Quote:
Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard
A post prime Ovechkin? You know that he just won another goal scoring title right?
As for the Islanders - their best players can be better than another teams best players. Elite players can have awful series - the question that needs to be asked is whether that is because it is a one-off, or if they are capable of having the extra gear necessary to win in the playoffs.
Coaching is important - but a coach can't teach personality/drive
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Ovechkin is 33. He is a rare player and athlete and still has a dynamite shot, but I don't think he's the player that could single handedly lead his team to a president's trophy any longer.
And on the extra-gear question... I hear where that's coming from but I also think that it's a little overblown. Great players are great players, and can be great if they play in the preseason, regular season, playoffs, Olympics, provided they are put in the right position. Sure some players are better under pressure than others, but there are many stories of players with prior playoff failure becoming studs. I remember for years Pronger struggled to up his game with the Blues in the playoffs, and he was absolutely dynamite with the Oilers and Ducks during their runs.
Maybe I'm just making the case that Flames core pieces shouldn't be messed with too much.