Rivalries define sports and increase their popularity. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has had Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell and Larry Bird versus Ervin “Magic” Johnson. The sheer star power of these athletes transcended the sport. The rivalries between these men fascinated fans and grew with two teams, led by super-stars, battling for championships.
Unfortunately, the NHL has not had these types of rivalries. The two most popular players of the last generation, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, rarely faced each other. After the league’s most popular players retired, the league suffered from a locked-out 2004-2005 season. The league was devoid of stars when it returned, but no more.
Three hockey players have taken the NHL by storm.
Sidney “Sid the Kid” Crosby is the youngest player to score 100 points in a season (2005-2006), during his rookie year, at the age of 18. In his second season, he took home the Art Ross Trophy (given to the league’s highest scorer), becoming the youngest player to win the award and the youngest scoring champion of any North American professional sport. He also is the youngest team captain in NHL history. Maybe most impressive is his 2006-2007 Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the league’s Most Valuable Player, the youngest (yet again) to do so.
Alexander “The Great” Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy, given to the league’s top rookie, during the 2005-2006 season (edging out Sidney Crosby). In the 2007-2008 NHL season, Ovechkin earned the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy, as well as the Rocket Richard Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award. Ovechkin is the only player to win those 4 trophies in the same season.
Evgeni “Geno” Malkin won the Calder Trophy after the 2006-2007 NHL season as the league’s top rookie. During the 2008-2009 season, Malkin won the Art Ross Trophy.
These players are all signed to long-term contracts with their teams. And they will only get better. When the 2009 playoff series between the Penguins and the Capitols begins, the 6-2” 212-pound Ovechkin will only be 23-years-old. The 5’11” 200-pound Crosby will be only 21. The 6’3” 195-pound Malkin will be 22.
Crosby and Ovechkin are the “faces” of the NHL, which brings a natural rivalry. However, the rivalry between Ovechkin and Malkin is a little more interesting. In hockey, skill players, like Ovechkin and Malkin, do not physically go after one another. The same cannot be said when these two meet on the ice. Both are Russian-born players. According to the Sport-Express, and reported by the Washington Post, Ovechkin punched Malkin’s agent in a Russian nightclub. Neither player will discuss where all the resentment stems, but it doesn’t stop them from hard checking and jawing at each other during games.
No sport changes from “oh no” to “oh yeah” as fast as playoff hockey. Add star power, the faces of the NHL, a Russian rivalry, and two evenly-matched teams, and this series will be a treat to watch for all hockey fans.
Sources:
Molinari, Dave. “Malkin, Ovechkin likely to resume physical rivalry” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 14, 2009
El-Bashir, Tarik “Report: Ovechkin Punches Malkin’s Agent” Washington Post. August 29, 2007
“Ovechkin in Conflict with Malkin’s Agent” Sport Express, August 29, 2007
