My beef with Alex Ovechkin

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

As a Pittsburgher, the Pens quit on Therrien to get him fired, end of story.

I saw the caps do the same with Hanlon. I just think the Caps have issues that go beyond the coach. They have failed to bring in a veteran leader who is in their prime, choosing to bring in players at the end of their careers. That's not how kids learn.

I remember the article Ken Holland wrote for The Hockey News when the Wings beat the Pens for the cup. He talked specifically about veteran players. He said that they kept Larianov for a season or two more than he was really good for on the ice, but it was for what he showed young players like Datsyuk and Zetterberg off the ice, game prep, training, meetings etc that made it worth the investment.

Instead the caps brought in Andrew Cassels, Jeff Friesen, Tom Poti etc. Veterans sure, but Veteran leader, no. They bring in veteran leaders who are winding down their careers (Fedorov, Arnott). They need someone who can come in for 2 or 3 seasons and actually effect a change on the player level.

That's why I think signing Hannan should be a big priority for the team this summer

[ktang 34]

I fully understand where you are coming from, but if you look back to who I quoted that off of, they were saying HE back-checks a lot. Which by your definition means he is the first forward back (which is what should happen), but that also means he is then the highest forward in the play. This argument (back-checking) is one I can't win, but IMO, they (the caps) need to change up their style to have him back-checking less, and play more effective D-zone coverage.

With cycling being a large part of modern offensive hockey, there will be times (about 1/3 of the time) when Ovechkin will be the highest forward and the first back-checker.

The Caps' changing its style to not have him back-checking would mean not cycling in the offensive zone.

Without neutral-zone clutch and grabbing, rush defense needs first forward back to back-check hard all the way (which he is doing).

[MLSman 22]

There are a ton of things wrong with the Caps.

I agree with many of your beefs with GR8. I have a few more.

1. He is one of the best one-on-one players in the game for sure. However, because he does not look to create offensive chances by using his speed and hands to create space for passing lanes vs doing it to beat the D for a shot on goal...he has become easier to defend because he is predictable. I saw this all season long...watching at least 50 Caps games this year on TV and live. It's amazing how little attention he pays to trailing players moving into good scoring position when he is ahead of the play. When he trails back...he moves laterally to find passing lanes that close quickly. In many overwhelming cases this year, he was his own worst enemy. You rarely see him dish back to a trailer on the rush, or circle around the net using his speed to get people out of position. The game is a North-South game...and his lateral movement does NOTHING for him or the team to create additional scoring chances.

2. Playing him on D on the PP. I don't necessarily blame him for this...so the coaching staff gets some spotlight for that stupidity. I have never been a fan of forwards playing D on the PP. The position requires a totally different approach. In many cases, you could see his hesitance to jump into the play because of the fear of making a mistake. It totally takes his instincts out of the man advantage. What's the point of moving him off the wing where he can find open space? Why not put Alzner or Carlson on the point with their offensive prowess...and understanding of defensive responsibilities? For this team...it just never worked...and the coaching staff never thought to change it.

Rumor has it Caps are seeking a special teams consultant. Count me in...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was wrong there.

[ktang 34]

Rumor has it Caps are seeking a special teams consultant. Count me in...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was wrong there.

The other part of the job is to get the players and other coaches to listen to you!

[Chadd 916]

Rumor has it Caps are seeking a special teams consultant. Count me in...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was wrong there.

Fixing the PP starts with taking the puck off of Green's stick as the QB and Bruce won't go along with that.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Fixing the PP starts with taking the puck off of Green's stick as the QB and Bruce won't go along with that.

And getting Ovechkin the hell off the point. He had by far the most success on the PP when he was playing the half wall, getting free, getting space and getting time to rifle one timers. Stamkos had his success from the exact same spot. It's not rocket science.

But Boudreau for the past 2 seasons has stubbornly put Ovechkin on the point. The PP would likely improve if they ran 2 full units, instead of having 3 guys out for 2 minutes and changing the other 2 if you get a chance. It's not like they don't have the personnel

Green-Alzner on the points, Backstrom center, Knuble in front of the net, Ovechkin on the half wall

Carlson-Wideman on the points, MJ90 center, Laich in front of the net, Semin on the half wall

[Caz 0]

Green-Alzner on the points, Backstrom center, Knuble in front of the net, Ovechkin on the half wall

Carlson-Wideman on the points, MJ90 center, Laich in front of the net, Semin on the half wall

Your arguement is a good one, but what happens when the play moves to the other side? Do they cycle guys to their proper positions, or does OV stay in Slot/Center of the circle on the other side?

[mug25 2]

Really dont care for Ovechkin at all. Started to like him but the more and more I watch him, the less and less I like him. Sucks for him that he wont a cup until he matures.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Your arguement is a good one, but what happens when the play moves to the other side? Do they cycle guys to their proper positions, or does OV stay in Slot/Center of the circle on the other side?

Absolutely, then you have Ovechkin bulling in at the slot (where if you watched the playoffs you will see he has no trouble going to the slot) and that leaves Backstrom working the half wall on the other side. He had 33 goals last season, he can shoot or distribute from there

[Chadd 916]

And getting Ovechkin the hell off the point. He had by far the most success on the PP when he was playing the half wall, getting free, getting space and getting time to rifle one timers. Stamkos had his success from the exact same spot. It's not rocket science.

But Boudreau for the past 2 seasons has stubbornly put Ovechkin on the point. The PP would likely improve if they ran 2 full units, instead of having 3 guys out for 2 minutes and changing the other 2 if you get a chance. It's not like they don't have the personnel

Green-Alzner on the points, Backstrom center, Knuble in front of the net, Ovechkin on the half wall

Carlson-Wideman on the points, MJ90 center, Laich in front of the net, Semin on the half wall

I'd like to see Backstrom run it from the right half boards with Green at left/center point and OV on the left half boards. Force the defense to commit to covering one of them and leaving the other open. Cover them both and you have your other winger open down low or a pass back to the other point man.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I'd like to see Backstrom run it from the right half boards with Green at left/center point and OV on the left half boards. Force the defense to commit to covering one of them and leaving the other open. Cover them both and you have your other winger open down low or a pass back to the other point man.

That is exactly how they ran the PP in 08/09, Ovechkin had 19 PP goals, Green had 18 and Backstrom had 14. Backstrom controlled the play from the right half boards, feeding it back to the points (Kozlov played the point at times, and Laich played a lot down low in the slot).

The opposition force backstrom on the right wall, he flipped it back to the right D man, who looked for an open ovechkin or green. If they forced him from the high side, he flipped it back behind the net where Laich would pick it up and get it to Ovechkin for a short side shot, or who in turn would send it back to green for the point shot with the D now stretched and the lanes open.

Then last year (09/10) they started moving Ovechkin back to the point more on and off to fill in for injuries. Team finished the season with the best PP in the league, but you could see near the end of the season it wasn't working, and Montreal further exposed that.

Ovechkin has to use his slapper from the point, but from the half wall he can utilize his wrist shot which is lightning quick, the snap shot which is fast and accurate or the slap shot.

It's a real head scratcher for Caps fans

[team50 20]

Looks like a gut to me...

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/10869/alex-ovechkin-i-dont-have-a-gut-do-i

[Joshison 1]

Looks ike a gut to me...

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/10869/alex-ovechkin-i-dont-have-a-gut-do-i

I'll give him the benefit, I remember watching his tv special last year on NHL channel and thinking wow he looks out of shape when in reality he wasn't.

[Caz 0]

I'll give him the benefit, I remember watching his tv special last year on NHL channel and thinking wow he looks out of shape when in reality he wasn't.

Well, if he started training in Mid-July like he said he was going to. Around the 20th. I would then say that we has about 6 weeks to get into 75% shape, and another month after that to get into Top shape. I think it would be wise for him to take a summer off from training, to relax and let lose, maybe that is what he needs to get a cup.

If you think about it though, in those 3 months he spent off, he could have packed on more muscle. If you don't make it far in playoffs, in the time gap from May 1 - September 1, you have the choice if you want to put on 4 months of muscle. Which for most guys is probably only 10-15 lbs of muscle, the rest being fat. Then cut as much fat as you can from September - the start of the season.

Just depends on what your goals are for the next season.

[IniNew 53]

Then cut as much fat as you can from September - the start of the season.

Just depends on what your goals are for the next season.

Here lies the problem. I've been studying this quite a lot lately. Cutting, although it does reduce body fat, also eats muscle away. There's no reason to cut for hockey. To be completely honest, the only reason to cut is for body building, and it's for a drastic reduction right before competition. Outside of that, it's needless. Eat just over maintenance calories to build the muscle (and you'll still achieve the 10-15 lbs) and gain significantly less body fat. At that point you wont have to cut at all.

[Caz 0]

Here lies the problem. I've been studying this quite a lot lately. Cutting, although it does reduce body fat, also eats muscle away. There's no reason to cut for hockey. To be completely honest, the only reason to cut is for body building, and it's for a drastic reduction right before competition. Outside of that, it's needless. Eat just over maintenance calories to build the muscle (and you'll still achieve the 10-15 lbs) and gain significantly less body fat. At that point you wont have to cut at all.

I would like to keep this thread about OV. But to clear things up, I didn't mean that by cutting, you would need to drop 20lbs of fat like you mean. I plan on studying Exercise Physiology and Sports Nutrition when I go to school next year, and I already have a very deep background on the subject. By looking at OV's physique, you can tell that he has a Mesomorph/Endomorph body type. I would say he's about 50/50 between the two. Meaning he puts fat and muscle on quite easily. This means that while he is in season, he doesn't really need to worry about what he eats, as long as he gets ~2g of protein/kg of lean muscle, he will maintain his weight, if not build slightly.

What I meant, was for the general NHL'er you can add 10-15 lbs of muscle from May-September, but you will still need to cut slightly afterwards. You cannot really put on a legitimate amount of muscle on without putting on a little amount of fat also (generally for athletes, you can put on a pound of muscle and expect to also put on a 1/2 pound of fat).

Meaning also, you can't really keep up your cardio on a consistent basis and intend to put on Muscle.

Think about it this way for OV.

Say they don't make playoffs and he's out April 20th on the golf course (so to speak). He has two choices (for our debate, of course he can do a percentage of each, or something totally different, like work on his stride, hands, or something totally specific). He can either party and start getting back into shape around August 1st, or train to pack on the muscle (mainly bulk muscle, then pack on the endurance-ness muscle (fast twitch/slow twitch fibers) later) starting May 1st-September 1st. At this point, OV might be able to put on 15 lbs of muscle (more if he uses a pressurized oxygen chamber, takes injections of red bloods cells, (or for all we know, uses something illegal) in that time. In that time, his VO2 Max has probably dropped considerably, along with he is lacking slow-twitch muscle mass in the new places he put on muscle. He then trains for a solid month on nothing but cardio, in that time probably losing 10 lbs of fat.

[IniNew 53]

I was assuming the extreme, I suppose. Still though, you can't try nothing but cardio and not expect to lose muscle with the fat. This is a bad discussion to be having in the Ovi thread regardless.

[interpathway 9]

This is a bad discussion to be having in the Ovi thread regardless.

The entire premise of the thread is a bad discussion. We could make one for every player in the NHL with the exact same title. "My beef with _____". We get it, you have an opinion.