It's been said that Connor McDavid was the second coming of Sidney Crosby - and then it was said that Auston Matthews was the second coming of McDavid. So it has been every year with the first overall pick, and so it goes.
We are incredibly lucky to get to watch the world's best players take the ice at once, but when you get into comparisons like that, it's hard to appreciate them for what they are. Brilliant playmaking, a high hockey IQ, leadership skills, and an uncanny natural talent with the puck characterize all of these forwards, and then some. On the other hand, every player's path to the NHL and the trials and tribulations they face once there, shape their careers and playing styles uniquely.
I'll admit it now; I'm a Pittsburgh Penguins
…show more content…
It's like Deja vu: years of underperforming leads to a phenomenal first-overall pick, who is quickly named captain and begins an upward trajectory for his team. No one needs to tell us how great it feels to watch that unfold, either.
(I'm done bragging, I promise.)
McDavid, unsurprisingly, has been a huge factor on the score sheet as well. He has 19 points in 16 games played this season, and is a +5. When the Oilers took the ice in Pittsburgh, McDavid assisted on all three of their goals. The Penguins ended up winning 4-3 in a contentious, evenly matched game.
The Leafs' visit to Pittsburgh was far less leveled, in that the Penguins took a decisive 4-1 victory after putting 49 shots on goal. Crosby picked up a goal and an assist in that time, while Zach Hyman, of all people, was the only one to score for the Leafs. Does that mean Matthews is in a slump?
Spoiler alert: Not at all. He's played fifteen games and it was physically impossible for anyone to keep up the torrid scoring pace he started out with. He's nineteen. He also has a weaker supporting cast than both McDavid and Crosby do.
Plus, he's still got 12 points - six goals and six assists - and is tied for the Leafs' point lead with Mitch Marner and William Nylander, both of whom are also having ridiculous rookie seasons so
, it was hard for Luongo to get knocked down, but when he did fall, he always rebounded and improved his play. Mainly known for his cat-like reflexes and agility, Luongo also had one of the best glove hands in the NHL. In 2010, Luongo’s dedication was recognized, and he was chosen to play for Canada in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. After winning gold, Luongo certainly lived up to his reputation. Soon after, in 2011, he came close to a Stanley cup, leading the Canucks to the finals.
This seemingly small advantage in most cases tends to give the older kids an advantage over the younger players because they get more playing time, get placed on better teams, receive better coaching, and in turn become more skilled hockey players. Obviously those who go on to succeed must have innate talent, but that is not the primary factor deciding whether they succeed or fail at the sport. The primary factor in how good they become at hockey is the better opportunities they received because of their age. When applying Gladwell’s Outlier theory “The outliers in a particular field reached their lofty status through a combination of ability, opportunity, and utterly arbitrary advantage” (37) the birth date of the hockey players serves a crucial role and is just an arbitrary advantage. The coaches should not place the same expectations on the younger players or the younger players should be put in a younger league more suitable for them so they too can be given a chance to become great like those born in the earlier months. Since this doesn’t happen though those born earlier are much more likely to become great, which provides a solid backing of Gladwell’s Outlier theory.
Each of those opportunities continues to build, and they continue to gain the experience needed to become successful in their field. The hockey players that were born during a certain time of the year, January and February, to be exact, already had a greater advantage over the rest of the players born in any other months. This was because of the way the cut off is set in place for hockey at the elementary level. Those player, then, are a little older than the rest of the team, grow and mature a little faster, and become the better player. They then will be offered more opportunities, such as club teams, to continue their practice and eventually put in enough hours of practice to become a professional hockey
Have you ever wondered what the oilers were like in their first season? And what's in the future for Connor McDavid?
I also think this user is right but it’s a little over the top. “Now that Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifan has been drafted into the league, people will begin shifting their focus more towards them. We aren't just talking about goals we are talking about shots, +/- avg., assists etc. For instance i am a carolina fan and everybody loves Justin Faulk some think he is one of the best in the league for D. However last night against the Red Wings he had a -3 +/- ratio, that leads me to believe that Hanifan who was drafted by the Canes is leading up to be a better player than Faulk. Hanifan who was +1 +/- ratio had an assist as the game progressed. Crosby who has been playing with many very good players in the NHL is still the best, his line is almost never scored on and they get more SOG (shots on goal) than all the other lines. Shots leads to dominating the game, dominating the games leads to smarter hockey and more enthusiastic players. Yes Crosby is the best in the game.” quotes a user from
Hockey, a sport who’s premier league is the NHL. The NHL, over time has had its fair share of players who dominated the game. Some of these players were just “too good”. Examples of this are Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe, and the Great one, Wayne Gretzky. Today, there are a lot of great players in the league, sadly to go down in history in any sport you need to be at the top of your time. In current days we see plenty of good, young players, who really contribute to the league but some of the older players who have established their name to everyone are the only ones who have really put themselves in the history books. Today I’m writing this article to talk about two players, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. The two players are considered the
He shoots he scores! The history of hockey has changed over time. There are many good players that wouldn't be as good if these changes wouldn't have changed.
A rookie NHL All-Star, the number one overall pick, an 18 year old from Arizona, and the future of the NHL, number 34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews is fifth overall in total goals this season. Auston Matthews was born in San Ramon, California on September 17, 1997 and at two months old, moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. To start, his Uncle had season tickets to then, Phoenix Coyotes games, now Arizona Coyotes, where Auston went to his first hockey game when he was three years old and fell in love with the sport. He first started hockey at age five and was once better at baseball than he was at hockey. He was good baseball because he had good eye-hand coordination and hitting was his strength. Anyhow, there weren't
When he was traded for multiple Los Angeles players in 1988, Canada was set into somewhat of an emotional earthquake. This shows how dedicated we are to supporting our home-grown players.
Well in all truth, he has and hasn't. Both Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin have had incredible careers thus far. Considering this, why is the "Taylor vs Tyler" argument still around? Truthfully, it's because we are hockey fans, it's what all of us do.
David Desharnais had a goal and two assists, Paul Byron scored a shorthanded goal in a second straight game, and Lars Eller had a power-play goal for Montreal (11-2-0).
But their luck changed in 2015–16 when, after a slow start and a mid-season coaching change, the team got through the playoffs and won the Stanley Cup, defeating the San Jose Sharks four games to two. Seven years after winning his first Cup at age 21, Crosby was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP with six goals and 13 assists. After he won the award he said, "I look at this as a total team effort. I tried to work hard every night, do my job just like everyone else. I don't know if I did anything different or specific.
This generational hockey player only comes around every so often. Dangling goalies often into embarrassment while skating and shouting "showtime" after every major goal. Scoring in major moments vs Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and many more make people to believe he's the greatest American born player ever. He has gone through rough times leading people to turn on him but the fans in Chicago will always stand by him. As fans around the league root against him all he has to do is show off the three Stanley Cup rings. Pretty soon it'll be playoff time and showtime will be in title mode hoping to bring home a fourth Stanley Cup in eight seasons.
On-ice performance: achieved playoff contention every year since 2003; Ranked third of thirty teams in NHL
He started playing at a young age. He started playing in the NHL at age seventeen. He first played for the Edmonton Oilers. He had a nickname, called the Great. He earned it by being a good teammate and working hard on what he did.