NHL Eastern Conf LOGJAM

[Rob Iola]

Caps are 16 and 1 since he took over as Captain - he went mano-a-mano against Canada's best player and sent him packing with his manicured tail tucked between his legs. He's the 2-time reigning MVP, leads in goals, points, +/- (all while having played fewer games due to injury/suspension), and his team's on a 14 game winning streak.

Caps are a good team this year, and are certainly on a hot streak right now. I'll not deny that.
And Ovechkin is definitely a good player (even though he plays dirty at times).
Though I'd hardly say that he sent Crosby (at least I'm assuming that is who you are referring to) "packing with his tail tucked between his legs". It was an OT win at home against a team that was probably fatigued from playing the day before and from facing travel issues. And that other player had scored two goals himself.
Washington deserves the win, but I'd hardly call it domination in that game. (plus if I recall, the Ovechkin line was usually out against the Malkin line, not the Crosby line, so I don't know how much "mano-a-mano" really went on, but that's a technicality)

I'll wait until the playoffs to see who is the best team again, as I'm guessing they'll probably meet in the second round (possibly later)

Crosby's eye-liner - passion pink or luscious lavendar? My wife and I couldn't tell...

Such full lips - really help him with that cute little pout of his...

[Grizalltheway]

that's a horribly dumb thing to say

Caps are 16 and 1 since he took over as Captain - he went mano-a-mano against Canada's best player and sent him packing with his manicured tail tucked between his legs. He's the 2-time reigning MVP, leads in goals, points, +/- (all while having played fewer games due to injury/suspension), and his team's on a 14 game winning streak.

So ok maybe "best athlete in all of sports" is a bit over the top, but he's easily as dominant an athlete in his sport as there is, and in the next couple of weeks can prove it to the world.

Who would you nominate as the best athlete in all of sports, in the category of dominance?

[Rob Iola]

Caps are 16 and 1 since he took over as Captain - he went mano-a-mano against Canada's best player and sent him packing with his manicured tail tucked between his legs. He's the 2-time reigning MVP, leads in goals, points, +/- (all while having played fewer games due to injury/suspension), and his team's on a 14 game winning streak.

So ok maybe "best athlete in all of sports" is a bit over the top, but he's easily as dominant an athlete in his sport as there is, and in the next couple of weeks can prove it to the world.

Who would you nominate as the best athlete in all of sports, in the category of dominance?

Federer is definitely on the list, as is Tiger (w/ or w/o pants), Kobe, and, well, IDK - nobody really stands out in baseball or football (good/great players sure, but no really dominating players - I guess P. Manning had a chance at that title, but then he laser rocket-armed that killer pick-6)...

My point - you can easily make the case for Ovie as a "best" athlete who's dominating, and that such a statement is not a "horribly dumb thing to say".

[Grizalltheway]

Federer is definitely on the list, as is Tiger (w/ or w/o pants), Kobe, and, well, IDK - nobody really stands out in baseball or football (good/great players sure, but no really dominating players - I guess P. Manning had a chance at that title, but then he laser rocket-armed that killer pick-6)...

My point - you can easily make the case for Ovie as a "best" athlete who's dominating, and that such a statement is not a "horribly dumb thing to say".

Agreed on that, but you have to consider that the person who said that lives in Spittsburgh now.

[JayJ79]

So Manning is out of the discussion because he hasn't won a league championship, and yet Ovie has never even played in a league championship......

[Grizalltheway]

So Manning is out of the discussion because he hasn't won a league championship, and yet Ovie has never even played in a league championship......

Say what?

[JayJ79]

So Manning is out of the discussion because he hasn't won a league championship, and yet Ovie has never even played in a league championship......

Say what?

Was just responding to Iola's statement of "I guess P. Manning had a chance at that title, but then he laser rocket-armed that killer pick-6"

[Grizalltheway]

Say what?

Was just responding to Iola's statement of "I guess P. Manning had a chance at that title, but then he laser rocket-armed that killer pick-6"

But he did in fact win the Super Bowl in 2007...

[JayJ79]

Was just responding to Iola's statement of "I guess P. Manning had a chance at that title, but then he laser rocket-armed that killer pick-6"

But he did in fact win the Super Bowl in 2007...

Meh, it was against the Bears, so it isn't as impressive.

[Grizalltheway]

But he did in fact win the Super Bowl in 2007...

Meh, it was against the Bears, so it isn't as impressive.

Good point...

[wideright82]

that's a horribly dumb thing to say

Caps are 16 and 1 since he took over as Captain - he went mano-a-mano against Canada's best player and sent him packing with his manicured tail tucked between his legs. He's the 2-time reigning MVP, leads in goals, points, +/- (all while having played fewer games due to injury/suspension), and his team's on a 14 game winning streak.

So ok maybe "best athlete in all of sports" is a bit over the top, but he's easily as dominant an athlete in his sport as there is, and in the next couple of weeks can prove it to the world.

Who would you nominate as the best athlete in all of sports, in the category of dominance?

I would nominate Roger Federer.

[89Hen]

Giant win by the Flyers last night. They have home and homes with the Devils and Les Habitants before going on Olympic break. Down 2-0 with 3 minutes to go in the second, they simply weren't in the game. Too many penalties, but they did a good job on the PK. Was wishing they had the kind of firepower the Caps have to make up a 2 goal defecit... who knew?

[Rob Iola]

"This guy is an android. He's not human....Oh my goodness....This is his thing. This guy is legitimately 235 pounds, and this is just a nuclear eruption from Alexander Ovechkin....Here comes 8 in white. WHAM....Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness."

Can Federer do this?
[youtube][/youtube]
That defenceman is Hal Gil - 6' 7" 250 lbs...

The Caps lost. The win streak ended. And Alex Ovechkin's bizarre goal of the night--checking massive defenseman Hal Gill, goalie Carey Price, the puck, six medicine balls and several tons of concrete slabs into the net--was waved off by officials.

Whatever. Don't care. In the last week, the guy has scored with one hand. He's scored by breaking his stick, scurrying to get another, and then one-timing his first look. He's busted a goal cam en route to a hat trick. And against Montreal, he checked like 470 pounds of Canadien into the net. Which led to this call on TSN, from the much-blogged-about Pierre McGuire:

"This guy is an android. He's not human....Oh my goodness....This is his thing. This guy is legitimately 235 pounds, and this is just a nuclear eruption from Alexander Ovechkin....Here comes 8 in white. WHAM....Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcspor ... o_net.html

[eagleskins]

That is what separates him from everyone else. Best player in hockey by far.

[JayJ79]

Checking the goaltender while he is in the crease should have lead to a penalty (and a Montreal player throwing some punches Ovechkin's way, as you really need to protect your goalie)

[bandl]

Checking the goaltender while he is in the crease should have lead to a penalty (and a Montreal player throwing some punches Ovechkin's way, as you really need to protect your goalie)

He didn't check the goaltender, nor anyone in the crease, thus the reason there was no penalty. Did you even watch the video? Maybe if that defenseman was another 50 pounds heavier and half as good on his skates as Ovie was then maybe he would have been able to stand his ground and protect his goalie.

It's ok that you don't like him, really. Success breeds hate (thus the reason I hate Crosby....that and he cries and wears eyeliner but I won't ever deny that he isn't a fantastic hockey player). But to deny and find any excuse to say that he isn't the best hockey player in the league is just laughable.

[DukeJack]

Checking the goaltender while he is in the crease should have lead to a penalty (and a Montreal player throwing some punches Ovechkin's way, as you really need to protect your goalie)

He didn't check the goaltender, nor anyone in the crease, thus the reason there was no penalty. Did you even watch the video? Maybe if that defenseman was another 50 pounds heavier and half as good on his skates as Ovie was then maybe he would have been able to stand his ground and protect his goalie.

It's ok that you don't like him, really. Success breeds hate (thus the reason I hate Crosby....that and he cries and wears eyeliner but I won't ever deny that he isn't a fantastic hockey player). But to deny and find any excuse to say that he isn't the best hockey player in the league is just laughable.

Seriously.

If this is ok, why wasn't the Game 7 goal disallowed against the Flyers in 08? Exact same thing happened with Morrison and Huet, but the very same ref crew allowed it to stand. Additionally, the puck was under Gil when Ovi nailed him. If that play at been at the top of the circle and squirted back to the goalie no one would give a shit. But oh no, the "dirty Russki" made a dirty hit and kept the poor goalie from touching the puck. I've played goalie all my life in several sports - all Price had to do was close his pads or sit his fat ass down, refs can't see the puck, plays whistled dead. I hate Shittsburgh fans

[JayJ79]

He didn't check the goaltender, nor anyone in the crease

After checking Gil, he continues on and falls onto the Goalie, who is sprawled out in the crease, and it is that contact which appears to knock the puck across the line. Watch at about the 0:42 mark of the video.

You're right, probably not enough for a penalty, but plenty to disallow the goal.
(for the record, even if he didn't make contact with the goalie, I'm pretty sure you can't intentionally push a player into the goaltender to disrupt his save attempt).

BTW, I never claimed that he wasn't a good hockey player. But he does make the occasional dirty hit.