wolves" department. Not that these guys don't have great linemates, but maybe not in the same category as the aforementioned.

Anyway, Jarome Iginla, another solid year, scoring, checking, fighting, really leading by example. Calgary won't make it to the playoffs, so maybe his stock falls a notch on that. Not his fault, though..

What about Henrik Zetterberg? Another good year on points, but really digging deep to do everything on the ice to make the team win. If Datsuyk would have played healthy all year, They'd both be in the mix for Hart.

Young guns, Toews, Kopitar, Richards, leading their teams as captains, scoring massive amounts of points and really showing that they are today's premier players. Maybe in the following years these guys will find another gear and tear the place apart.

And finally, what about the "old gun", Teemu Selänne. There isn't that many 40-year-olds, playing in the second line of a mediocre team that score over point per game. There actually isn't anyone, nor hardly ever has been. One can just stand in amazement and hope for a sequel. Truly the best Finnish player ever and one of the greatest all time in the history of NHL. And one cannot undermine the effect of Selänne's heroics to the Anaheim team just sitting on the better side of playoff bubble. Go Teemu!

Hopefully the selecting writers will expand their horizon a bit and also consider the heros just outside the brightest spotlight!

The eternal Crosby vs. Ovechkin discussion

Okay, here's another topic that has been chewed down to the bone. I just can't help taking part. I'll try to tell you what the others think, maybe even share my personal opinion. So, which one of these ultimate superstars is best?

First. If you talk to Canadians, well, you're on somewhat biased territory. Crosby has been stamped the best player since Gretzky and Lemieux since he's been a little kid. And by no means in vain. He's just terrific and if you think of the pressure, his career so far is even more amazing. The NHL is not the same as it was with the previous greats, so it's practically impossible for anyone to challenge e.g. Gretzky's records. Players and teams in general are just so much better and more evenly matched.

Also, if you talk with the traditionalists in hockey circles, the answer is pretty much always Crosby. The most praised hockey analysts are from the US and Canada. Their wisdom is quoted over and over by "lesser hockey nations". They speak English. An English speaking kid is by default easier to get a grip on. So let's go with Sid. Ovie has taken English language over with similar stunning fashion as he's taken the NHL. However, he's still the foreign kid.

Also, the older generation just cannot get over the cold war approach to eastern players, especially Russians. It sometimes is just hilarious when these guys go on and on in trying to generalize a Russian player with "bad habits" like low work ethics, diving, not being physical, obstructing with the stick, being individuals instead of team players etc. These analysts should be moved out of the throne and let younger knowledge take over the modern media.

I don't understand Russian, but it doesn't take much of a magician to guess that on that side of the "iron curtain" analysts opinions are somewhat opposite. In my native Finland, with somewhat intimate history with the Russians, most of the media follows blindly on the path of the North America. Exceptions exist and make the whole hockey coverage somewhat tolerable.

But let's put the politics aside and concentrate on these two guys. Crosby, as said before, was breed to become the face of the NHL. Ovechkin took most of the hockey world by surprise. Of course he hit the radar of all scouts, but his emergence from yet another Russian kid coming over to NHL to becoming the most thrilling force on the ice is as amazing as it comes. Easier path than Crosby's, especially on mental level. Who knows how the Russian athlete machinery came up with this masterpiece.

But how to compare these guys? Statistics, well, both have been leading the scoring for the last years. Consistency, both are very much present at every game. They may miss a beat here and there, but not for more than a game or two. Meaning to the team, both have taken the bottom feeder teams and practically carried the whole franchises from near bankrupcy and bottom of the standings to biggest cup contenders and the franchises with biggest fan following. Team sport, right?

So, what about the other angle? Which team would dive deeper if they lost the star? My guess, Washington. The fallback stars are Malkin in Pittsburgh and Semin&Bäckström in Washington. Malkin has proven that he can carry the team on tough spots, Semin has proven that he cannot. Bäckström is a mystery, but doesn't look like a leader, at least yet. Fantastic players, all of these anyway. Not a massive difference here either.

Let's dig into the details. Shot, Ovie, no question about it. Passing, Sid. Physicality, Ovie, duh. Shootouts, Sid, by far. Reckless penalties, Ovie. Losing the peer respect by talking, Sid. Jokes, Ovie. Classic boyschool interviews, Sid. Individual efforts, Ovie. Positioning, Sid.

On purely physical skills, Ovie takes the edge. On mental side it's Sid. Show value is just great for both.

So is there some kind of a conclusion? Not really. Every team would take either one of them and sacrifice half of the roster in doing so. The owners want to lock these guys for life. If a team needs a "lead-by-example" person, go with Sid. If you need someone to look up and in awe to raise the team spirits, go with Ovie.

My personal take. Well, for fantasy league, Ovie has an edge on producing it all, points, penalties. For Finnish national team, Crosby could show the next generation of players what it takes to make it to the absolute top. For a beer downtown, definitely Ovechkin. For a hardcore hockey follower, Sid. For an occasional fan, Ovie and his highlights.

In the end, what would be even more interesting than choosing the better one? What would these two do together on the line. Best center and best winger. Throw in some speedy bruiser with a goalmouth scoring touch and you'd get the line of a century. I'll keep my fingers crossed for all-stars game, as lame as it is..