Stan Fischler: Bringing you Bluelines Each Friday Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk0NjUyNzM2ODA4MDM1ODY0/usatsi_15575371.jpg] SIX PRE-CHRISTMAS GIFTS 1. Erik Karlsson is a gift that the Sharks must not trade away. He makes San Jose hockey fun to watch. 2. Boston’s TD Garden is a gift for the Bruins. The Beantowners’ home point streak is now up to 20 games. 3. It’s always neat to have a “Richard” on the Canadiens. Anthony Richard was promoted from the AHL and immediately gifted the Habs with a goal. 4. Josh Morrissey doesn’t have the Norris Trophy yet, But the way he’s playing D for Peg, he could well be gifted with it in June. 5. Every game that Kris Letang plays is a gift of health and talent for all to appreciate. 6. His ins, outs, dekes, passes and goals are Connor McDavid’s gifts to all of us who admire classic hockey. (And what a gift for Oilers fans.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHO’S BETTER, SIDNEY CROSBY OR ALEX OVECHKIN? Our resident seer, Sean McCaffrey, takes on this challenging question. See if you agree. ‘The Great Eight’ and ‘Sid The Kid’ have never looked back since their rookie years. Now, 17 years later, the pair of future Hall of Famers are still enjoying their prime years. Ovechkin, perhaps the greatest athlete to have ever plied his wares in the Washington D.C. area, was selected first overall during the 2004 NHL draft. However, due to the lockout in North America, the Russian, then 19 years old at the time, remained in his home country during the 2004-05 season. When the NHL players and owners reached their accord, it opened the door for Pittsburgh to draft Crosby, the 17-year-old and soon-to-be generational stud from the Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL), with their first-overall pick of the 2005 NHL draft. While it wouldn’t be until the 2013-14 season when the two legends first played in the same division (before the inception of the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals played in the Southeast Division while the Penguins played in the Atlantic Division), from the first puck drop of their careers – the two competed neck-and-neck with each other – and they still do today. During their rookie season, where both players played for rebuilding teams as first-overall picks often do, No. 8 and No. 87 had their first league-wide battle. Ovechkin, nearly two years to the date older than Crosby, drew first blood, as it was Washington’s star that edged out Pittsburgh’s new hero for the Calder Trophy. While Ovechkin (1,275 votes and 98.84 percent of first-place votes) defeated Crosby (831 votes and four first-place votes) in round 1, the two cornerstones of their respective franchises would go on to play see-saw with each other. For Crosby and Ovechkin, there’s no doubt about it. They are the greatest players to have ever played during the salary cap era – and of this century too. Listing all of their accolades will give any writer carpal tunnel syndrome. The two share multiple Hart Trophies, Art Ross Trophies, Stanley Cup Trophies, league scoring titles, etc. Simply stated: you name it, and they have won it. Trying to figure out who’s the better player of the two is like asking a child to pick only one piece of chocolate from a candy store. While Ovechkin and Crosby are all-time league aces in their own right and share many similarities, too – stylistically, the two couldn’t be any more different. Crosby, a center, has always been more of a playmaker than perhaps the greatest left winger in history, Ovechkin. However, a center should be more assist-oriented than a goal-scoring winger, and the stats don’t lie. As the NHL approaches its annual Christmas break, Crosby has a career stat line of 536 goals, 916 assists and 1,452 points in 1,141 games played. Ovechkin’s stats are 800 goals, 648 assists and 1,448 points in 1,309 games. While these numbers are stunning, what’s even crazier is how many games both players have lost during their careers, and through no fault of their own, due to multiple lockouts, the pandemic and, in Crosby’s case, concussions. Had these events not occurred – perhaps Crosby would be flirting with 2,000 points right now, while Ovechkin would have already surpassed Gretzky (894) as the league’s all-time goal scorer. As everyone knows, the ultimate goal of any NHLer is to win the holy chalice, the Stanley Cup. Crosby struck first, winning the silver in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Now, as established NHL veterans, and with No. 87 also having two Conn Smythe Trophies added to his mantle – it looked like Crosby was the clear-cut winner of this debate. Not so fast. Following Crosby’s third Stanley Cup victory, a year later, in 2018, it was finally the turn for the then 32-year-old Ovechkin to hold the pair of prestigious hardware, the Cup and the Smythe. These two awards had escaped No. 8 throughout his whole career until then – and this debate of the all-time greats resumed. While winning a Stanley Cup or not wouldn’t have impacted Ovechkin’s standing as a future Hall of Famer, the 2018 victory ended all of the “he never won the big one” talk. As these two marvels now approach the latter years of their careers, as Sid, no longer a kid, is now 35, while the man less than 100 goals away from history is now 37, neither one has shown any signs of stopping down. In 32 games played this season, nothing has changed for Crosby. He’s still the face that runs the place in Pittsburgh and continues to average over a point per game (43). Over in Washington, Ovechkin remains one of the top goal-getters in the league, as he currently has 20 tallies in 35 games. So, the big question – who’s the victor in the much-debated question of “who’s better – Crosby or Ovechkin?” The answer? The fans – yes, I know that’s a “cop-out” answer. However – how can one determine a “loser” to this question? Like any debate of this nature – it all boils down to your style of preference. (And who you root for, too.) If you enjoy a skilled center dazzling his opponents daily, then Crosby is your guy. If you enjoy a rugged forward who can’t be stopped whenever taking one of his patented slapshots from his office, then Ovechkin is your guy. But if I had to choose one over the other? Give me the grinning Ovechkin. Everyone loves goals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TEN BIG REASONS TO FEAR THE PENGUINS Our man in Pittsburgh, Vince Comunale, is right on top of the Pens’ surge, and here are 10 interesting stats: 1. Pittsburgh has earned points in 17 of its last 21 games since November 9, going 15-3-3. In that span, no team in the league has more points than the Penguins’ 32. 2. The Penguins have recorded power-play goals in 10 consecutive games, the longest run by the club since a 12-game stretch from Feb. 3 to 26, 2013. Only Boston (11) has recorded a longer such streak this season. 3. The Penguins have points in 15 of their last 20 games versus the New York Rangers (12-5-3) and are 16-7-3 in their last 26 games versus the Rangers. 4. This year, Pittsburgh is 4-1-2 against Metropolitan Division teams, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 24-17. 5. Evgeni Malkin had his nine-game point streak (three goals and 10 assists) snapped Thursday night versus Carolina. 6. Malkin recently tallied his 1,179th career point, tying him with Sergei Fedorov for the second-most points among all Russian-born players in NHL history. 7. Malkin recorded his 67th career point (31 goals and 37 assists) versus the New York Rangers, the second-most among all active players. His 31 career goals against the Rangers are his second-most against any one team, behind the NY Islanders (32). 8. Sidney Crosby recorded his 100th career point (38 goals and 62 assists) against the Rangers, giving him 100 career points against three different franchises (128 against the Islanders and 121 against the Flyers). No other active player has 100 points against one franchise. 9. Tristan Jarry had his win streak of seven games snapped last night due to an OT loss to the Canes. 10. Jarry extended his career-long point streak to 14 consecutive games with Tuesday’s win (11-0-3). There have only been three longer point streaks by a goaltender in Penguins history: Tom Barrasso (15 GP, 1992-93) and Marc-Andre Fleury (14 GP in 2006-07 and 2010-11). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I’M JUST SAYIN’ * The definition of “Much Ado About Nothing” in Toronto is when an NHL linesman justifiably pushes Michael Bunting off the ice and to the dressing room. * You’d think – judging by the media reaction – that Bunting was being mugged. * Actually, Master Michael was being shown where he should have been going in the first place – to the clubhouse. * Here’s what an early-season cushion of wins will do. Despite their tailspin, the Devils still are lofty at 22-9-2. * If I had my pick of backups this minute, I’d take Winnipeg’s David Rittich. * Cam Talbot gets the Lame Alibi of the Week Award. After losing 5-1 to Winnipeg, the embattled goalkeeper says, “We weren’t ready to start.” * If I were coach D.J. Smith, I’d loudly whisper in Cam’s ear, “What in heaven’s name were you ready for? A bag of salted Manitoba popcorn?” * Back to Josh Morrissey – if he is not getting the Norris this season, I don’t know who should [https://thehockeynews.com/news/josh-morrissey-is-a-norris-trophy-candidate-but-can-he-win-it]. *He broke his previous career high in points on Tuesday night (37 points) in just 32 games, and he’s second in points by defensemen. * Speaking of defensemen, Quinn Hughes is having a solid season with 28 assists in 28 games but zero goals. * No matter, GMs should never mention Quinn in trade talks. He’s too valuable to the Canucks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BIG QUESTION: (via Sportsnet) Is Patrice Bergeron the best two-way performer of all-time? BIG ANSWER: Absolutely not. Sorry Bruins fans, it ain’t close. Habs’ Hall of Famer Dickie Moore – with six Cups – was much better. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS MONDAY: Sabres can hurt. Buffalo now has goaltending. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 41 saves in a 3-2 win over Vegas, including a stopped penalty shot. Egad! Vegas got 15 saves from Adin ‘Over The’ Hill. TUESDAY: Pegging it home: The Jets’ 5-1 romp over Ottawa shows that the Kyle ‘Killer’ Connor and Josh ‘No Joke’ Morrissey duet is every bit a match for the Connor-Leon act in Edmonton. At 21-11-1, Winnipeg is underrated. WEDNESDAY: Florida’s foibles. How about this: The Devils ended a six-game skid by beating Florida 4-2. Meanwhile, Detroit beat the Lightning 7-4, also ending a six-game skid. THURSDAY: Nothing finer than Carolina: Hot Canes (11-0-2 in last 13 games) top Pittsburgh 4-3 in OT. Vastly underrated D-man Jaccob Slavin gets the winner. FRIDAY: Game to watch – Panthers at Islanders. They're two playoff hopefuls who need a win. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DIDJA KNOW: THE ABSOLUTE WORST PRACTICE RINK IN NHL HISTORY It belonged to the Rangers and actually was an annex to (Old) Madison Square Garden overlooking Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. It was called “Iceland” and primarily was for public and figure skating. How bad was it? Guardians Of The Goal author George Grimm reports that “it was small, dark, oddly shaped and had aluminum boards. It was approximately 140 feet long and 75 feet wide and one end was cut off at an angle so there wasn’t a full corner. Ex-Ranger Eddie Shack said it was like playing in a garbage can.” When Rangers GM Emile ‘The Cat’ Francis took over the team, he couldn’t wait to move the practice rink elsewhere. In a 2015 interview, the Cat expanded on Iceland’s deficiencies: “It was all glass on one end and the sun would come in there, and they didn’t have blinds. So, if you were the goalkeeper at the other end, you’d never see the puck coming. And if a player touched his skate on those tin boards, the equipment guy had to take the guy’s skate, go down five floors, run over to the dressing room and sharpen the skate. It took 40 minutes for the guy to come back up. So we couldn’t practise properly. “To think they had done this since 1926 and won three Stanley Cups. Teams used to come in to play us, and they’d look at it and couldn’t believe it. They’d say – in amazement – ‘That’s where you practise?’” (P.S. The Maven covered years of Blueshirts practices in Iceland. What drove the other media guys and me nuts was the crazy noise when the players would shoot the pucks off the aluminum boards. You felt as if you were in a boiler factory.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTkzMTg4NTI3Njk1OTk2NTc1/image-1.jpg] YAYS AND BOOS YAY TO CALE MAKAR for good sportsmanship. In Monday’s game against the Islanders, the ref called a tripping penalty on Mat Barzal after Makar hit the ice. Cale waved it off, “I lost an edge,” Makar pointed out. A neat move from a great player. No penalty was called. BOO TO KEVIN HAYES: This guy has been around long enough to know that offense is only one aspect of the game. But Hayes just doesn’t seem to get it. John Tortorella already has benched Kevin three times. The next benching could be somewhere over the Rainbow. YAY TO STU SKINNER. Here’s a backup goalie who just got a three-year $2.6 million contract extension from the Oilers only because Jack (4.02, .876) Campbell is so bad. (It’s from the tune “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”) YAY TO ERIC STAAL for sticking with it. Out of the NHL for a year, he accepted a PTO from Florida and had to wait for cap space to sign a contract. He was goalless in his first 21 games but scored three in the last six. Not prime career Staal, but at age 38 and toiling for minimum wage, a good deal for Florida and Staal. YAY TO MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD for his brilliant 34-save effort versus the Panthers to end the Devils’ six-game losing streak in his first start since Nov. 3 after he missed 20 games with a sprained MCL. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHO SAID IT: “McDonald; You’re nothing but a ‘Been-Has.’ ” (ANSWER BELOW.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DIDJA KNOW? A BIZZARE TRADE I kid you not – when Bill Torrey was constructing the Islanders’ dynasty of the 1980s, he traded minor leaguer Frank Beaton – ostensibly as a favor to his North Stars GM buddy Lou Nanne – in exchange for dinner at the posh Manhattan steakhouse, Palm. However, Central Registry rejected the swap. Torrey amended the trade to “future considerations.” Bow Tie Bill revealed that the dinner bill totalled $380, which was big bucks in those days. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER TO WHO SAID IT: Rangers’ center Phil Watson, who didn’t have a good command of English, meant to tell Leafs defenseman Bucko McDonald that he was a “has been.” Instead, it came out as “Been-Has.”
