The NHL analyst for ESPN and TSN will be between the benches for the game between Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals for the first time when the teams play at Capital One Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN, TVAS, NHL LIVE).
"I just think 'Ovi' is the most entertaining character to watch. I love watching him play," Ferraro said. "There's an unpredictability to his game. I've done enough of his games, and when you see that one-timer coming there's almost this anticipation that it's going to be a missile. And literally, the sound it makes is different when it leaves his stick.
"When Sid goes by, and if I'm between the benches and he's got open ice, that's something to watch. It's not Edmonton Oilers forward Connor] McDavid, but it's this power, and you get swept up in it."
Ferraro also discussed the play made by Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras in a 2-0 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 7.
[Zegras made a lacrosse-style pass
similar to the goal made famous by University of Michigan forward Mike Legg during a 1996 NCAA Tournament game against the University of Minnesota, when Legg picked up the puck with his stick behind the net and wrapped it into the top corner. Instead of trying to score, Zegras scooped the puck and made a lob pass over the left shoulder of Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Ducks forward Sonny Milano batted it out of the air and into the net.
"I couldn't believe it," Ferraro said. "A, that he had the guts to do that in a game, and B, that he actually thought of it in the game. He's behind the net and apparently Milano yells 'Michigan,' and [Zegras] is like, 'Oh yeah,' and throws it over the net. Like, who's going to do that?
"Everything is like a video game to a lot of these young guys and the reason is because their skill allows them to think of things that other players in the past just never even would have thought of."
Ferraro also discusses Bruce Boudreau taking over as coach of the Vancouver Canucks and what's next for the Philadelphia Flyers, who have lost 10 straight games (0-8-2).
"The Chirp with Daren Millard" features interviews with players, executives, alumni and other personalities around the game. You can share your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #ChirpMallard.
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