Out of curiosity, why do so many people think that all NHL fans care one iota about Sidney Crosby?  Sure, I like to watch the kid play as much as the next guy, but there are other players.  If the NHL spent even a fraction of the time and money they’ve spent to market Crosby to market the game or, dare I mention it, other players, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, Crosby or not, the Stanley Cup Playoffs won’t be a ratings bonanza in the U.S. anyways.

Posted by Chad from Dallas on 01/23/08 at 01:15 AM ET

Ah God, so Bob Duff writes for MSNBC now?

The Windsor Star writer is pretty bad, in my opinion. He has written some damn stupid things in the past. As an aside, I’ve played beer league hockey with him in net - he is a crazy hot head.

Posted by underthechestnuttree from LaSalle, Ontario, Canada on 01/23/08 at 01:24 AM ET

Count me in as one of the NHL fans that doesn’t really care about Crosby. I’m actually getting a bit sick of him. The Crosby all the time every day deal is getting to be too much. They are trying to force feed him down everybody’s throat like he’s the only one in the league. Doesn’t make much sense to me. Besides, I’ll watch a good team over an individual player any day.

Posted by UMFan from Colorado on 01/23/08 at 04:24 AM ET

Wait a minute--

I thought Americans wouldn’t watch those dang Europeans with their unpronounceable names?  Since when did Malkin become North American?

If these guys are going to spin fairy tales, I’d like them to at least be consistent in their myths.

(Besides, where is it written that the Penguins make the playoffs and don’t have a first-round exit even with Crosby in the lineup?)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/23/08 at 07:12 AM ET

This guy is a complete moron.

Yeah, sidney gets a lot of attention, but he isn’t asking for it.  Maybe this injury is what all you cry-babies need --> “ooooh, im so sick of crosby, he’s the only one they care about” waaah waaaah, you sound like jealous 3 year olds.  You should be happy that people who dont watch hockey actually know a hockey player.

Posted by DrW on 01/23/08 at 08:25 AM ET

From now on I will know that Bob Duff is a f*cking idiot when it comes to commenting on hockey. I wish we could post comments on the msnbc site.

Posted by Dave on 01/23/08 at 01:42 PM ET

DrW,

I don’t think people are jealous of Crosby. I think they’re just misdirecting their dislike towards the media for Crosby’s overexposure. Even some Pittsburgh fans I know complain that there’s too much Crosby talk. You ever watch a game of his on national tv? I sometimes get the impression that Jesus is somehow playing in a Penguins sweater. My opinion, the media needs to take it down a notch or two.

Oh, just for the record, I really don’t care all that much about Crosby either. I’m glad he plays in the league and I think he is a fine player but whether he or his team succeeds or fails doesn’t really matter to me. And, if I could gather a guess, unless your a Penguins fan or a fan of a team in their division, most NHL fans are more concerned with the level of play of their own team or players then the success or failure of Crosby and the Penguins.

Posted by Mike from Michigan on 01/23/08 at 03:08 PM ET

Ok, say his scenario is true, that Crosby is the only star people care about and if he’s not playing no one will watch hockey.

Why did this happen? (hypothetically)

Maybe because the league is so busy hyping Crosby that they’ve forgotten that there are other players in this league!  Crosby’s awesome, don’t get me wrong, but so is Ovechkin and he’s got twice the personality.  Brodeur would probably be one of the most recognizable guys in hockey if he got some coverage.  Lecavalier is a very talented, handsome young man and is leading the league in scoring...but who cares?  I’m sure I could go on. 
Point is, the league is putting all its eggs in one basket with Crosby.  They hope people like him and are drawn to the game.  But what if people don’t like him?  Promote more players, and there’s a greater chance that people will find someone they like.  Because let’s face it, it’s not like Crosby is Gretzky or Lemieux, and is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league (yet).  He’s not like Michael Jordan, who was the best and no one came close.  Those types of players don’t come along too often.  We don’t have one right now and the league/media is trying to force Crosby to be it.

Posted by K24 from NYC on 01/23/08 at 06:19 PM ET

What an amazing piece of garbage. The NHL has 3 or 4 viable U.S. markets and that will not change, Crosby or no Crosby. Who really cares what NBC thinks? I am sick and tired of reading crap from people that have no business writing it.

Posted by Brad from Hamilton on 01/23/08 at 09:24 PM ET