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The Calder Trophy,
named after former NHL President Frank
Calder, is awarded to the hockey player
judged to be the most proficient in
his first season.
One would think that the top overall
draft pick would have an excellent shot
at winning this award each season. However,
that isn't generally the case. In fact,
we have to look all the way back to
1985 when a young Mario Lemieux was
named rookie of the year to find the
last time that the first overall pick
was also the best first-year player.
Due to the lockout, there is a unique
situation this season in which there
are two rookies who were both taken
as the top pick in their respective
drafts. The Washington Capitals drafted
Alexander Ovechkin with the top pick
in the 2004 draft, while the Pittsburgh
Penguins took Sidney Crosby with the
first selection in 2005.
There is a strong possibility that one
of these young stars will win the Calder
Trophy this season. This week, I thought
it would be interesting to see how Ovechkin
and Crosby have been holding up through
the first few weeks of the season.
Sidney
Crosby
Basketball fans have long been looking
for the 'heir' to Michael Jordan's throne.
Since Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux
began re-writing NHL records two decades
ago, hockey fans have also been looking
for 'The Next One'. If 'Sid the Kid'
lives up to expectations, he may fit
the bill. Indeed, no player has entered
the league with as much hype since Eric
Lindros was a rookie 14 years ago.
Crosby, listed at 5-foot-11 and 193
pounds, hails from Nova Scotia and was
born in 1987. He played for Rimouski
of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
last season. Additionally, Crosby played
for the Canadian National Junior team.
He tallied an impressive 92 goals and
127 assists in 86 combined games.
Crosby is surrounded by a numerous offensive
stars, including Lemieux, John LeClair,
Ziggy Palffy, Sergei Gonchar and Mark
Recchi. Through eight games, Crosby
has two goals and nine assists. Despite
all the obvious offensive fire-power
and Crosby's strong stats, the Penguins
remain winless.
Alexander
Ovechkin
Unlike Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin plays
for a rebuilding team and doesn't have
much of a supporting cast. Ovechkin
is already expected to be the Capitals'
best player. While Crosby could be compared
to Gretzky, at 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds,
Ovechkin is more of a power-forward
along the lines of Lemieux or Lindros.
Ovechkin, born in Russia, played for
his country in the World Cup at 18 and
played for the Moscow Dynamo starting
at age 16. Ovechkin could have earned
more money by playing with Avangard
Omsak, a Russian "Super League" team.
Instead, he elected to follow his boyhood
dream and play in the NHL.
Through nine games, Ovechkin has six
goals and four assists. The Capitals
have three wins and six losses.
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