av

\ aneouver Canucks defenseman
Mattias Ohlund is done for the season
fter being forced to undergo arthroscopic
knee surgery. On March 5, it
discovered that Ohlund had bone chips
| in his left knee. He attempted to put off
the surgery until after the Canucks had
completed this season and played weil in
several games before tacing the reality of

the season-ending operation.
| “After further consultation with
| our team doctors it was determined that
surgery was the best course of action.
The best long-term decision for Mattias
and our hockey club is to have this
addressed immediately,’ Vancouver
General Manager Dave Nonis said in a

press release.

Ohlund, Vancouver's first
round selection, 13" overall in the 1994

was

 

March 17, 2008

Ohlund’s done for the season

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

Vancouver defenseman in points with
24. He has played 53 games this year.
but has missed a number of games for
arious reasons
In a contest against the Wild
in November oi jast year, Ohlund was
pped with a four game suspension for
likko Koivu’s
leg. Ohlund was enraged after Koivu hit
Ohiund high with his elbows.
8, 2007, in a
game against the Jersey Devils,
Ohlund sustained the third concussion
f his career, which sidelined him for 11
games.

hard SiaSh that broke

vecember

New

[his is the second time in his
career that Ohlund has had surgery to
remove bone chips. in 2003, Ohlund had
a similar procedure during the late stages
of the season. He returned in time for the
post-season and performed admirably.

The Canucks, who are already
without Aaron Miller and Lukas
Kraijcek, have had their blueline ravaged
by injuries this year. Losing their best
defensive defenseman is a blow they
will have to recover from quickly if they
want to win their division or even make

the playoffs. Without Ohlund in the
lineup, the surging Phoenix Coyotes shut
Vancouver out 2-0 on Thursday night.
hlund, who won a gold medal
with Sweden during the 2006 Winter

      

Olympics in Turin, Italy, has played his
entire career with the Canucks and has
been a member of the team since the
1997 season. He hopes to recover in time
for the playoffs.

 

NHL entry draft, is currently leading all

 

 

Crosb

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

 

Nis hockey has increasingly become a young
man’s game, and there are no better young players
around today than Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh
Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington
Capitals.

While other stars such as Evgeni Malkin and
Eric Staal have very bright futures as well, no other
players in the league have the “it” factor that sells out
buildings and electrifies the fans.

Crosby, the first overail draft pick from 2005,
has been considered a future legend since he was 12
years old. His picture is everywhere, he’s the NHL’s

oster boy for the next twenty years, and he has multi-
million dollar endorsement contracts with Reebok and
Gatorade. He led the NHL in scoring last year and
was named league MVP while simultaneously carting
home a host of other awards and accolades. At age 20.
he became the youngest captain in hockey history at
the beginning of this season, and is probably the best
overall player in world today.

On the other hand, you have Ovechkin, the
first overall pick in 2004, who can score better than
anyone alive. He is ripping up the NHL these days, and
in Crosby’s absence due to a lingering ankle injury,
he’s leading the league in scoring while running away

vs. Ovechkin: who’s better?

with the goal scoring lead. No one in hockey is more
exciting, and Ovechkin has the potential to leave your

jaw hanging open on every play. He’s big, strong, and

plays a pedal-to-the-metal style of play unique to him
alone.

Both signed massive, long-term contracts that
will bind them to their draft clubs for the considerable
future. Ovechkin in particular, with his 15-year deal, the
largest in NHL history, is looking like he’ll be a Capital
for life. Both have the local media raving wherever they
go, even in non-traditional hockey markets. Both are the
talk of the league, the centerpieces of their franchises
and the future of the game.

Clearly you can’t go wrong with either player,
but if you could choose only one, who would you rather
have? Let’s say you’re handed an expansion team and
appointed General Manager. You can choose any one
player in the NHL to start your team with, so whom are
you going to pick? Some would say Roberto Luongo or
Jarome iginia, but really, there are only two choices.

If I had to choose, | would opt for Alexander
Ovechkin. From a pure hockey standpoint. it’s almost
a flip of the coin. Both are powerhouses with unlimited
skill that cause the opposing team to figure their
defensive strategies around. But if I’m picking, I say
Ovechkin. No one has the ability, not even Crosby, to
create something irom nothing. No player has more
natural ability than Ovechkin, and when he’s on the ice,

he other team has to double-team team ail the time just
to keep him relatively contained.

From a marketing perspective, both players

iave the ability to save a team. Oniy Ovechkin however,

has the megawatt smile, loves to talk to the media, and
s on the cover of every hockey magazine on the planet
right now. Coupled with the way he piays—a take no
prisoners approach that leaves fans breathless—no one
in the league is more fun or appealing to watch.

It’s Ovechkin, all the way.

19