Jump to content

Ovi watch/prediction thread.


Recommended Posts

Since this is a prediction thread ... curious what my fellow CFFer's actually think he ends up with?   Especially now with his struggles scoring.     At the start of the year, it seemed more than reasonably attainable, now it's looking like it will be awfully close (current contract). 

 

Gretzky's 894.   1072 professional goals, all his goals combined..his last goal broke a tie with Gordie Howe.    That ones 100% safe.

 

2023-2024   27 

2024-2025   25 

2025-2026   22

 

Thats 72  goals right now (one less then how many shorties, Gretzky scored ... why was his shooting percentage so good?  well if you were fortunate enough to see him play, you'd understand why).  Put's him at 901.   Enough to own the regular season NHL goal record, probably for half a century or more.     

 

As for who is/was the better goal scorer, or best at it, Ovi is in the top five for sure, but i'd take Mario, Bossy, Gretzky up to his neck/back/shoulder issues, and even  to around 1994 (5-7 years into those issue's).   Then have to consider who's next :  Ovi, Bure, Jagr maybe  (also scored 200 pro goals outside the NHL), and Bobby Hull.   As far as era adjusted, who knows what Ovi's career would look like if he had to play in the 90's.   And the dead puck era.   Bobby Hull had to do it in a six team league.   And is still considered a top ten fastest skater all-time.   Built like a tank too.   Richard maybe should be in this too, considering a trophy was named after him.    Ovi is the great 8.   All these guys, were legendary as is Ovi right now.    Brett Hull looked like he could do it for awhile too, for half a decade, he was pacing Gretzky, Mario and Bossy.   Ovi is the best left winger, to ever play the game.   

 

Edit:  As per goal per game.   Bossy and Mario are neck and neck.    Then Bure.   Ovi has slipped below Gretzky and will stay there.   It's possible he will slip below Brett Hull too, and end up right around where Bobby Hull was, a player i've been touting as a reasonable comp.    Same with Brett Hull,  remember well when he was the best sniper in the game.   As for Gretzky's first 11 seasons ... nobody is ever going to challenge that, for goals, assists or any category you'd like to use, goal adjusted or not.    There were a lot of amazing players, he played against, that became the best in the 2000's back then as well.   

 

Gretzky eventually fell down to planet Earth.    That just put him at the top tier with the best of the best.   He did the right thing, calling it quits with 900 goals within easy reach.    Ovi, likely won't.    But hope he does consider it, if he doesn't make it to 20 this year.     Still betting on him though.   

Edited by IBatch
  • Cheers 1
  • Vintage 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/2/2024 at 5:20 PM, Dumb Nuck said:

65

 

He's gotta get that number down to 50 by the end of the year to have a realistic chance to get it done in two more seasons. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/7/2024 at 8:53 PM, sassbs said:

I hope he doesn’t break gretz record 

 

Yeah I like Ovechkin but I don't like him anywhere near as much as Gretzky.  It was exciting for me to watch Gretzky break Howe's records though and I imagine there must have been some old dawgs who weren't over the moon about it at the time.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

Yeah I like Ovechkin but I don't like him anywhere near as much as Gretzky.  It was exciting for me to watch Gretzky break Howe's records though and I imagine there must have been some old dawgs who weren't over the moon about it at the time.

People will say ovi is better but imo he isn’t.  Gretzky did all that he did in an era where elbows to the head was ok and the defencemen were there to hurt you. The hatchers, prongers, Stevens wanted to murder you! The clutch and grab, illegal hits and so on…. 
imagine Gretzky in todays nhl with todays training regiment.  Or Gretzky using hockey sticks not made of wood!  Gretzky pregame meal was a coke and 2 hotdogs !! 

  • Vintage 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted Ovie to break the record but the dude is washed in my opinion.  Having said that, my hats off to Ovie.  Him and Crosby were the two generational talents that defined this past era.  McDavid has now taken that mantle obviously but Ovie, along with Crosby, were clearly the alphas of their time.  

  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/13/2024 at 11:48 AM, Elias Pettersson said:

Ovechkin is out today.  I wonder if it's a long-term injury.

 

Will Ovie ever score again?

Bigger question: Will Ovi ever play again?

 

 

 

 

Edited by Dumb Nuck
  • ThereItIs 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the play where he got hurt. Remember when Mikheyev played half a season with a torn ACL?  Ovechkin looks like he might have the same injury. He’s gonna try to play through it most likely. Imagine trying to break the record on one knee for the next 2 years when your shot is already gone?  
 

 

  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

This is the play where he got hurt. Remember when Mikheyev played half a season with a torn ACL?  Ovechkin looks like he might have the same injury. He’s gonna try to play through it most likely. Imagine trying to break the record on one knee for the next 2 years when your shot is already gone?  
 

 

I can't believe, I picked him in my hockey pool (counts hits, and shots too, usually he's a safe bet!).     Traded him awhile ago...

 

Ovechkin.   It appears that Crosby, is going to reign supreme once again, on the age side of the coin as well.     What a run though!   Crosby is like the greats of old, Yzerman, Borque, Sakic ... good to the very end.    Or should I say, Great from the start until the end. 

Edited by IBatch
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/9/2024 at 10:01 AM, sassbs said:

People will say ovi is better but imo he isn’t.  Gretzky did all that he did in an era where elbows to the head was ok and the defencemen were there to hurt you. The hatchers, prongers, Stevens wanted to murder you! The clutch and grab, illegal hits and so on…. 
imagine Gretzky in todays nhl with todays training regiment.  Or Gretzky using hockey sticks not made of wood!  Gretzky pregame meal was a coke and 2 hotdogs !! 

There are a few players i'd love to watch again,  Gretzky, Mario, Lindros and Bure are at the top.    Lindros would have a hey day.    Who'd be there to collapse his lung?    Prime Jagr too.   Even when he came back, well past his best days, he could play keep away.    Bure because he'd have a couple breakways a period, and 3-3 would be hilarious to watch. 

  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, IBatch said:

There are a few players i'd love to watch again,  Gretzky, Mario, Lindros and Bure are at the top.    Lindros would have a hey day.    Who'd be there to collapse his lung?    Prime Jagr too.   Even when he came back, well past his best days, he could play keep away.    Bure because he'd have a couple breakways a period, and 3-3 would be hilarious to watch. 

 

Ovi has a great shot. That's about it. He isn't in the same class of player as the guys you list.

  • Cheers 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/9/2024 at 7:01 AM, sassbs said:

People will say ovi is better but imo he isn’t.  Gretzky did all that he did in an era where elbows to the head was ok and the defencemen were there to hurt you. The hatchers, prongers, Stevens wanted to murder you! The clutch and grab, illegal hits and so on…. 
imagine Gretzky in todays nhl with todays training regiment.  Or Gretzky using hockey sticks not made of wood!  Gretzky pregame meal was a coke and 2 hotdogs !! 

Running Gretzky was a a surefire way to get you run from the league, either by Semenko or McSorley or your own coach and GM. Either Steve Dangle Podcast or 32 Thoughts recently covered this when they mentioned a Leaf lighting up Gretzky and when he got to the bench everyone looked at him and said are you trying to get us killed? It was basically an unwritten rule not to hit Gretzky like that. 

 

Edit: it was Bill McCreary who hit him like that in the 80-81 season 

Edited by canuck73_3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

Running Gretzky was a a surefire way to get you run from the league, either by Semenko or McSorley or your own coach and GM. Either Steve Dangle Podcast or 32 Thoughts recently covered this when they mentioned a Leaf lighting up Gretzky and when he got to the bench everyone looked at him and said are you trying to get us killed? It was basically an unwritten rule not to hit Gretzky like that. 

 

Edit: it was Bill McCreary who hit him like that in the 80-81 season 

 

Even still Gary Suter probably knocked 250 points off his career with a hit from behind.  And even Gretz himself had to throw down with the raging tiger gorilla known more formally as Neal Broten.

  • Haha 1
  • ThereItIs 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, canuck73_3 said:

Running Gretzky was a a surefire way to get you run from the league, either by Semenko or McSorley or your own coach and GM. Either Steve Dangle Podcast or 32 Thoughts recently covered this when they mentioned a Leaf lighting up Gretzky and when he got to the bench everyone looked at him and said are you trying to get us killed? It was basically an unwritten rule not to hit Gretzky like that. 

 

Edit: it was Bill McCreary who hit him like that in the 80-81 season 

Gretkzy got hit.  He was also hard to hit.  Hitting Gretzky "is like trying to hit smoke" was Glen Sather's thing ... there for sure is a certain truth in not boarding him and dirty play, but he wasn't free from contact either.    Everyone was trying to hit him when he entered the league, the NHL writers at the time, said he was going to get creamed, and wouldn't survive.     There is video of him getting his assed handed to him if you look for it.   


You're also right, you'd have to be awfully brave to try too. 

Edited by IBatch
  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...