Alex Ovechkin provided the gravitational pull for his teammates that had been missing in each of his and the Capitals’ nine previous trips to the dance. He, and the notable contribution from Evgeny Kuznetsov, made the difference in the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in its 44-year history.
Ovechkin, the greatest goal-scorer of the generation by approximately the same margin that Bobby Orr was the greatest defenseman of his time, earned his Conn Smythe Trophy and earned his place at the top of the NHL mountain.
But though this time Ovechkin was able to survive his nemesis, Sidney Crosby, let’s not rush to rewrite history and airbrush The Great 8’s blemishes out of the picture.