OT: Ovechkin Won Multiple Cups Tonight

[PuckinUgly57]

Freaking gold.


=)~~

On NBCSN for the after game.

 

[Deader2818]

Only in Vegas.

Glad though, Dude freaking deserves it. Never seen a dude so happy to finally win since Bourque.

 

[Kings4OT]

Vegas puts on quite an after show. Ovie is a big kid, hard not to like him. I will say I thought Holtby was the MVP tho...he came up huge and "the save" basically changed the course of the finals IMO.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Only in Vegas.

Glad though, Dude freaking deserves it. Never seen a dude so happy to finally win since Bourque.

I've never really been a fan because of his over the top celebrations even when he scored like 200 goals a season but this POs was a rough one for me because I had to pick between the lesser of two evils - do I root for a franchise with a star who I can't stand and had a direct hand in the 2004-05 lockout vs a first year team that had almost every advantage given to them to get where they are now and may win a Cup in less than 12 months of existence?

Ultimately the Caps got my vote because they reminded me of the pre-2012 Kings: 40+ years in the business, over time they had some star talent yet underachieved by never being able to put it all together at once but this time they did. Vegas needs to take some lumps - and they will next season - to earn the privilege of being a Stanley Cup winner.

On the personal side of it, I do like how the city came together after the Route 91 shooting for Vegas and I think it was moving to see Engelland (a Vegas resident since 2002 or 2003, I saw him play for the ECHL Wranglers many times on my escapades in Vegas) deliver the Opening Night speech.

For the Caps, I really enjoyed TJ Oshie's post game interview, you have to feel for a guy who was able to pull that off for his father much like the Kings were able to before Miller's health forced him to leave the Kings after so many years of watching them struggle yet being a trooper 100% of the time. Hockey aside, these people are humans too, have their own issues and demons and life experiences. These instances humanize the sport, which we really forget to think about as fans most of the time.

I didn't dislike Vegas until the POs started, even though I was never on board with the way they were built, the way the rules were changed, the politics of it all but I figured OK, they'll be entertaining at least and it gives me an excuse to see NHL hockey in Vegas and do some damage (fatherly damage these days - Chester is pretty much the typical girl I would meet at a hotel bar, work my Pucky magic, rail her and disappear into the sunset).

My dislike grew the further they went into the POs; not because they beat LA, but because I started to see how dirty and entitled that team thinks they are. They got away with more shit for a first year team than I have seen veteran teams who have paid the price by sucking, developing and ultimately winning, earning their stripes (Detroit, NJ, Colorado, even LA to a degree) and that just set me off. Last night when the clock stopped in a 4-3 Caps lead with about 1:30 remaining, I was drinking a beer and just laughed and said to Mrs. Puck "I guess the fix must be in". There was just a lot of stuff about them that really got on my nerves as the POs progressed.

After watching Game 2 however, I knew the Capitals would win because they had more depth are very fast and skilled and play checking hockey. They rattled Vegas good and I started to get giddy.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Vegas puts on quite an after show. Ovie is a big kid, hard not to like him. I will say I thought Holtby was the MVP tho...he came up huge and "the save" basically changed the course of the finals IMO.

I was surprised honestly to see him win it, I think he had a great series and overall POs but I think Kuznetsov, Holtby, even Eller should have won before him. Eller was huge for them in every round, he made game changing plays. It was impressive, if Pith Smelly played like he id in the SCFs he would have won hands down no matter what.

It reeked of the pity pick because his career his about to enter the twilight and he may never get to be on that stage again.

 

[LoCal Kings]

Happy for Ovi. Nice to see a great player get his Cup, especially since he is on the cusp of the twilight of his career.

As far as Ovi winning the Conn Smythe, not sure who else on the Caps was deserving. Maybe Kusnetsov, but I still think Fleury deserved it. He got lit up a bit in the Finals, which obviously only went 5 games. But if you at the playoffs as a whole, Fleury was huge in getting Vegas almost all the way to the promise land. Besides, in the waning minutes last night, NBC showed a ton of images of Ovi..... on the bench. No way a superstar like Kopitar, Toews or Crosby, would be on the bench with their team clinging to a one goal lead with 2 minutes left in the Stanley Cup final. Again, happy for Ovi, just saying.....

 

[Kings4OT]

Ovie has never been a good defender, I doubt he plays any SH minutes. That's not what he is there for and to put him out there just because he is the superstar is asking for trouble instead of playing to win. Its not like he is a D like Karlsson, its a different set of rules IMO. The D side of his game has always been the knock on him but he has learned the last few seasons to step it up some.....still I wouldn't put him out there up 1 with a little time left

 

[Kings4OT]

one amazing thing is everyone knows where he is going to shoot from and be standing....and he still gets 80% of his goals from there, even last night

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I did see Ovechkin on the bench, but what I didn't see was him griping. I think he has finally turned into that team player everyone wondered if he could be - he knows there are better defensive options on the bench and they were out there. I think in years past we would have seen him be antsy pantsy to get out there but I didn't this time.

He had a solid POs, seeing him back check was something too. Case in point - he turns the puck over to Bellemare on the PP, knows it, gets on his horse and negates a SH breakaway the other way. How many times have we seen him stop moving his legs and just float in the defensive zone? Granted he is a lot faster than Bellemare and he may not have been able to catch a faster skater like Marchessault but his effort was 100%.

Fleury was huge for them in Rounds 1-3 but what the Capitals had a significant advantage over the other 3 teams were they have seen this guy for the last 10-15 years and know the ins and outs of him. Something I noticed was they made him move side to side to a much larger degree than any of LA, SJ or Winnipeg did. All cross ice/cross seam passes, that is the way you beat him, they knew it and exposed it. He's uncontrolled at times and they made him lose his positioning on most of the goals he got beat on. His SP% dropped as the rounds went along, and the Fleury of old returned in this series to me.

The difference however between his 3 Cup years and this year is that the talent level in front of him, while better than most teams, was not Crosby or Malkin better. I think it was deserved that he didn't win it (only 5 players on the losing team in Cup history have won it, 4 of them goalies: Giguere/Crozier/Hall/Hextall and then Leach), he needed to be lights out to have a shot as the series progressed. He looked pretty pedestrian overall sans a few highlight reel saves, ending with a 4.09 GAA and .853 SP% in this series. That's brutal. I think the SP% isn't quite accurate because he was hung out to dry a bit but I also don't think he would have hit .900 because he was very average overall.

Holtby was more steady but also not deserving IMO. He was solid, not spectacular except for the Tuch save really. I think Kuznetsov should have won it but I'm sure they don't care because they won the big boy.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Broken nose my ass. Anyone play hockey and ever received one? He would have been black and blue and puffy and definitely wearing a full cage.

This is the type of entitlement I was referring to, Gallant said it was a penalty that was missed on Oshie with the reverse hit on Miller. It was OK when Neal did it to Orpik just 1 game earlier though right?

I didn't see a penalty on either play.

 

[LoCal Kings]

Absolutely agree Ovechkin shouldn't be on the ice when its time for straight defending. I just think its distorted view that an MVP (Conn Smythe) winner would pretty much never be considered by a coach to be on the ice in the last 2 minutes of the Stanley Cup Final.

Same as Erik Karlsson of Ottawa is usually in the top 3 of Norris voting when he isn't on the ice in the exact same situation.

Hockey is a two way game. A guy ought to be pretty damn good both ways to be considered a winner for any of these "MVP" trophies.

 

[Kings4OT]

I get what you are saying, but its a bit different when you can put up 15g in the playoffs...sure Kuz had more points but those where A's not G's. I think Ovie finally did enough defensively and that why he got to raise the cup. Like most any cup winner you can point to a few players that could get the MVP. They did win 14 games when Ovie had a point, only 2 when he didn't...

 

[LoCal Kings]

Conn Symthe or not, the Caps Championship T-shirt ought to be that pic of Ovi with the titties in the background.

The replays of Ovi blocking shots was impressive. I do understand why Ovi won the MVP, especially over Fleury.
As mentioned, Fleury did come back to earth in the finals. If he had just played "good" and not "great" in the earlier rounds, no way Vegas goes that far. Heck, the Kings might have taken them out in the 1st round.