Big-Game Success Separates Crosby from Ovechkin

Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin? Who’s the best hockey player in the world? It’s a debate that has gone on since the 2005=06 season, the year both men entered the league and the year after the infamous lockout. Both players have had exceptional careers up to date, with both men surpassing 50 goals this past regular season. These two superstars have additionally scored over 100 points in four out of their five seasons in the NHL. However, what separates Crosby from Ovechkin is his ability to get the job done in the biggest moments, something Ovechkin has yet to do.

This season, the Capitals ran away with the President’s Cup Trophy and were a heavy favorite to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. After all, they had 18 more points than every other team in the Eastern Conference and were the top-ranked scoring team in the NHL. They had superstars on both offense (Ovechkin and Alexander Semin) and on defense (Alex Green). They faced the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round, and the Capitals had a 3-1 series lead heading into Game 5 at home. From there, everything fell apart.

The Canadiens won the remaining three games of the series to record one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports. After recording 19 goals in their first four games of the series, the Capitals only scored one goal in each of their last three games. Though Ovechkin had five goals and five assists in the series, he failed to deliver when the team needed him most in Games 5-7. Ovechkin recorded one goal and one assist in the final three games of the series, and his Capitals were an abysmal one for 33 on power plays over the seven games. This series symbolizes Ovechkin’s inability to deliver in the biggest moments. In his five seasons in the NHL, Ovechkin has only managed to win one postseason series, a win over the New York Rangers in seven games in the 2008-09 playoffs.

On the other hand, Sidney Crosby has done wonders in the postseason. The Pittsburgh Penguins were the worst team in the NHL prior to Crosby’s arrival. Though his team struggled in his first two years in the league, he nonetheless made the most out of his lackluster supporting cast. He single-handedly carried Pittsburgh to the 2007 playoffs, in which he scored an unprecedented 120 points. Then, with the emergence of young stars Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal, the team took off in Crosby’s third year. He led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals, in which his team was ousted by the Detroit Red Wings in six games. In those playoffs, Crosby recorded a staggering 27 points and 21 assists, as the Penguins dominated Ottawa, NY Rangers, and Philadelphia en route to the Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

Crosby carried that momentum into the 2009 NHL playoffs, in which the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. On the way to hoisting the Cup, Crosby’s Penguins defeated Ovechkin’s Capitals in seven games in the second round. In the decisive game 7, Crosby game up huge, as he recorded two goals and one assist to seal the Penguins 2-1 victory. Ovechkin could not match Crosby’s performance, as he only attempted three shots on goal and scored a meaningless goal when the game was out of reach.

Also, Crosby outdid his brilliance in the 2008 playoffs, as he recorded 15 goals and 31 points on his way to winning the 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the most outstanding player in the playoffs. Even in this year’s playoffs, despite playing with a depleted roster, Crosby came up huge in the first round series against the Ottawa Senators. With the Penguins trailing 1-0 in the series and 1-0 in Game 2, Crosby scored the game-tying goal, assisted on the go-ahead goal, and made a miraculous save to preserve the lead and the win. The Penguins went on to win the series in six games. Such moments are what define great players, and Crosby’s heroics in the postseason define his greatness.

In addition, the 2010 Olympic Hockey Tournament, one of the greatest hockey events ever, displayed Crosby’s greatness. First, Crosby’s Canada’s team and Ovechkin’s Russia team met in the quarterfinals of the tournament. In the single elimination game, Canada routed Russia 7-3, further showing Crosby’s big-game success over Ovechkin. Then, in the gold medal game, which was the highest rated hockey game since the 1980 gold medal game, Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to help Canada hoist the gold medal. The legend of Sidney Crosby just continued to grow.

While Crosby already has two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, a Stanley Cup championship, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and an Olympic gold medal to his resume, Ovechkin only has two Hart Trophies to his resume, which only indicate his regular season prominence. Ovechkin has yet to deliver on the biggest stage, as evidenced by his team’s meltdown in the first round of the 2010 NHL playoffs. Crosby is well on his way to a third straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance this season, and his ability to come up grand on the biggest stages makes his the best hockey player in the world.