Kevin Dupont

Our NHL Expert, Kevin Dupont of the Boston Globe is here to answer your questions. Since the Stanley Cup will be handed out before you know it, let’s quickly move to the first question and get started.

Q: Who will end up having a better career: Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin?
-- John from Easton, Pa.
A: Wow, is that a loaded question, John, and what a wonderful one to debate — perhaps for the next 10-15 years, if not more.

They are both tremendous, dynamic players, and barely one-quarter of the way through their rookie seasons, they each look as if they are the true franchise-caliber players they projected to be when they were drafted.

That's rare.

Eric Lindros received the same kind of hype before he arrived in Philly, but he never lived up to it. In Boston, Joe Thornton, the top pick in ’97, was going to be the Bruins’ next Mr. Some Kind of Wonderful, but Jumbo Joe hasn't been the dominating force everyone expected. Oh, and then there was Alexandre Daigle in Ottawa, and, well ... ah, let's not go there, because it would be awful to make so many people in Ottawa cry.

But here we have Crosby, Pittsburgh's devilishly talented center, and Ovechkin, a force off the wing for the Caps, delivering the goods just as anticipated. What a great thing, for everyone. I have to say, too, that I doubt they would have thrived like this if not for the league finally addressing the many clutch-and-grab issues that so muted the game over the past 10-12 years. Who knows, maybe the likes of Lindros and Thornton and even Daigle would have been far more dominating out of the gate if they, too, had the benefit of “hands off” hockey.

But let me get back to your central question: Who will be better?

Conventional wisdom here has my saying Crosby, but I say that with barely a smidgen of confidence.

Crosby's natural position is a center, and by definition, a pivot has more opportunities to succeed — because the puck is in his hands more often. When on top of his game, a center is supposed to be around the puck at both ends of the ice. So, given that Crosby literally should have the puck in his hands — or at the end of his stick — more often, then it naturally follows that he has greater control over his destiny. And, boy, is he something to watch when he has that puck.

Meanwhile, a winger, in this case Ovechkin, has to hope that the Caps will find him a world-class center who can get him the puck. Sure, he can get himself, as he has shown, but the ultimate upside of his career (maybe a 150-point season?) will depend on Washington's ability to find him a world-class set-up guy.

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Think what it meant for Mike Bossy to have Bryan Trottier, or how Cam Neely thrived, first with Craig Janney, and later, Adam Oates (who previously made life pretty good for Brett Hull during their days in St. Louis). I don't see anyone on that Washington roster who reminds me of a Trottier, a Janney or an Oates. Here's a little fantasy for you: Imagine if Crosby ever had Ovechkin in his sidecar. Yeow!

“They are two magnificent players,” offered Anaheim GM Brian Burke, musing over how the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association will choose between the two for Rookie-of-the-Year honors. “When the votes are tallied, I wouldn't be surprised to see a dead heat.”

Burke, when asked if Crosby had an advantage because he is a center, said, “It seems to me that even when Crosby (lines up as a winger), he is the center of that line — he has the ability to make everyone on the line better. Ovechkin is different, in that he scares people. I mean, if you are the opposing defenseman, you've got a knot in your stomach every time he steps on the ice. He loves to play, and he loves to embarrass people.”

Beyond the question of who will amass more points, we also must try to project whether one or the other will win a Stanley Cup, and how that might define their careers. Right now, neither the Caps nor the Pens look like true contenders. But again, if I were forced to pick a winner, I'd go with Pittsburgh ahead of the Caps for the first to a Cup. So again, advantage Crosby.

But do me a favor, John, and write back in about seven years. In the meantime, I'll have my reading glasses adjusted for 20/20 vision.

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