Just a few weeks ago, many of us were wondering when Alex Ovechkin would finally score again. At some point in your life you may have heard your father ask this very question in reference to himself, but this was bigger, much bigger. How could a player who scored 65 goals just one year ago have just two goals in 11 games, a pace that would have given him just 15 goals for the year? While fantasy team owners cried themselves to sleep, I, for one, was looking on the bright side. While Ovechkin was scoring as much as your grandfather, he was assisting like he was Adam Oates. Just a year ago, he had 47 assists, a respectable number, but this year he is on pace to have 72 by the end of the season. Also, Alex is plus-14 so far this year, putting him on pace to be a plus 67 by season's end...holy cow Batman! The point being, Alex didn't score much early on, but he was contributing in other ways. He has become not only an offensive threat, but also, someone who can contribute defensively as well, so much so that Boudreau used him on the penalty kill early in the season. Ovechkin is the greatest player in the league (Sorry Bettman, we all know you wish Sid was YOUR kid) and will continue to be as he grows and develops for many years to come.
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