The Case for Alexander Ovechkin as MVP

Today, the NHL announced that Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin, and Pavel Datsyuk as the finalists for the winner of the Hart Trophy, given to the league's MVP. The first two are no surprise, the third is somewhat of a surprise. It should be noted that, for the first time in NHL history, all 3 finalists are Russian-born. I'm going to make my case for Alexander Ovechkin as MVP.

First, Ovechkin can absolutely take over a game, both physically and scoring-wise. He almost single-handedly beat the New York Rangers in December, when the team came back from down 4-0 to win 5-4. He is the most physical of the three finalists and is one of the most feared hitters in the game. That's a strange thing to be labeled when you're a scoring, Russian, left-wing. Malkin and Datsyuk can do this - especially Malkin - but neither can at the level that Ovechkin can. Teams gameplan around him and he still beats them. He's scored 3 goals that should be top 10 "goals of the year." He makes defensemen look ridiculous without even trying (or so it seems). His emotion, passion, and drive are unmatched.

Second, not only did he lead the league in goals with 56, he ended up 10 goals higher than the cloesest. He's the best scorer in the NHL and finished with 56 goals, despite missing a couple games due to his grandfather's illness and an early-season slump when his grandfather was near death. Malkin lead the NHL in assists, with 78, eight more than second-place. Assists are easier to get than goals (two assists are given out for every goal), and there's a reason there's a goal-leader award and not an assist-leader award. That's not to say assists are less important than goals, but you can have a goal without an assist. Malkin finished with more points than Ovechkin - 113 to 110 - but the difference is so insignificant than that doesn't really factor in. Ovechkin actually played in less games so had he played, he might have tied or passed him.

Third, Malkin's team underachieved all season long. The reigning Eastern Conference Champions finished 4th in the conference, and needed deadline-pickups Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz (and the firing of a coach) to even get in. Some will compare this year's Penguins to last year's Caps, who got a lot of production out of deadline pickups and fired their coach as well. The difference is this: the Capitals fired Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving. The Penguins fired Therrien on February 15th. Ovechkin was on fire from Thanksgiving until April, at the forefront of a four-month climb from last place to the playoffs. Ovechkin's production was consistent and the Caps overachieved like crazy that season. The deadline additions obviously helped push the Caps over the top, but it is concievable that the Caps may have made it wouth their additions. They certainly had the momentum to do it. Still, Ovechkin led the Caps from last to first. Did Malkin lead the Penguins to the playoffs, or did a new coach, Guerin, and Kunitz do it? It's certainly debatable. This year, the Caps overachieved and finished 2nd in the conference. The had problems on defense and in goal all season long but thanks to an Ovechkin-led offense, the team still won. And let's not forget Ovechkin's 10 game-winning goals to Malkin's 4 or Datsyuk's 3. He's clutch.

I think Malkin and Ovechkin's defense is comprable, considering they play different positions and have different roles. Both get penalty kill time. Datsyuk is obviously the best defender of the three. He will win the Selke, as he should.

But, in my opinion, Datsyuk doesn't dominate like Ovechkin or Malkin does. He's clearly the best two-way player in the game. And when it comes to Ovechkin vs. Malkin, I take Ovechkin to win his second consecutive MVP.

Two Words: Game Seven

The NHL Playoffs are the best postseason in sports. I will argue that until the day I die. Last night, I experienced exactly why. Game 7. Caps-Rangers. Verizon Center. Tied 1-1 with 5 minutes remaining, Sergei Fedorov, who had had an awful series, took the puck down the right side, stopped at the bottom of the circle, and fired a snapshot top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove.

The result: Absolute pandemonium at Verizon Center. The 18,300 fans "rocking the red" were all jumping up and down, high-fiving, hugging anyone around them: it was complete euphoria. The arena was so loud, you could not hear the PA announcer announce the goal. The fans then remained standing and cheering for a solid 5 minutes while the final minutes played out. When the final buzzer finally sounded, Verizon Center erupted yet again. The Caps had finally won a playoff series, in a comeback fashion that they loved last season: they came back from 3-1 in the series and 1-0 in the game.

An hour later, the Carolina Hurricanes, almost to one-up division rival Washington, scored two goals in the final 2 minutes on arguably the best goaltender of all-time. If you have Martin Brodeur in net and a lead with 2 minutes left in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you can start celebrating. Guess not. It was a complete shocker that let the 19,000 in New Jersey in tears.

I love the NHL Playoffs. Caps vs. Penguins is going to be one of the best series of all-time.

Terps Laying Solid Foundation for Future

Let's be honest with ourselves for a second. As much as I've tried to stay optimistic on the matter, Maryland is not going to land Lance Stephenson. If Stephenson wanted to come to Maryland, he would be here already. So, it's time to chalk that one up to a good attempt and move on. 

Move on Maryland certainly has, as they have already landed a recruit for 2010 who is already much more highly rated than either of the members of their 2009 class. His name is Terrence Ross (pictured, left), and, according to ESPN, he's the number 41 player in the class of '10. At 6'6 and 180 pounds, he's ideally a shooting guard, but could certainly play small forward, especially in Gary's lineup. Most importantly, he's a pure shooter, one of the best in the nation as a high schooler. Originally from Oregon, he transferred to nearby Montrose Christian for academics. Dubbed as the best 2-guard prospect in the west before he came east, Ross was also actively pursued by Washington, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State.

Maryland has also received a commitment from the number 30 point guard in the country for 2010 in Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin is still in "project" status, and will have to work on his jump shot, because at 6'0, he's not going to find it easy to get to the rim in the ACC. Still, though, he averaged 27.0 ppg and 7.5 apg as a junior this season and was recruited by PAC 10 powerhouses USC and UCLA.

The only questions that remain for the upcoming season lay with Greivis Vasquez, who still doesn't know whether he's coming back to school for his senior season, and 6'9 power forward DeShawn Painter, who was granted a release from his letter of intent to Florida last week, and has scheduled a visit to Maryland. Any update on either of those will instantly be put here. 

(Photo Credit: montrosebasketball.com)

Sharks Choke Again

It's almost an annual ritual. The San Jose Sharks, consistently one of the best teams all year long (and this year's President's Trophy winner), have now lost yet another first-round series. I had them going all the way, under the belief that Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau would stop disappearing in the playoffs and Nabokov would carry them.

I was wrong. It must really hurt to be a Sharks fan, but the best line I heard all weekend was the following from a Sharks poster on a message board:

"I want Joe Thornton to be a pall-bearer at my funeral, so he can let me down one last time."

You have to love playoff hockey, where an 8 seed can upset the best team in the NHL any given season. Tomorrow night the Caps will look to complete their comeback from down 3-1 in the series versus the Rangers. I will be there at Verizon Center to cheer them on, hoping that this year's game seven does not end up like last year's game seven: with Caps fans heartbroken.

Wright, Tyler Hold Bragging Rights

... And I do not. I really need to stop making predictions on this thing, because as a rule it just doesn't work out. The final count of picks right in the first round (once again, based on the spot players were picked, not the team they were picked by):

Herman: 5

Radecki: 8

Kiper: 6

McShay: 7

Wright: 8

Yeah, I got owned. However, that's not going to stop me from talking about it. Look throughout the coming week, and especially for the show on Monday, for lots of TNT coverage about the crazy first and second rounds of the NFL Draft. Hopefully my analysis will serve you slightly better than my 16% pick percentage did. 

Middle of the First Round Update

Wow, do I have a lot to write about. After pick 16, Maclin is still on the board? The Kansas City Chiefs taking Tyson Jackson at number 3? Larry English at 16? Oh yeah, how about Heyward-Bey being the first wide receiver off the board? 

All of those will get their own post, no worries. I just wanted to update on the pick standings, in which it's a four-way battle for first. Kiper, McShay, Tyler and Wright all had 5 picks right in the first 16. I, on the other hand, only got 3 right. I suck, I know. There's still time, though. We'll see. 

Xavier Henry is Attending Kansas

In the completely expected news department, top recruit Xavier Henry held a press conference today announcing his decision to attend the University of Kansas in the fall. Kansas was already supposed to be the best team in the nation, and adding Henry will only make them better. How this pertains to Maryland is through Lance Stephenson, who is expected to completely remove Kansas from his recruiting radar. 

Although Kentucky still has a puncher's chance, it's safe to say that Stephenson's decision has come down to either St. John's or Maryland, and it could very well be a 50-50 chance for both schools. It is unknown how much emphasis Stephenson is giving to Greivis Vasquez and his ongoing draft saga. It could go either way there: perhaps Stephenson wants Vasquez to go pro so he could be the lone star at Maryland next season, or perhaps Stephenson wants an elite point guard to get the ball to him. Either way, time is running out for Vasquez and Stephenson to make their final decisions, and I will be the first to let you know when it happens.