Ovechkin & Hull Exude(d) GREATNESS

I have a hockey stick signed by Washington Capital’s Ovechkin, the Russian who’s just 8 goals away from Gretsky’s NHL scoring record. Yet, even his achievement & my tchotchke can’t beat memories of Chicago Blackhawks’ Bobby Hull.

Now silver-haired at 39 & after 20 yrs wearing the Capitals’ red, the WSJ began the countdown to Alexander Ovechkin’s impending immortality as he nears the current record of 894 career goals “once considered unbreakable.” He’s got 17 games left to get those 8 goals & no one’s betting against him.

And yet, as amazed as I am at “Ovi’s” certain sports immortality & joining a pantheon of NHL greats (Orr, Howe, Crosby, Lemieux, Richard, Beliveau, Esposito, Lafleur, etc), there still is no one in my eyes who matches the Chi-town’s Golden Jet. It was a singular sight to see Hull take the puck from behind his goalie’s net, weave untouched the length of the ice & fire a gazillion mile per hour slap shot past an opposing goalie who never moved because he never saw the puck after it left the man’s stick. I will never forget the time the Blackhawks were in the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Montreal Canadians with their HOF goalie Jacque Plante. TWICE, from my balcony seat in the Chicago Stadium overlooking Plante, I saw Hull rev up his engines on the far end of the rink, weave through defenders with ease & in trademark fashion … from just OUTSIDE the blue line … scorch slap shots past the Canadian. I never saw the puck leaving Hull’s stick from on high neither did Plante. I could not help feeling sorry for the great goalie’s frozen figure that never flinched. Final score, Blackhawks 2, Canadians 0. Sure, there’s going to be only one Ovi, but to me there’s only one Golden Jet.

Davd Soul