Satisfaction’s not guaranteed

Two weeks ago Alex Ovechkin traveled to Pittsburgh to accept a pair of trophies to commemorate his 2007-08 season.

Later that night, Ovechkin was afforded a firsthand look at his future plans. In attendance for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Mellon Arena, Ovechkin watched his Penguins rivals Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin playing on the sport’s grandest stage against the Detroit Red Wings.

“Well, I’m a little jealous,” Ovechkin said before the game. “They have a great team. If you see when [the Penguins] were first in the playoffs, they lost in first round. Now they are in the final. I hope next year we will be the same. I want to win. That’s it. I want to win everything.”

With the Maurice “Rocket” Richard and Art Ross trophies already in tow for leading the NHL in goals and points, Ovechkin will be in Toronto on Thursday night as the heavy favorite to collect two more pieces of hardware that would cement his season as one of the best in league history.

It is likely to be a grandiose celebration for Ovechkin at the Elgin Theatre and again during a day of festivities Friday in the District. In Toronto, he is expected to win both the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award, which are given to the league’s MVP as voted on by the media and players, respectively.

Toss in a gold medal playing for his native Russia at the world championships, and it will be remembered as quite the productive summer and a fitting conclusion to a remarkable nine months.

Ovechkin will not be alone in Toronto. Bruce Boudreau is one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year, and Nicklas Backstrom is one of three rookies who could win the Calder Memorial Trophy given to the league’s top first-year player.

The league’s online store proclaimed Ovechkin as the Hart winner last week by putting a shirt saying so on sale to the public, but it was quickly pulled, and a statement from the league said shirts are made for all of the finalists. Even if it was an honest mistake, Ovechkin’s 65 goals, 112 points and ability to lead his team to a division title and after it was mired in last place for much of the early part of the season could make him a near-unanimous choice.

He will receive a ceremonial key to the District on Friday, and the trophies he has won this offseason will be on display at the team’s practice facility. Later that night, majority owner Ted Leonsis will throw a party to salute Ovechkin’s effort.

But Leonsis and Ovechkin are like-minded about all of this hoopla. While it is a time to celebrate, bigger things lie ahead.

“I think it is a great sign that we have been recognized for having built a great organization with great young players and a great coach,” Leonsis said. “But it all pales in comparison - the individual awards from a team award, such as winning the Stanley Cup.”

Moving forward

Ovechkin’s 65 goals were the most since Mario Lemieux had 69 in the 1995-96 season. A total that high was considered almost unreachable as recently as a few years ago. Better goaltenders with bigger equipment, better defensive systems with relaxed rules on physical play - it all resulted in a dearth of prolific scorers in the latter part of the past decade and the beginning of this one.

Times have changed though. Sure, the environment in which Ovechkin plays is better suited for goal scorers than, say, seven or eight years ago, but his talent and drive have made feats once considered impossible possible again.

“My personal opinion is that he was the best player in the league this year. There’s no reason to think he can’t continue to be the best player,” Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. “He’s going to get wiser as he matures and maybe even improve in some ways.”

Story Continues →