Great Players vs. Champions

Now that the biggest free agent of the summer has been signed, why not take a look at the difference between a great player and a champion? For this example we will look at Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Ovechkin, Sydney Crosby, and Patrick Kane.

So why are Kovalchuk and Ovechkin great players? They put up the points, they lead their teams in scoring, and are all around all-stars. Why are Crosby and Kane champions? Because they’ve both won it all at the NHL level, and Crosby also at the international level.

So lets look at salaries now. Crosby, Ovechkin, and Kovalchuk all make an absolute shitload, while Kane is still at a $3.725 million bargain. Would you rather have two of those top three, or one of them and Kaner? I’d go with option b. Why? Because Kane has proven that he can win, not just be a great player. What have Ovechkin and Kovalchuk done? Internationally a few years ago I guess, but where they get paid? Nothing.

I basically kept my mouth shut about the Kovalchuk sweepstakes, because I thought the whole thing was a joke. The guy isn’t a proven winner, yet he seems to think he can command billions of millions of dollars? Come on! When are owners going to get realistic and realize that it’s not these guys making trillions that are winning them the cups, it’s the true champions instead.

So anyway, I’m glad that Kovalchuk stayed in NJ so we won’t have to hear about him with yet another team, that he is supposedly going to lead all the way.

Hat tip to Fine Art America for the illustration of Kovalchuk.