Foxsports picks top 5 rookies, phaneuf rated 2nd

[googe]

Cool to see him getting recognition elsewhere.

http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/story/5252498

5. Marek Svatos, RW, Colorado, Age 23.

Svatos was a seventh round pick in the 2001 draft out of Czechoslovakia. He had "flash in the pan" written all over him after a surprisingly hot start, but has maintained his pace and has nearly a point a game this season, scoring 26 goals and 14 assists in 45 games. This feat is even more remarkable when factoring in his limited ice time. At 13:30 per game, he has played at least six minutes less per game than anyone else on this list. The young winger wins the Calder Trophy for efficiency.

4. Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers, Age 23

The emergence of Lundqvist has made the Rangers and the Swedish Olympic team serious contenders. Another seventh rounder, this time from the 2000 draft, the young netminder was supposed to backup veteran Kevin Weekes. However, he allowed just two goals in three consecutive mid-October starts, and has held on with consistent play ever since. He has 17-6 record with a 2.19 GAA, and a .924 save percentage. As far as rookies having an impact on the Stanley Cup race, no one has been more important. Lundqvist would win the most valuable rookie award.

3. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh, Age 18

Going in to the season, with all the hype about "the next one", it would have been hard to imagine Crosby grabbing the bronze medal for rookie of the year. The 18-year old has been fun to watch, but I am still trying to decide which former No. 1 overall selection from the QMJHL "the next one" refers to. Will Sidney be the next Pierre Turgeon or the next Mario Lemieux? I'm not saying he is the Ryan Leaf to Ovechkin's Peyton Manning, but we should take a step back before submitting to the league's marketing. (Was NBA poser Gary Bettman looking for HIS LeBron James?) Turgeon is an excellent player who may even wind up in the Hall of Fame, but not one of the all-time greats like Lemieux. Crosby will wind up somewhere in between.

A recent sports radio conversation was suggesting Crosby should be given extra consideration for Rookie of the Year because he is younger. This is an example of fans and media changing the rules to try and make the story play out like they think it should. We have heard so much about Crosby, it only feels right he should be the Rookie of the Year, so people try to come up with some sort of rationale to make themselves feel more comfortable, even though he is not the best out there. It doesn't always work out the way it should, and the last can't miss phenom is a good example. The only player to ever receive more hype than Crosby before even playing in the NHL was Eric Lindros. He had a fine rookie season as an 18-year old with 75 points in 61 games, but was overshadowed by the greatest rookie season of all time, put in by Teemu Selanne with 76 goals, 56 assists and 132 points! Voters could not even come up with a reason to vote for Lindros in the face of Selanne's unbelievable numbers, even though they probably wanted to. I hope the numbers are not so close this year that the lesser player will be given the award.

Crosby's numbers are very good for a rookie, especially one at the age of 18. He is certainly better than the recent average Calder Trophy winners like Andrew Raycroft, Barrett Jackman, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. With 21 goals and 49 points in 44 games, most years he would be a cinch to win. I just want people to be objective. All players are rookies just once, and whether the player is 18 or 20-years old, he still deserves a fair chance.

2. Dion Phaneuf, D, Calgary, Age 20

Is it possible a 20-year old defenseman can have this complete of a game? The 2003 ninth overall selection has 11 goals and 16 assists, with four game winners and 22 power play points! In addition, he has assembled a highlight reel of Cam Neely-style hits in just a half season that assures he will be a regular on highlight shows for years to come. He is +4 while playing almost 22 minutes per game, and is one of the biggest reasons Calgary is in first place in the Northwest Division.

At 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, Phaneuf has a chance to be the rare defenseman to combine toughness and skill. The best NHL comparisons to this rare player are Chris Chelios and Chris Pronger. Pronger is a little bigger, but took several years to produce the way Phaneuf has in his first half season. Chelios is a little smaller, but no one has ever questioned his toughness. He had a 64-point season as a 23-year old rookie in 1984-1985, Mario Lemieux's first year. The league is full of talented young forwards, but there is no young defenseman around with as bright of a future as Phaneuf.

1. Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington, Age 20

Early in the season, I compared him to Alexei Yashin, who was also a high Russian draft pick with a great combination of skill and size. After half a season, I still compare him favorably to Yashin. Ovechkin has sizzled with 55 points in 43 games. His 30 goals rank third in the NHL. He plays over 20 minutes per game, and is only -2 for the lowly Capitals. The next highest scorer for Washington is defenseman Jamie Heward with 23 points, so he is not benefiting from talented teammates. It is a one-man show in D.C. and Alexander the Great is that man! Only an injury (or a conspiracy) can keep this player from getting his hands on the Calder Trophy.

[ronaldo]

thats awsome

im glad crosby doesnt get first place...hes way too over rated and doesnt observe it. ovechkin and phaneuf are good allround players:clap:

[mac_82]

That is exactly how I would rank them 1/2 way through the season.

Cam Neely style hits? How about Scott Stevens style hits. :D

And the amazing thing about Svatos is the amount of ice time he gets. All the other players are on the #1 lines, except Svatos, who is a right wing behind Hedjuk and Laperierre.

[Grip172]

WHAT THE FUCK..PHANEUF IS ONLY 20 OMG HAHAHAH

[HoisinSauce]

Originally posted by Grip172
WHAT THE FUCK..PHANEUF IS ONLY 20 OMG HAHAHAH

yeah man.. not a bad start for a rookie

[habsfan]

he's definitely been stellar for the flames this year, those ranking are pretty much dead on in my opinion

[pinoyhero]

Phanuef over Crosby, wow. Not saying i idsagree I just think that's huge for him.

[88CRX]

As much as I love Phaneuf and da Flames I'd take Crosby over Phaneuf any day of the week!

People seem to enjoy hating on Crosby rathing then cheering him on..... but I bet if he was playing for "your team" it would be completely different.

[Hakkola]

I agree with the listings, but how is Crosby over rated? He has amazing vision, has scored some great goals, and is the player with the highest number of nice pass assists that I've seen this season, the one from his knees being the most memorable.

Ovechkin's linemates might not be well known, but at least they show up to play, not like the slackers in Pittsburgh.

[ecstasy_civic]

hes good, no doubt about it, but I think his maturity lacks lol

[wildrice]

^^word.
I heard Crosby's trying to be the leader and telling the older veterans what to do.

The guy just entered the league, instead of shoving the veterans around, he should be learning from them.

[Hakkola]

Learning from people who aren't doing anything? How about they show their leadership by sticking up for the franchise player, it's about time the picked up somebody who will stand up for him, (Cairns).

You know why Crosby is taking penalties? It's because no one else on that team is doing anything to protect him.

[A_3]

Sid the Kid is a great player, but like ecstasy_civic said, he's young. I still remember that vid of him pissing off at John Leclair only to recieve a big eye roll in return. Oh and when Olynyk got fired, he dropped, "it was time for a change" :banghead:. He seems to have bought into the hype a little too much if you ask me. Thinks he doesn't have to pay his dues. Maybe when he grows up he'll be a superior player to Alexander the great. But right now the rankings are definetly on.

[Kobe]

Originally posted by 88CRX
As much as I love Phaneuf and da Flames I'd take Crosby over Phaneuf any day of the week!

People seem to enjoy hating on Crosby rathing then cheering him on..... but I bet if he was playing for "your team" it would be completely different.

I agree, Crosby is only 18 years old... :nut: :nut:

[Mr_John]

I'm glad that the Crosby over-hype is finally going down
I've been saying it to my friends for months, Ovechkin is the better rookie

Read somewhere (probably here) that the league is getting sick of Crosby. Players and officials all are annoyed with his "im great and better than you" attitude.

Last night during some hockey thing on TSN
Phaneuf kept getting praised by one of the analysts - forget which one

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by A_3
. I still remember that vid of him pissing off at John Leclair only to recieve a big eye roll in return. Oh and when Olynyk got fired, he dropped, "it was time for a change" :banghead:. He seems to have bought into the hype a little too much if you ask me. Thinks he doesn't have to pay his dues.

Pittsburgh Scoring
1 SIDNEY CROSBY PIT C Points 51 +/- -9

7 JOHN LECLAIR PIT L Points 21 +/- -16

I don't think Leclair should be rolling his eyes at anyone. I see Crosby playing with heart, and actually putting some points on the board, who else in Pittsburgh deserves an 'A' on the Jersey? For as long as he's the best player on the team then I'm all for him telling guys what to do and being the voice of the team.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Kobe


I agree, Crosby is only 18 years old... :nut: :nut:

Exactly.... CROSBY WILL BE A BETTER PLAYER THEN OVECHKIN.

People seem to think Crosby is playing on a frickin all-star team and that Ovechkin is playing with chumps. WRONG! Both are playing on equally shitty teams, period. Crosby's linemates suck, christ Ziggy Palffy retired today, says alot about his game as of late. LeClair? useless. Rechi? useless. Gonchar? sive. Lemieux? yup, he done.

Crosby WILL be the next great Canadian player. He already is a special hockey player in the NHL AND he's only 18. People seem to forget that.

And to people downing Crosby for trying to lead his team? Come on! Why cant he lead that team? Nobody else is.

Plain and simple, if he was on your team he'd be god. Plus people like chearing for the underdog (Ovechkin) for some dumb reason. Why people are hoping and glad that Crosby is "failing" is beyond me, some people read into media bullshit too much.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by Hakkola
Learning from people who aren't doing anything? How about they show their leadership by sticking up for the franchise player, it's about time the picked up somebody who will stand up for him, (Cairns).

You know why Crosby is taking penalties? It's because no one else on that team is doing anything to protect him.

When an 18 year old kid comes and tells players like John LeClair where to stand and how to set up plays, he's going to be disliked. Crosby may be good, but he's an arrogant prick and no one on his team cares enough for him to stand up for him.

[HoisinSauce]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


When an 18 year old kid comes and tells players like John LeClair where to stand and how to set up plays, he's going to be disliked. Crosby may be good, but he's an arrogant prick and no one on his team cares enough for him to stand up for him.

thats why no one covers for him or stand up for him when he gets checked

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


When an 18 year old kid comes and tells players like John LeClair where to stand and how to set up plays, he's going to be disliked. Crosby may be good, but he's an arrogant prick and no one on his team cares enough for him to stand up for him.

So its Crosby's fault for trying to get his teamates going?

More like Crosby's trying his best to get his crappy ass, lacky teamates to give a decent effort every night.

Seriously have any of you guys watched a full Penguins game? They suck.

Crosby has every right to be pissed at his "veteran" teamates, whether he's a rookie or not.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


When an 18 year old kid comes and tells players like John LeClair where to stand and how to set up plays, he's going to be disliked. Crosby may be good, but he's an arrogant prick and no one on his team cares enough for him to stand up for him.

Arrogant prick because he wants to win games? John LeClair should be happy to get lessons from someone more gifted than him no matter what his age is.

Usually people with more talent teach those with less talent, not the other way around. That's why I don't ask a Garbage truck driver what the best way is to drive my car around a race track.

[googe]

Originally posted by 88CRX

People seem to enjoy hating on Crosby rathing then cheering him on..... but I bet if he was playing for "your team" it would be completely different.

nope. :) actually pittsburgh has been my favorite team since I was about 7 or 8. i still hate him :) good player? for sure. overrated? definitely. the next one? not a chance.

he has the most penalty minutes on the team, hes one of the only players to get diving penalties and penalties for obscene gestures and language at referees. he cussed out a fan that was haggling him in the penalty box. there is also difference between being a leader and simply telling people to play better. have you seen a pittsburgh game? the guy is whining nonstop.

ovechkin isnt on "our" team, actually being russian hes farther from "ours" than crosby, but he gets a ton of respect. hes 2nd in the league in scoring only to kovalchuk, who has way more support and a team thats doing much better.

there is no reason to say with certainty he will be better than ovechkin. there is also no reason to say he wont be, which is why I wont say that either.

[Ajay]

Is Ovechkin having a better start than Crosby? For sure but Crosby is still doing amazing and I do think age does play a factor as well. The level of play that Ovechkin experienced last year playing in the Russian Elite Leagues was far better than what Ovechkin experienced in the QMJHL so I think Ovechkin was definetly more ready for the NHL while Crosby was thrown in to help Pitt out right away and provide a marketable face for the NHL.

Is he overhyped? Somewhat but that's gonna come for sure considering how much everyone has been talking about him since he was what....14 or 15 years old? If he doesn't break 100 pts this season he'll be dubbed as the bust of the 05-06 season which is unfortanuate cause he's an amazing player.

I personally want Ovechkin to take it cause I think Ovechkin is a better player this year....playing on a team that has NO other talent and being able to do what he can is just absolutely amazing....plus that goal against the Coyotes was just ridiculous. Crosby will be a better player in years to come though...both those guys are way ahead of Iginla in points and Iginla is apparently the best in hockey....not this season that's for sure.

Phaneuf would've won it if Crosby and Ovechkin weren't in the league this year and he's a HUGE reason why Calgary has been successful. Iggie needs to pull it together more than he has and in the time it's taking him Phaneuf is helping that team by leaps and bounds. I would want Phaneuf to win it cause I'm a Calgary fan but I know Ovechkin will probably take home the Calder.

Pitt will be interesting to watch next year though with both Crosby AND Malkin.

:goflames:

[A_3]

Originally posted by Hakkola


Arrogant prick because he wants to win games? John LeClair should be happy to get lessons from someone more gifted than him no matter what his age is.

Usually people with more talent teach those with less talent, not the other way around. That's why I don't ask a Garbage truck driver what the best way is to drive my car around a race track.

Crosby is much more naturally talented play I agree, and in a perfect world Leclair should listen to what Crosby has to say. Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world. Nobody wants to get told how to operate by an 18 year old kid. Leclair has been around in the league alot longer and understands the NHL-game alot better. The only advantage Crosby has is he is more naturally talented. Giving Crosby an "A" was a huge mistake by Therien (a known bone-head coach). It throws off the team chemistry completely. Instead of leaving him time to mature and learn how to play in the NHL, Therien has immediately thrust him into a position of power. Now Crosby has to lead his team, but as is obvious by his pathetic attempts thus far, he has no idea how to do. Given a few years I think Crosby may be an amazing captain, but right now he just isn't ready for that. He should shut his mouth and learn the intricasies of the NHL game before he spouts off like he knows what he's doing.

[Mr_John]

You can see it in their games
Ovechkin loves to play hockey, he loves to score - his attitude on the ice is just wonderful to watch

Crosby on the other hand thinks the game owes him a favour- whining, bitching, etc.

both great and talented players though

And I agree with Ajay
Malkin and Crosby is going to be exciting to watch next season

[heavyD]

I think you guys should cut Crosby some slack. The Penguins have completely mismanaged him and the franchise that dates back to the 03/04 season.

-Drafted Marc-Andre Fleury 1st overall in 2003 who was the hottest goalie prospect in years and instead of sending him to their farm team to hone his game with the pro's like any good organization should or at least have him back up an experienced goalie from which to learn, they start him behind a horrid defense and let him get shelled every night destroying his confidence which he has never truly regained as he has been sent to the farm & brought back like a yo-yo.
-03/04 they raised eybrows by hiring Eddy Olczyk a former Penquin and buddy of Mario Lemeux who had not prior coaching experience in any capacity. Wonder how that will pan out?
-They spent big $ on players past their prime in LeClair, Recchi, & Goncahar which are performing at their true level which is mediocre and happen to be buddies of Mario also.
-Brought in a starting goalie that nobody even wanted (Thiboult) as a backup who has cleared waivers and is in the minors.
-2005 team plays horrible and players complain that there is no direction from coaching staff and Eddy O gets the boot to nobody's surprise as he should never had been hired in the first place. They replace him with a coach that got ran out of Montreal who in his infinet wisdom gives the assistant captain 'A' to and 18 year old kid which is a slap in the face to the veterans on the team.
-Due to above the team plays even worse prompting new coach Michel Therrien to say teams' performance was ''pathetic'' and that half of the squad ''doesn't care''.
-The only decent signing Zigmond Palffy retires due to a chronic shoulder injury but insiders say that if the team was in the hunt for the playoffs he would have played through the pain but he couldn't handle playing for that team anymore.

Do you guys really think any 18 year old player could survive that mess? I don't think Ovechkin or Phaneuf could do any better under the circumstances as being a Penguin looks to be detrimental to any player's career at the present time.:(

[Barlow]

Crosby lives with mario though, maybe mario being the owner is asking crosby to call out the vets, and stick up for his oppinions in the media, just to show support for the decisions being made, i highly doubt crosby is saying everything he is saying with ut some kinda influence....

we should save this thread and start it up agin in 2010 right befor the olympics and see what gets said then....

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Barlow
we should save this thread and start it up agin in 2010 right befor the olympics and see what gets said then....

:werd:

[skandalouz_08]

Yeah the list is almost perfectly right, the race truly is between ovechkin and phaneuf, yes crosby is good, does he deserve to be rookie of the year so he can be more of an arrogant prick? definitely not. Giving him the A was already a mistake, hopefully they won't give him rookie of the year too. Ovechkin or phaneuf both deserve it going out every night playing with their hearts, personally i hope that phaneuf wins just cuz its home town, but i think ovechkin will probably get it just cuz he's a forward and is up there in the scoring race.:goflames:

[googe]

Originally posted by Barlow
Crosby lives with mario though, maybe mario being the owner is asking crosby to call out the vets, and stick up for his oppinions in the media, just to show support for the decisions being made, i highly doubt crosby is saying everything he is saying with ut some kinda influence....


actually lemieux is toning him down and trying to guide him. lemieux was a great sportsman and got very few penalties. very humble guy. he knows how to keep his cool. if hes got some influence to act out it definitely isnt coming from there.

i think hes just used to being a god among men in all his previous leagues. he learned at a young age that hes basically the most important guy wherever he goes that has anything to do with hockey and got used to that.

you actually can see a bit of that in dion phaneuf as well. most people say hes an arrogant prick when dealing with fans. its not hard to see where that attitude could come from. fortunately phaneuf stays cool on the ice.

basically just a big case of spoiled brat syndrome. hes only 18, so theres a good chance he'll grow out of it.

[Altezza]

I'd have to agree that Crosby displays a lot of talent. However, I'd have to agree that Crosby is a big baby. He whines, bitches, complains, and yaps his mouth at every opportunity. He has lost the respect of a lot of people because of it. I don't care how many goals he scores, how many assists he racks up. If he continues the way he is over the upcoming years, his attitude will turn him into the NHL's T.O. (OK, I'm exageratting...but you get my point).

[88CRX]

Do you guys remember Ovechkin in the WJC?

[Ajay]

Originally posted by heavyD
I think you guys should cut Crosby some slack. The Penguins have completely mismanaged him and the franchise that dates back to the 03/04 season.

-Drafted Marc-Andre Fleury 1st overall in 2003 who was the hottest goalie prospect in years and instead of sending him to their farm team to hone his game with the pro's like any good organization should or at least have him back up an experienced goalie from which to learn, they start him behind a horrid defense and let him get shelled every night destroying his confidence which he has never truly regained as he has been sent to the farm & brought back like a yo-yo.
-03/04 they raised eybrows by hiring Eddy Olczyk a former Penquin and buddy of Mario Lemeux who had not prior coaching experience in any capacity. Wonder how that will pan out?
-They spent big $ on players past their prime in LeClair, Recchi, & Goncahar which are performing at their true level which is mediocre and happen to be buddies of Mario also.
-Brought in a starting goalie that nobody even wanted (Thiboult) as a backup who has cleared waivers and is in the minors.
-2005 team plays horrible and players complain that there is no direction from coaching staff and Eddy O gets the boot to nobody's surprise as he should never had been hired in the first place. They replace him with a coach that got ran out of Montreal who in his infinet wisdom gives the assistant captain 'A' to and 18 year old kid which is a slap in the face to the veterans on the team.
-Due to above the team plays even worse prompting new coach Michel Therrien to say teams' performance was ''pathetic'' and that half of the squad ''doesn't care''.
-The only decent signing Zigmond Palffy retires due to a chronic shoulder injury but insiders say that if the team was in the hunt for the playoffs he would have played through the pain but he couldn't handle playing for that team anymore.

Do you guys really think any 18 year old player could survive that mess? I don't think Ovechkin or Phaneuf could do any better under the circumstances as being a Penguin looks to be detrimental to any player's career at the present time.:(

This is all part of the re-building process. You need to find players that are going to mesh well and that doesn't happen in the first few months of a season. I agree with you on Crosby getting the assistant captain "A". That SHOULD not have happend to a rookie and that is part of the reason why this team has no flow.

No self-respecting veteran is gonna respect a coach or organization that gives a 'punk' (Crosby in the eyes of the vets) an A designation when he hasn't even earned it yet.

Plus the fact that the coach cusses out their D line on a nightly basis probably doesn't help. Give it a couple years when that team finds the proper coach, the proper goalie, and the proper guys to surround Crosby and they'll do well.