crosby, and game 7 showed every reason why.

crosby utilized his teammates instead of constantly outskating them and shooting the puck, backchecked even when up several goals, didn’t gloat after his (or his teammates’) goals, played all around sound defense, and was noticeable every single shift.

ovechkin is by far the better offensive player of the two; he is incredibly dynamic with the puck, and the only thing he lacks offensively in comparison with crosby is that crosby involves his teammates in the offense more whereas ovechkin is such a force (and knows it) that he tends to try and do it all himself.

but if the question is who is the better player, and by this meaning who is the most complete, all-around player - it is crosby due to sound defensive work every single game.  he not only puts up the same amount of points as ovechkin (although less goals, but points are points), but plays a much more rounded game - defensively, in the corners, backchecking (all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet).

Posted by JAWS on 05/13/09 at 09:45 PM ET

If you really have to ask that question, You don’t know hockey

Posted by Evilpens on 05/13/09 at 09:48 PM ET

EvilPens - I actually do know the game of hockey. I was simply opening the floor to the readers here at KK.

Posted by Patrick Hoffman from White Plains, NY on 05/13/09 at 09:50 PM ET

Regular season- ovechkin. ( if datsyuk didn’t play on such a deep team he’d be on top, although he has an argument now)

Playoffs- crosby. he stepped up, ovechkin didn’t.

Posted by ME on 05/13/09 at 09:51 PM ET

neither. its datsyuk, natch.

Posted by mike from in dallas on 05/13/09 at 09:52 PM ET

JAWS, I think your comments are well written.  Ovechkin is incredible.  When he hits people, he doesn’t really even flinch.  His knack for shooting is rivaled in my lifetime only by Mike Bossy (my all time favorite), Jarri Kurri and Brett Hull.  He can dominate a game the way only 5 players in the world can.
All that said, I think Crosby has an all around game that exceeds Ovechkin’s in several ways.  I acknowledge he doesn’t shoot like Ovechkin, hit like Ovechkin, or bring the exuberance of Ovechkin.  But he does: involve his teammates better; control play for long periods of time through the best boards work I’ve ever seen; win faceoffs; and get involved in the defensive zone and breakout.
Can you imagine if he actually had a real scoring winger like Bossy, Kurri, Hossa, Heatley, Ovechkin, or Shanahan? (what if the Caps had taken Malkin 1st and the Pens got Ovechkin?)
The thing is that their play is so different that you can choose either one for completely different reasons. They both really deserve their status as arguably the best in the world. 
Malkin to me has the potential to be the best, and for periods of time demonstrates it, but he’s not consistently at that level.  Crosby and Ovechkin are.  Malkin needs to separate himself from being another Jagr….Jagr was the most skilled and often best player in the world, but perhaps never really carried a team on his back in the playoffs.  Malkin hasn’t, Crosby and Ovechkin have.  Crosby is Forsberg, but better.  Ovechkin is Hull but better. I’ll take Crosby.

Posted by dip from philly on 05/13/09 at 10:20 PM ET

Enough already.

It’s rather impossible not to respect both players immensely after this series. Picking one over the other (as we fans have been endlessly asked to do over the past couple of weeks) is a false choice, and a waste of keyboard strokes. They’re both gems, and their rivalry made for one wonderful series.

I have a feeling this one will go down as “Crosby/Ovechkin I” with many sequels to follow over the next decade. This is great for hockey.

Posted by JG on 05/13/09 at 10:27 PM ET

Crosby is Forsberg, but better.

Um, WHAT?  No.

Posted by Garth on 05/13/09 at 10:29 PM ET

What is most obvious is the Pens were the best TEAM!  And when it is all said and done, that is all that matters.  Gretzky was on the best team, Lemieux was on the best team, Yzerman was on the best team in their respective eras.  Ask Ovechkin if he would rather be on the best team or the best player.  Which one do you think he would pick?

Posted by Pens Fan in DC on 05/13/09 at 10:34 PM ET

As a sidebar, I need only point to the shrill “debate” over on the Penguins thread Kukla started as evidence that arguing the merits of one player over the other is an empty exercise.

Posted by JG on 05/13/09 at 10:34 PM ET

Yup. I didn’t start it, but that doesn’t mean coal wasn’t added. Grins

Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 05/13/09 at 10:35 PM ET

I hate Crosby. Crosby is better.

Posted by Predneck from Hicktown on 05/13/09 at 10:37 PM ET

Garth,
Care to elaborate?  As great as Forsberg was, and I was a fan of his, he did nothing more than Crosby has individually, and Crosby is still younger than when Forsberg entered the league.  Their skill sets are very similar, but Crosby has a higher goal and point per game average (career) than forsberg.  In the end, Crosby’s career will eclipse Forsberg’s. He does need the Cups, of course, but if you don’t think Crosby is at least in the same sentence as Forsberg, you’re insane.

Posted by dip from philly on 05/13/09 at 10:43 PM ET

The Caps didn’t lose because Ovechkin didn’t step up in the playoffs; Ovechkin had a great playoffs: 11 goals, 21 points and +10 in 14 games is rather respectable. The bottom line is that the Pens were a more complete, more consistent team.

The Pens won because, through a bunch of close contests that were largely decided on the luck of the bounce, they consistently played generally better hockey. If you keep playing better hockey over and over, down the timeline you’re going to get more wins than losses no matter the bounces or the calls.

Posted by false_cause from DC on 05/13/09 at 10:58 PM ET

evil pens dont no anything about hockey. he is a blind pens fan who would say fleury is greater than roy/brodeur/sawchuk and hasek and also thinks hal gill is greater than chara/stevens and Pronger

Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 05/13/09 at 11:00 PM ET

Crosby is a better all-around player.  As a centerman, he has much more responsibility.  He controls the puck, controls the power play.  Ovechkin is a lethal sniper, but that’s really his sole dimension.  Wingers, even great scorers, just don’t have the influence over a game that a great centerman does.  as much as I may not want to admit it, Crosby is probably still the best all-around player in the league.  There are good arguments for guys like Malkin, Datsyuk, etc.  (Granted, I don’t see Datsyuk as much as I do the Eastern Conference guys, especially the Atlantic Division foes like Pittsburgh).  But those are other centermen who also dictate the play every time they are on the ice.

Posted by Puckhead from Jersey, you dolts! on 05/13/09 at 11:18 PM ET

first of all, false cause…are you a caps fan?  because im pretty sure caps fans dont say something rational like that.

and oilers rocks…i dont think anyone worth their weight would say any of those things.

from a pure hockey standpoint you gotta go with crosby after this series.  just a way better all around game.  gotta love ovies enthusiasm and excitement, but crosby is like a rock.  ovechkin truly is an exciting offensive player, probably the up there with some all time greats.  but hes just not the total package.  he’ll score something amazing, or i make a real good hit, but hes nowhere to be found on the boards or in his own zone.  and boudreau feeds this with their system of just get ovie the puck no matter what.  he can score and score and score, but eventually it burns you and thats what happened this series.  they rode him like the one trick pony he is and nobody else showed up.  crosby and the pens had a more complete game.

Posted by hmm from ok on 05/13/09 at 11:19 PM ET

what was ovechkin trying to do on that powerplay that led to crosbys breakway?  tal about trying to do it all yourself.

Posted by nicebutt from wherever on 05/13/09 at 11:25 PM ET

I hate that question. It’s unfair and useless.  It is like, what’s better brownies or cake? Both a AWESOME. Neither is better than the other one.  Some people just have different taste. Some people love cake, but hate brownies.  Some like neither and really prefer cookies.  Personally, my taste is for Crosby (and cake), but I will never turn down a brownie. Or a cookie for that matter.

And this series did not answer who was “better,” nor should it have. Last time I checked, it is a team sport. Both individuals were pretty damn even stat-wise.  The Pens were just able to pull it out as a team better than the Caps could as a team.

Posted by SMV on 05/13/09 at 11:27 PM ET

Anyone who say Crosby is better than Ov is a real jerk. Crosby is good but not as good as Alex the Great.

Posted by pensFan87 from Melon Arena on 05/14/09 at 12:13 AM ET

They both are great! there is no point in arguing. anyone know where jeff shultz was in this series. i saw sloan but not shultz. hey caps fans if u dont want him give him to us for smid and grebeshkov we would love to have him .

Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 05/14/09 at 01:17 AM ET

After Datsyuk, Crosby is clearly the best player on the planet.  His all around play is leaps and bounds beyond Ovechkin’s.  Ovie can shoot, although he shoots too much, and he can skate, but he can’t really play D…

Posted by NHLJeff from Pens fan in Chicago, IL on 05/14/09 at 02:22 AM ET

You just had to ask this question.  Well…Ovechkin can score but he can’t create scoring opportunities and can’t play defense.  He’s what you’d call a sniper and a sniper is only as good as the people feeding him; whereas crosby is the opposite player, he’s a complete player, can shoot but prefers to pass, a selfless team player, this is like comparing Hossa to Hemsky.  They are two different types of players; if you want to score you take the sniper, if you want to win you take the complete player.  Snipers don’t raise the whole level of a team. 

Crosby.

Ovechkin is a liability when he faces a defense that has no problem shutting him down.

Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 05/14/09 at 03:38 AM ET

I can’t tell who is better between Crosby and Ovechkin, but I absolutely can tell that Dan O’Halloran is better than Ovechkin.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 05/14/09 at 06:54 AM ET

I want them both on my team.

Posted by BK from Detroit 144mi.;Columbus 142; Pitts. 144; Buff. 219 on 05/14/09 at 07:08 AM ET

Garth had it right. Crosby is very similar to Forsberg but better. His explosive first stride to loose pucks is the best I’ve ever seen. And although he’s not a 50 goal scorer (not yet) he is a much better finisher than Forsberg. Let’s hope not as injury prone either (so far, so good).

Posted by Lindas1st on 05/14/09 at 07:26 AM ET

SMV had the best response. I love cake, brownies, cookies, and both Crosby and Ovechkin. I’d take all of them if I could. Malkin has the potential to outplay both of them as he’s got Crosby’s vision, but with a much better shot, and size advantage once his body fills out. Actually, that’s the scary thing about all three of these players—they’re not done growing or maturing yet. All three are going to get better and better, and as a hockey fan, I’m going to enjoy watching them all. Right now, Crosby’s the most complete player of the three. Next year, who knows?

Posted by penguinsfan on 05/14/09 at 07:56 AM ET

Crosby is a center. By default he’s more important.

And he has a pretty good team with him. But having now seen how good an older Bill Guerin played with him, it’s got to be Syd.

Still, it’s pretty darn close.

Posted by ME10 on 05/14/09 at 09:13 AM ET

WHO CARES? OH MY GOD - DO YOU HEAR YOURSELVES?

Posted by Elizabeth from Los Angeles on 05/14/09 at 09:50 AM ET

@pensFan87 from “Melon Arena”:

As if saying Crosby not as good as Ovechkin didn’t give you away as a poser, that you can’t spell Mellon Arena certainly did.

Joke.

Posted by ll on 05/14/09 at 09:59 AM ET