Makes Pittsburgh a pretty strong force,” he said. He did everything he could for his team to win but Washington played against a team that gelled at the right time, that hit their stride over the last 25 games and maybe the best player in the game (Sidney Crosby) is playing at the top of his game and other guys are chipping in. “No question, he played as hard as he could in that series, his work ethic was strong. Ultimately, though, one guy doesn’t win or lose a series.” “When things go well, roses are thrown your way, and when they don’t go well, you take some heat.

“It’s part of the allure of being the top player … you’re on the front lines on both sides,” he said. Wayne Gretzky thinks Ovie did everything he could for the Caps this spring but taking the slings and arrows of criticism comes with the territory, unfortunately. He’s the best goal-scorer of this generation, one of the best ever. How much blame does he take for the Caps losing to a lower seed (Pittsburgh) for the sixth time in the past nine years? He’s got the C on his chest.

Ovie, who turns 31 in September, is 11 years in and he hasn’t got past the second round of the playoffs. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Yzerman had 1,755 points and another 185 in the playoffs but after starting in the NHL in 1983 at 18, he didn’t win in Detroit until he was 32 in 1997 after 1,340 points, after changing the way he played. Activate your Online Access Now Article content If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription.

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