ALEX OVECHKIN

Bobby Orr was the Babe Ruth of hockey.

He revolutionized the game.

He is the greatest hockey player who ever lived.

Arguable to some perhaps, but not to me.

However, there are others.

There are always others.

Gretzky.

Howe.

Hull.

Beliveau.

Richard.

Lemieux.

Jagr.

Messier…

We could go on and on.

And on.

In today’s game, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and David Pastrnak are making their indelible impressions.

Tell me.

What’s the story with Alex Ovechkin?

He is a monster.

A man’s man.

6’3”.

236 lbs.

And soon to be the greatest goal scorer of all time.

809 goals and counting.

85 behind Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One.”

Ovechkin has also recorded the most road assists ever, and has a total of 649 overall.

809 goals; 649 assists; 1,458 points.

1,317 GP.

WHAAT?

Most power play goals.

Most goals in away games.

Most goals with the same team.

In NHL history.

Personal awards are off the charts.

Literally too many to enumerate.

Internationally and, of course, in the NHL.

Yet the grizzled and acclaimed 37-year-old somehow still has detractors.

Like Don Cherry and Rick Tocchet.

Something about his over-the-top, showboating celebrations after scoring.

I know, I understand.

But get real.

And only one Stanley Cup to his credit, when fellow luminaries like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marc-Andre Fleury and even Patrick Maroon (in only 689 games) each have 3.

But may we dispense with this nonsense?

Shall we ask Marcel Dionne?

Jarome Iginla?

Adam Oates?

Mats Sundin?

How about Dale Hawerchuk?

Or Mike Gartner?

Roberto Luongo?

Peter Stastny?

Pierre Turgeon?

Gilbert Perrault?

Maybe the 10 best players never to hoist Lord Stanley’s hardware.

And nearly all of them played on very good teams.

Five (Iginla, Oates, Hawerchuk, Luongo and Perrault) played in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Four others (Sundin, Gartner, Stastny and Turgeon) advanced to the Conference Finals.

Dionne, with 731 career goals, never advanced further than the second round of the playoffs.

And that's the point, isn’t it?

Marcel Dionne with 1,771 points in 1348 GP is the greatest player in NHL history to never win a Stanley Cup.

So?

Ovi has one and is likely to become the premier goal scorer in league annals.

Cherry and Tocchet be damned.

[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in January 2023.]