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Being a Caps fan I am biased naturally towards Ovechkin, but he, Crosby, Phaneuf and Svatos in Colorado are all sensational rookies an in an ordinary year would all be front runners for the Calder. With the lockout last year, there are a lot of guys this year who would have been rookies last year (like Ovechkin.) Ovechkin should win the Calder, mostly because he is a year ahead of Crosby, being a year older. Of course, while Crosby was playing for Rimouski in the Quebec league (and dominating like a man playing in a Pee-wee league), Ovechkin was playing in the Russian Elite League and was a 3 year veteran...he was getting more out of his playing time to be sure.
I suspect that Crosby will be collecting MVP trophies later in the decade and the Ovechkin will be collecting Richard awards for leading the league in goals. Plus, I think it is more likely that Ovechkin will win the Cup (in Washington) before Crosby, as the Caps have been building a young team with a bunch of pretty good players (no superstars that's AO's job.) while the Pens are an older team that may not even be in Pittsburgh by 2008. (Kansas City Penguins anyone? How about Portland? Oklahoma City? Las Vegas?)
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