Malkin = MVP...?

There's been a lot of talk circulating in hockey circles lately about Malkin being a possible favorite to win the Hart trophy.
I'm not sure why it's taken this long, due to the fact he's been leading the league in scoring by 10-12 points for most of the year.

Apparently it took a 5 point game to wake people up.

See - the way it has been for the last 30 years or so, the leading scorer has pretty much won the Hart for obvious reasons - unless your name is Wayne Gretzky, then you win when you don't top the scoring race - but that's a rant for another time.

The only other time the top scorer doesn't win the Hart is when a goalie has a phenomenal season - or a good season as was the case with Jose Theodore - again - a rant for a different time.

The way I see it, this is a two horse race.

No disrespect to Parise, Luongo, Datsyuk, Crosby, et all.

This race is between two Russians - plain and simple.

Last year Ovechkin won totally because he got the Craps into the playoffs.

This year, Malkin took a team that was totally out of the playoffs to a comfortable 5th in the Conference.

Lets take a look at each players strengths and weaknesses:


Alexander Ovechkin

Strengths

Physical force
Lightning fast on skates
Shoots from anywhere on ice
Passionate about game
Fugly yet charismatic

Weaknesses

Half court player
Selfish
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
One dimensional- not a good playmaker
Dirty

There is no doubt Ovechkin is a great player. He has become the premier power forward in the NHL. He's fast, and can turn on a dime. He regularly gets 10+ shots per game. He's a pure sniper - reminds me of a Pavel Bure.

But

The dude doesn't play defense - he cherry picks. Forechecking is foreign to him. Yes, he is physical, but he is also a headhunter - he's taken a ton of illegal runs at Malkin alone - one of these times he's going to seriously injure someone - which is going to lead to himself getting hurt - the NHL doesn't want/need that. His physical play is only going to shorten his career (Forsberg, Lindros, etc). He takes a ton of shots, but most of them aren't quality - he'll often shoot rather than set up an open teammate. You could take any quality NHL player - if he takes 15 shots a night, he'll probably score a lot as well.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder - a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy

If that's not Ovechkin to a tee, I don't know what is.



Evgeni Malkin

Strengths

Physical
Plays defence - Forechecks
Deceptive speed
Playmaker supreme
Makes players around him better
Even Strength play
Doesn't need elite player to be elite

Weaknesses

Passes rather than takes the shot sometimes
Quiet/Shy
Tries to deke through the entire team too often

Malkin also is physical - not to the degree of Ovechkin, but not a dirty headhunter either. Malkin has played most of the season with less talented linemates than Ovechkin. Earlier this year, Geno was on pace for over 100 assists this year - that pace has lessened, but you get the idea - that's a playmaker. Because of that, his linemates become better players. Malkin's even strength stats and +/- are superior. As are giveaways/takeaways.

But

If Malkin shot 15 times/game, there is no doubt in my mind he would have AT LEAST as many goals as Ovechkin. I do wish Geno would shoot a little more. Malkin is shy, but I think that has to do with the language barrier more than anything. The more comfortable he gets with English, the more fun it seems he's having. Sometimes, it seems Geno tries a little too hard, and tries to walk through the entire team to get to the net - it is a total low percentage move that rarely ever works - that's gotta stop.

I realize I'm biased, but I do give credit where credit is due.

If the season ended today - Malkin is the MVP.
If the season ended a month ago - Ovechkin is the MVP.

The last 10 games of the season will be the difference - I think it is that wide open

I believe Malkin will have to win the scoring race by 15 points to win the hardware.

Even if Geno does win the scoring title by 15, there still may be enough Ovie love out there to win the Hart

Maybe - just maybe if Malkin celebrated every goal like a mental patient that just won the Stanley Cup, he miiiight get noticed a little more.

Luckily for Pittsburgh fans, he doesn't resort to that, and keeps his integrity.