INSIDE HOCKEY

Well, hockey fans, don’t let anybody tell you that the long anticipated match-up between Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Both of these players and their respective teams have given their all through six highly competitive and well-played hockey games with the seventh and deciding game yet to come. Perhaps the only regret is that these two superstars are meeting so early in the postseason.

Statistically, Crosby has six goals and 10 points in the series including some highlight reel tallies and the game winning goal in game 4. He has 29 shots on goal, three power play points and a plus-three rating.

Ovechkin has surpassed Crosby statistically with six goals and 12 points and he potted the game winner in game 2. Ovechkin has 37 shots on goal, five power play points and a plus-six rating in the series. Both players have registered a hat trick in the series.

Overall, “Alexander the Great” seems to be a little more dominant than “Sid the Kid,” but both players are vital to their respective teams and both are leaving their mark on the game and a lasting impression in the minds of hockey fans.

The one aspect of the game that Ovechkin is clearly superior to Crosby is physical play. Ovechkin loves to hit opponents. In fact, he is currently tied for third among all playoff performers with 49 hits in 13 games, an average of nearly four hits per contest. Crosby on the other hand, has been credited with only 12 hits in 12 games this postseason.

Regrettably, the physical style of play that makes Ovechkin so valuable may very well reduce the length of his NHL career. Power forwards tend to have fewer prime seasons (think Cam Neely) because their bodies break down as a result of the punishment they take and dish out. Hockey fans everywhere have to hope that both of these players have lengthy and productive NHL careers. Greatness like this is only good for the sport.

Enjoy the play of both of these superstars while it lasts. Personal rivalries have enriched the game of hockey in the past (think Gordie Howe vs. Rocket Richard or Bobby Orr vs. Brad Park) and this is hopefully the first chapter of many in the war between Ovechkin and Crosby.

Canucks Strength Fails Them

It was perhaps fitting the way the Vancouver Canucks season ended, in an ironic sort of way. Vancouver was built around the exceptional goaltending of Roberto Luongo and a strong team defense with just enough scoring to get by. The Canucks were 7th in the NHL in goals allowed and team save percentage despite the fact that Luongo missed time due to injury during December and January.

With the season on the line, however, Luongo and the Canucks defense failed them. They entered the third period tied 3-3 and twice took the lead on goals by Mats Sundin and Daniel Sedin. The first lead lasted 1:58, the second just 45 seconds. In the end, the Canucks allowed four goals in the third period on just nine shots. Their defense failed them when they needed it most. Season over. The offseason will be a critical one in Vancouver with many key players set to become unrestricted free agents, including both Sedin Twins. It will be interesting to see what direction GM Mike Gillis goes in this offseason.

No Suspension For Walker

From the ever-growing list of puzzling disciplinary decisions comes the Scott Walker ruling. Walker was given 17 minutes worth of penalties punching Boston’s Aaron Ward in the face late in the third period of game 5 of the Hurricanes-Bruins series with Boston comfortably ahead 4-0 before Ward was able to drop his stick or gloves.

According to published reports, Ward suffered a broken orbital bone and is probably lost for the rest of the playoffs regardless of how far the Bruins advance.

After meeting with Walker, NHL discipline Czar Colin Campbell rescinded the automatic one-game suspension and merely fined Walker $2,500 for the incident. The league ruled that Walker had come to the aid of a teammate during rough play and therefore, the instigator penalty was rescinded.

The problem here seems to be a complete lack of consistency on the part of the league when it comes to suspensions on cheap shots. So far we have seen Donald Brashear get a five-game suspension for a late head shot on the Rangers’ Blair Betts on a play where no penalty was called. Anaheim’s Mike Brown was not suspended for hitting Detroit’s Jiri Hudler in the head despite the fact that he received a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play and now we have Walker situation where he was not suspended despite committing three infractions on the play. There just doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to these decisions.

With regard to these suspensions, the league at least owes fans an explanation as to why no suspension was handed down and a consistent policy that is followed with regard to these kinds of incidents. For better or for worse, right now, the NHL looks like it is making things up as they go along and that opens up discussions on all kinds of conspiracy theories and makes fans angry at perceived unfair treatment. Colin Campbell has a thankless job and he generally does it very well, but fans need more of an explanation, especially at playoff time, as to why there are such different results for what look like similar infractions.

Superstars DO Get Treated Differently

It should come as no surprise that Alexander Ovechkin was not suspended for his knee-on-knee hit that probably ended Sergei Gonchar’s season. Like it or not, superstars are held to a different standard in all sports since people pay money to watch guys like Ovechkin play. If there’s any doubt that can be raised about a potential suspension, the league will make sure their superstar is on the ice. In this case, it certainly did not look like Ovechkin was intentionally trying to injure Gonchar.

In all sports, the best players get the benefit of the doubt on calls. Greg Maddux was always going to get a strike call on a close pitch. How many times did Michael Jordan get called for traveling when he clearly took more than 1 ½ steps in an NBA game on his way to a slam dunk? Does anybody really believe Wilt Chamberlain never committed six fouls in a game during his 1,200-plus game NBA career? People pay to see superstars and leagues would be foolish to keep them out of action unless something flagrant took place. Right or wrong, that’s just the way it’s going to be.

Good News on TV

Overall, the caliber of play in the playoffs has been superb and the television ratings have reflected that. In the first round of the playoffs, NBC’s viewership was up 17 percent over last season while games on Versus were up by 22 percent. In Canada, TSN saw its first round ratings climb by 42 percent. With Crosby and Ovechkin battling in round 2 and every series going at least six games, look for second round TV ratings to show continued improvement which can only be good news for the NHL.