You get to a certain level of performance in any endeavor,
and by definition there are few to compare one’s self to. Yesterday Alex Ovechkin became the 43rd
member of the “500-Goal Club” in NHL history, and I’ve struggled as a fan with
making a comparison to any other athlete I’ve seen.
It finally occurred to me, the comparison literally under my
nose, or more precisely on a cup I keep on my desk. It is a cup commemorating the 1979 NCAA Men’s
Basketball Champions from Michigan State University, which happens to be my
alma mater. I spent a lot of time
sitting in Jenison Field House that season watching a young man who, like
Ovechkin, was a highly sought after talent as a teenager and who, like
Ovechkin, had the promise to take over games and remake the sport in his own
image.
They also shared the same sort of infectious joy that they
brought to the court and to the rink.
Not to mention the fact that they seemed just as happy making a pass and
seeing a teammate score as they were when they did so themselves.
To me, one can draw a bright line from the Earvin “Magic”
Johnson of that 1978-1979 Spartan basketball team to the Alex Ovechkin of the
Washington Capitals hockey team who is still scoring goals and celebrating each
one as if it was his first in what is now his 11th season in the NHL.
Both players possess a flair for the dramatic and an
appreciation for the elements of showmanship that bring fans into the
play. Every time they had the ball or
the puck, you paid attention. But each
has a respect for their craft, able to remake and improve their games as
necessary to sustain their level of excellence.
Johnson made himself a better shooter, Ovechkin has made himself a more
responsible defender, to the point where he can be "a pain in the ass.” And each remade their respective positions,
Johnson with the size of a power forward who remade the position of point
guard, and Ovechkin a power forward in the body of an NFL linebacker who could
skate or stickhandle around as much as drive through opponents.
Johnson’s amateur and professional careers included more by
way of team achievements, but part of that is the lack of depth around Ovechkin
in previous years in a sport that not only prizes it, but requires it for
championship success. It is no longer
fantasy to think that Ovechkin will join Johnson in having tasted a
championship before his career comes to an end.
Nevertheless, for sheer star magnitude, uncommon skill, the durable nature of their excellence, the
tenacity to persevere in making themselves better with time, and the joy with
which they play the game and that they share with their fans, this fan who had
the special privilege of seeing both play in person sees one in the other. Of each it could be said that there were none
before them quite like them, and none since.
