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Everyone Hates Sid
by Mike Chen on 03/16/09 at 12:07 PM ET
Comments (45)
What’s it like to be Sidney Crosby? Here’s a guy who, at 18 years old, already had most of the hockey world hating him—and he hadn’t done anything yet. Of course, that probably was the problem, as the NHL deemed him The Next One prior to him playing a single NHL game.
We all know what happened after that. He had a great rookie season only to be overshadowed by Alexander Ovechkin, then went on to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP in his second season. By then, people had finally stopped blindly bashing Crosby and recognized how good he really was. In his third season, an injury took Crosby out of any awards but he was the strongest Penguin on a team that charged to within two wins of the Stanley Cup.
This year? He’s had an embarrassing fight, some nagging injuries, and the Crosby backlash seems to be in full force from pretty much everywhere (except for, shockingly, Don Cherry). In most hockey circles, discussion of the Penguins’ fortunes seems to focus more on Evgeni Malkin, and whenever Crosby is actually brought up, it’s often accompanied by the phrase “He’s not even the best player on the team.”
In the whole “Who’s the best player in the NHL?” argument, there are talks of Malkin’s scoring-race lead or Alexander Ovechkin’s supercharged goalscoring and enthusiasm. Crosby, however, seems to have slipped by the wayside in everything except NHL marketing pieces.
The strange thing is that facts dispute any naysayer dismissal of Crosby as one of the NHL’s best, if not the best. His points-per-game since he entered the league is better than Malkin or Ovechkin (though not by far); for this season, his points-per-game following Sunday’s three-assist performance over the Boston Bruins is neck-and-neck with Malkin—and both Penguins are just a hair above Ovechkin.
Part of the problem is a personality issue. If Crosby was just a little louder, a little more passionate rather than constantly expressing himself like a robot, perhaps there wouldn’t be such a backlash against the guy. Why do fans take to Ovechkin? Because when AO scores, he seems as excited—if not more—as every fan in the building. He’s having a great time out there and he’s taking the fans along for the ride. Crosby, on the other hand, offers a measured response to everything, most likely from years of preparation by agents and handlers anticipating his entrance into the NHL.
The other part of the problem is the Crosby’s early branding as a whiner and a diver by everyone from Don Cherry to Jeremy Roenick. Perhaps he really embraced those ugly traits during his rookie year, but if you actually sit down with an unbiased perspective and watch a Penguins game (if you’re watching a local Pittsburgh broadcast, be sure to mute the sound—Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey will make you think that Crosby can cure cancer and stop global warming), you’ll find that Crosby has evolved into one of the hardest working players on the ice. He talks to the refs, sure, but that’s part of the job when the C is on your chest. If there wasn’t such an intense media focus on Crosby, and if he didn’t get labeled so negatively in his rookie season, you probably wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
This isn’t an argument saying “Crosby rules, everyone else sucks.” It’s not that black and white, and it really doesn’t need to be. Hockey fans are lucky that they’ve got three players of pretty equal talent in Crosby, Malkin, and Ovechkin, and there’s a good chance that the three will be vying for the Art Ross trophy each year. Rather, this is an argument for trying to judge #87 fairly. Sidney Crosby isn’t evil, nor is he a simpering schoolyard brat. Sidney Crosby isn’t a saint either, despite what the NHL marketing folks might tell you. Sidney Crosby just is who he is—one of the most talented players we’ve seen in the league this generation. The real culprit here is the NHL’s marketing team, who pushed and pushed Crosby so hard instead of just letting him develop naturally.
Had the league waited to fly his flag after he actually accomplished something—like his Hart Trophy-winning season—maybe none of us would actually be talking about it. The unfortunate thing is that this corporate decision has robbed the public of its ability to judge Crosby objectively.
Is he better than Ovechkin or Malkin? On any given night, sometimes yes and sometimes no. And that’s something that some fans refuse to acknowledge or respect. If you’re that way, if you just can’t stand it when Crosby’s face appears in a TV ad or a magazine page, try this: take one game (and since the Penguins are always on national TV, it won’t be that hard to find), mute the sound, and really focus on Crosby shift to shift. You’ll probably find that he works harder than you thought, that he whines less than you believed, and that his skill level really is something unique.
(Let the hate mail from the anti-Crosby contingent commence.)
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Evgeni+Malkin, Sidney+Crosby,
Comments
I totally agree with everything you said
Posted by JJ from PA on 03/16/09 at 01:04 PM ET
A pretty perfectly written peice. I completely agree with everything here. Call it jealousy or marketing backlash, it’s just way cooler to say you like Malkin or Ovechkin. In reality however, when healty, Crosby is likely a more complete player than either of them on a game by game basis. He’s not as flashy as either of them but now that the spotlight is on Ovie and Geno a bit more, Crosby quitely gets it done and changes the game every night, much like a young Yzerman (87’s hero). Anyone that says otherwise is biased and likely doesn’t watch the Pens very frequently.
Posted by chase from chicago on 03/16/09 at 01:04 PM ET
Good read, he has his faults but they are so magnified by the hype that he becomes such an easy target for criticism. In most situations he’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.
Posted by Russian Rocket on 03/16/09 at 01:10 PM ET
Definitely the most unbiased article I’ve read on Crosby for a long time. You simply can’t deny the fact that he IS good. But like was noted, he has his faults, but even those are overblown by the same media hype that made people hate him in the first place.
Posted by kstewy16 on 03/16/09 at 01:56 PM ET
There is no denying his talents or his work ethic. He has a higher ceiling to take his on-ice abilities to. Ovechkin will always score and hit better than him. Jumbo Joe might always pass better. And Datsyuk might always defend better. But Crosby’s ability to fill any of those roles on any given night, depending on what is needed of him, is impressive.
I think the annoyance is that he has been immature to this point. He whines to the officials like an NBA player. He was a total punk in his “fight” earlier in the year. Last season he completely refused to acknowledge how well Detroit played, and failed to credit Zetterberg for outplaying him in the final.
Considering the pressure he’s had at such a young age, I suppose he is quite mature. It’s hard to pin it all on him. It’s just that he has had his moments where it becomes abundantly clear that he really still is “Sid the KID”.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/16/09 at 01:58 PM ET
An post like this was long overdue. Good on you for being the one to write it.
If anything, you undersell Crosby. Very, very few players have been so dominant while so young. I think he’s clearly better than Malkin, and could easily have a better career than Ovechkin. Turning on the hype machine may have been a bad strategy, but not because the NHL wrongly chose its Annointed One.
Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 03/16/09 at 02:34 PM ET
As a Caps fan I love mocking Crosby but I still appreciate his talent. He’s suffering from the inevitable backlash of being the league’s annointed fairhaired boy even though he’s lived up to the hype. Problem is Ovechkin exceeded the hype and Crosby. To me what will always seperate Ovechkin and Malkin from Crosby is they are all fast ,skilled players but the size of Ovie and Malkin allows them to do more then Sid. Play more physical, get rebound goals,crash the net, create space with their hits,etc. To do all that plus have unbelievable one on one moves is ridiculous.
Posted by eric from baltimore on 03/16/09 at 03:29 PM ET
Ovechkin will always score and hit better than him. Jumbo Joe might always pass better. And Datsyuk might always defend better.
Ovechkin, yes, he’s got more of the pure goal scorer instinct in him, though Crosby’s willingness to shoot from anywhere shows that he’s no slouch.
Thornton? I see just about every Sharks game and I can honestly say this—while Thornton may be better in actually getting the pass through, Crosby is much more creative with his passing. A lot of Thornton’s passes are from either behind the net or from the half-wall. Crosby catches a lot of his linemates breaking with a hard-angle pass just after the blueline or his spinning backhand passes.
Datsyuk? Pavel’s definitely better, though let’s see if Crosby’s defensive game gets better with age.
Posted by Mike Chen on 03/16/09 at 03:38 PM ET
I find it entertaining that most of the people who posted on here agreed in part, but had to get their jabs in regardless. I wrote a blog looking at the numbers between Ovechkin and Malkin this season, but maybe I should look at the number for Malkin, Crosby, and Ovechkin. It would be interesting to see how they match up.
http://everythingpittsburgh.blogspot.com/2009/03/malkin-vs-ovechkinbehind-numbers.html
So here is my jab…
I believe that every player has a set skillset. Their position allows them different skillsets as well. Malkin and Crosby has to worry about faceoffs among everything else in their game, Ovechkin doesn’t. Also, the way the Capitals play, they don’t or didn’t ever make Ovechkin defensively responsible. All he has to think about is going out and shooting. That is displayed by his league leading giveaways and shot totals. Like I said in the article, if Malkin took as many shots as Ovechkin, he would have 51 goals this season on average. I have no idea how many Crosby would have, but I am sure it would be close.
What I am saying here is that all three are equal, you can’t label Ovechkin the pure goal scorer when his shots per goals number is almost exactly the same as Crosby and Malkin. You need to identify the skills that separate them all. Ovechkin’s visible passion that invigorates the team, Crosby’s vision to see a pass when there seemingly isn’t one there, and Malkin’s ability to take over a game. They are all equals and this season, above all, will prove it. No significant injuries and 1-2-3. Also, if Malkin wins Hart and Art Ross, that would give them all the award in the last three years. It is amazing that we all can watch all three of these guys nightly and we are truly blessed at this stage of the game. It is even better than the Gretzky-Lemieux era. Consider it and stop bashing the best of them. All three of them.
Posted by Justin Murphy from Monroeville, PA on 03/16/09 at 04:00 PM ET
Last season he completely refused to acknowledge how well Detroit played, and failed to credit Zetterberg for outplaying him in the final
Much of Crosby’s criticism is overblown (moreso the diving than the whining), but this is probably the only criticism of Crosby that, to me, lacks even a grain of validity. Why should Crosby acknowledge either? I don’t remember Yzerman crediting Brodeur or Gretzky crediting Carbonneau for outplaying them—let alone doing so in the middle of a series as Crosby is supposedly so villainous to have not done.
Posted by Steve on 03/16/09 at 05:35 PM ET
Pavel Datsyuk is better than 2 out these 3, hands down.
Posted by Johnny 2 in Kalamazoo on 03/16/09 at 05:36 PM ET
Outstanding article Mike, well done…. Your neutral stance puts the flaming down to a minimum… 
Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 03/16/09 at 05:37 PM ET
Now he finally has players on his line that can finish. Its about time.
Posted by patrick from yonkers ny on 03/16/09 at 06:16 PM ET
.... maybe if he didn’t have to take almost 9 mil a year he might have had a few more?
Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/16/09 at 06:26 PM ET
Pavel Datsyuk is better than 2 out these 3, hands down.
Datsyuk is 30.
Ovie 23, Malkin 22, Crosby 21.
At 23, at least statistically speaking, Datsyuk wasn’t in the same class as any of them.
As phenomenal as Datsyuk is, give the others a few more years to catch up on the seasoning and I don’t think there will be much comparison. Unless they all peak at 24, which seems unlikely.
Posted by carter j from cleveland on 03/16/09 at 06:39 PM ET
I totally reject the logic applied in this article. Hating him is just too much fun.
Crosby and Malkin may both be very good, but don’t ask them to score on a 5-on-3 if Zetterberg is also on the ice…
Posted by Chris from Flint on 03/16/09 at 06:45 PM ET
Crosby and Savard are yapping in yesterday’s game. Crosby challenges Savard to drop the gloves. Savard says no because he is wearing a visor. Crosby removes visor, returns to ice next shift and Savard skates away.
You “Canadian style” player lovers should be all over this. Who’s the baby when this happens?? How come it’s not headline news??
My guess is that it hasn’t made the national hockey news circle yet. Was conformed today by Kunitz on local sports talk radio interview (Mark Madden - 105.9 The X in Pittsburgh - look up the podcast).
Posted by mcfly on 03/16/09 at 06:55 PM ET
hockeyinhd - should Sid have taken almost $12 mil like OV? wait until Green, Semin and Backstrom are all up for renegotiating…then OV will really need to take more than 12 shots a game if he wants to get any points, no one will be there to bang in any of his rebounds. While, Sid, Malkin, Fleury, Orpik, and Staal have all taken less to keep their group together…
Posted by greg on 03/16/09 at 07:12 PM ET
I totally reject the logic applied in this article. Hating him is just too much fun.
Crosby and Malkin may both be very good, but don’t ask them to score on a 5-on-3 if Zetterberg is also on the ice…
You mean like Malkin did here?
Posted by Russian Rocket on 03/16/09 at 07:34 PM ET
While, Sid, Malkin, Fleury, Orpik, and Staal have all taken less to keep their group together…
I think almost any impartial fan can make a decent case all five of those guys are overpaid, so the notion that they ‘took less’ is moderately laughable.
I mean, I suppose it’s possible Shero was a total moron and said ‘Fleury, I want to offer you 5.5 mil a year’ and he said ‘Nonono Ray, 5 is plenty”...
...but I sort of doubt it.
Honestly, I think you Pens fans are going to just be thrilled when the cap backs up to 47 or million after next season and you find that 75-80% of Pitt’s cap is tied up in Malkin, Crosby, Kunitz, Staal, Fleury and Orpik. Yeah, that’ll leave the Pens with around 750k a roster spot to fill out the whole rest of the team.
You guys will be looking back on the Fedotenko/Satan days with freaking FONDNESS.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/16/09 at 09:13 PM ET
HockeyinHD, why don’t you tone down the douchiness for a couple minutes? Mmkay?
Sure, Zetterberg is a god who took dirt cheap money.
But Crosby and Malkins salaries are definitely a ton less then what they could have asked for, and would have been given by a lot of other teams.
In the days of Mats Sundin making 8.6 million, Brad Richards 7.8 mil, Ovechkin 9.5 mil, Gomez and Drury over 7 and Redden at 6.5, I’d say Crosby and Malkin, the two leading NHL scorers, at 8.7 seems like a fair deal. Is it a steal like Zetterberg? No way, but still a good deal.
Posted by kstewy16 on 03/16/09 at 09:32 PM ET
Damn. You got me on that one Rocket. Props for finding the exact video that proves me wrong.
But the 5-on-3 I was thinking of was in a game last spring. You know the one…
Posted by Chris from Flint on 03/16/09 at 11:18 PM ET
Good stuff, Chen. It’s a point I’ve been screaming all year. Instead of grinding your teeth that he isn’t way better than Malkin or Ovechkin, why not (like you said as well) enjoy the fact that the NHL has three superstars barely above the drinking age?
It’s amazing how quickly forget how consistently great Crosby was in the playoffs last year, but I guess we’re in the era of two-week memories. At best.
Posted by James on 03/17/09 at 12:44 AM ET
Crosby is obviously the superior player in every facet of the game when comparing him to his contemporaries.
ive never seen ov or malkin punch a guys sack with crosbys level skill and precision.
Posted by :: on 03/17/09 at 02:00 AM ET
But the 5-on-3 I was thinking of was in a game last spring. You know the one…
...Sadly, I do Chris. He made it happen when it mattered most.
Posted by Russian Rocket on 03/17/09 at 06:22 AM ET
Good article, however I disagree with your assessment about Sid’s lack of passion. He is an exciting player to watch and he has plenty of passion (probably more than most players on the ice). You make it sound like he doesn’t celebrate his goals or the achievements of his teammates, but that could not be farther from the truth. Just because he doesn’t act like a child when he scores (like A.O.) and taunt the other bench doesn’t mean that he isn’t excited. He is always the first to congratulate his teammates for a great play and always seems to be enjoying himself. I am not trying to downplay the abilities of Malkin or A.O. however. I think all three of them are the best in the league, it depends game to game and week to week who is the best player in the NHL, but most days I would say it is one of the 3 of them.
Posted by JPH102900 from Pittsburgh on 03/17/09 at 07:33 AM ET
@ Eric
Imagine if OV wasn’t so lazy on the ice and actually back checked?
He is a great player but
He plays like the typical beer league player that plays a league down just to make himself feel good by scoring
He only thinks about offense.
He is a great goal scorer but his post goal celebrations are over the top
Act like you have scored before
Posted by lj from Alexandria VA on 03/17/09 at 08:32 AM ET
It’s not Crosby that we don’t like, it’s how the media treats him. Why does ESPN need a “Crosby Watch” on their main NHL page during the playoffs? There’s a lot of great players out there, besides AO, Malkin and Crosby… ones who are better defensively. Why can’t the media talk about anyone else? That’s why we don’t like Crosby.
And Steve… if I remember correctly, Yzerman did credit NJ’s gritty play for their ‘95 cup; though they didn’t praise Colorado’s a year later… they were still miffed at the Draper hit.
Posted by Jason on 03/17/09 at 09:11 AM ET
I look at it this way: Crosby has always been tremendously focussed on working at improving his game. Yet, he’s been pushed, pulled and manipulated by the league and it’s media lackeys to be the marketing face of the NHL. I’ll grant you, he’s not always the most glib interview. But, imagine if he didn’t have those distractions that come from media and marketing obligations (which he seems to take on willfully - not for his own benefit, but for that of the game he loves) and could concentrate even more on upgrading his game. How much better could he be? MUCH better than Ovechkin (who only plays on a 140ft rink, anyway), and possibly better than his teammate.
Posted by Mikey from Pittsburgh on 03/17/09 at 10:25 AM ET
Thanks for the perspective. I do disagree with your comments regarding the Pens broadcasting team of “Frick and Frack”. Malkin walks on water with them; the not frozen kind.
Sid gets the game. Watch him at the end of a period or when the other team has pressure. he does the right thing. He goes low to help the D, he chips the puck out, he tries to block the shot. For pure entertainment value, Ovechkin and Malkin are all flash, skating around in search of the puck, without any regard to position. Like an old coach told me “they confuse motion with progress”. Sid does all of the little (and big) things to win. form 8 and 71, it is about them. All eyes need to be on them.
Recently, people are questioning what is up with 71 in Pittsburgh. Sid is playing great and I belive that 71 cannot handle less of a spotlight on him. Look at the Finals last year. Same thing. Lemieux and Jagr were able to coexist as where Gretzky and Messier. I hope that Geno and Sid and develop this. Otherwise, what can we get for Malkin?
Posted by Joe Dykta on 03/17/09 at 11:36 AM ET
HockeyinHD, why don’t you tone down the douchiness for a couple minutes? Mmkay?
Sure, Zetterberg is a god who took dirt cheap money.
But Crosby and Malkins salaries are definitely a ton less then what they could have asked for, and would have been given by a lot of other teams.
In the days of Mats Sundin making 8.6 million, Brad Richards 7.8 mil, Ovechkin 9.5 mil, Gomez and Drury over 7 and Redden at 6.5, I’d say Crosby and Malkin, the two leading NHL scorers, at 8.7 seems like a fair deal. Is it a steal like Zetterberg? No way, but still a good deal.
Hey, so if you compare Crosby and Malkin’s deals to some of the worst contracts in the NHL they look good?
And this isn’t really a Zetterberg thing. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect players to take 2 million dollar plus a year discounts. The problem with the Crosby deal was that it would obviously also set what Malkin’s deal would be.
Is it that crazy to maybe think, bearing the cap in mind, that Crosby and Malkin couldn’t take 7.5ish mil and leave the team a little extra money?
Those two aside, the Staal contract was a huge overpay. So was the Fleury contract. So was the Orpik deal. Add in Crosby and Malkin’s deal and the Pens cap is killed.
Maybe if the Pens can get Crosby and Malkin in cheaper they can fill out the roster a little more so they don’t have to play them the 2nd and 3rd most IT/g in the NHL at forward. Maybe they are a little fresher in the playoffs, then. Maybe they don’t have to be frantic about retaining Staal and end up overpaying. Maybe they don’t have to disassemble their team every year and bring in 8-10 new players to squeeze under the cap.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/17/09 at 11:49 AM ET
crosby is also the most talented speed bagger i’ve seen this century.
Posted by b on 03/17/09 at 12:43 PM ET
And Steve… if I remember correctly, Yzerman did credit NJ’s gritty play for their ‘95 cup
After game 3? This silly “Crosby didn’t credit the wings” complaint comes from something he said when the series was 3-1 Detroit.
Posted by steve on 03/17/09 at 05:42 PM ET
Crosby/Malkin at 8.7$ is as cheap as you can get.it’s not like only the Pens will have an issue if the cap is going to be 47 millions… that will be a huge problem for each and every team in the League… think before you post…
Posted by cynic on 03/17/09 at 06:10 PM ET
Crosby/Malkin at 8.7$ is as cheap as you can get.
Sir, I would like to introduce you to the numbers 8.69, and 8.68, and 8.67…
it’s not like only the Pens will have an issue if the cap is going to be 47 millions… that will be a huge problem for each and every team in the League… think before you post…
Did I say the Pens were the only team in the league who would suffer under a shrunken cap?
And as a matter of fact, not every team in the NHL will have a problem. A bunch of teams would love nothing better than for the cap ceiling (and by extension the cap FLOOR) to drop so they don’t have to pay out as much in salary.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/17/09 at 07:04 PM ET
You Pen fans just need to get over it and accept the fact that Ovechkin is the greatest thing since sliced bread. While crosby is good, he is flawed. Crobsy is a cheap-shot-taking whiny little b*tch and you Pittsburg losers and Don Cherry need to get over it and accept it! Ovechkin is going to be around for a while winning trophies and Stanley Cups while Crosby whines to his mommy.
Posted by Sean on 03/17/09 at 11:32 PM ET
Wishful thinking or worse - disinformation - how much did the Penguins PR staff pay you for this article? I think Crosby is the most creative player in the NHL, BUT, he still comes off as a whiny brat. I blame Michel Therrian - Crosby is (still) too young and immature be team captain. Penalty calls (or lack thereof), elicit a sneer or a “palms up”, even offsides calls too. He doesn’t know how to develop a relationship with the referees, many of whom are twice his age. The same thing happened to Vinny Lecavlier and no doubt it was humiliating to have the “c” removed from his sweater, in the long run it was the right thing to do.
Posted by Sharkie9000 from Delaware on 03/18/09 at 04:26 AM ET
I can’t believe how clueless you guys are (HockeyinHD, Sean and Sharkie9000)! You are aware that it’s the Captain’s responsibility (or for that matter, whomever is out on the ice wearing a “C” or an “A”) to lobby for calls, to point out inconsistencies and such. How in the hail mary could that be “whining”? So many other prominent skaters in the league do as much, if not more, lobbying for their team - and yet no one calls then crybabies? Sounds like a little bit of bias to me.
The cap will hurt every team - not just the Penguins. Everyone rags on the Penguins because they have a bunch of young stars that can play. I would encourage you to take a look at the current player salary lists for every team and then tell us which team has too many “overpaid” players? Yeah, I’d start with Ovechkin and Ted Leonsis. I don’t know what kind of thing they have going, but something’s not right there. Ovie is a great player and will undoubtedly be in the HHOF. However, in the day and age of salary cap, taking over $10 million a year is way selfish, just like the “me first” attitude he displays each and every time he goes out on the ice. Think that the Devils will be able to afford paying Brodeur, Parise and company? The Wings have already admitted that they won’t be able to sign everyone that will be a UFA at the end of the season. So why is that? Is it because even though guys take less money, they still have a huge collection of guys that take up so much of the cap space (Zetterberg, Osgood, Datsyuk, the list goes on) that they can’t afford to pay the supporting cast the money the’ve so rightfully earned.
As for him being too young (in your eyes, Sharkie9000), well why don’t you take a look at Vincent Lecavalier’s history yourself? He didn’t have the leadership. He was unable to play for himself, let alone make the players around him better. That’s not the case with Crosby. If you happen to be a Sharks fan, based on your screen name, you don’t have to go any farther than Jumbo Joe Thornton (who, by the way, I think is a great guy - as are the Sharks). He was stripped of his captaincy in Boston because, as they said, he wasn’t working hard enough. He didn’t lead the team to the Stanley Cup. He was their “franchise” player, and they dumped him under the bus. Some guys need more time to mature, and that’s fine. But you really need to wake up and realize that being a captain is about a ton of things that you obviously don’t understand. Watch a Blackhawks game. Their captain is doing a heck of a job for someone his age. But if you watch closely, you’ll see him communicating with the refs as well. So where’s the sin in that?
I expect Leonsis to bestow the captaincy on Ovie just as soon as the current captain dies or is traded. Now THAT I would love to see - a self-centered, only works when he wants to kind of guy - to set an example for his team? Scary!!!
Do I think Crosby’s the best captain out there? No, not by a long shot. But I think he’s better than most, and he does what a captain should do, both off and on the ice. He’s probably the best well-rounded player in the league. You could come back with a lot of stupid whiny retorts. But I’ll stand behind my assessment of Crosby and his talents any day, any time.
Posted by BoardingMajor on 03/18/09 at 10:27 AM ET
can’t believe how clueless you guys are (HockeyinHD, Sean and Sharkie9000)! You are aware that it’s the Captain’s responsibility (or for that matter, whomever is out on the ice wearing a “C” or an “A”) to lobby for calls, to point out inconsistencies and such. How in the hail mary could that be “whining”? So many other prominent skaters in the league do as much, if not more, lobbying for their team - and yet no one calls then crybabies? Sounds like a little bit of bias to me.
I haven’t mentioned anything about whining, so aside from a bit of hyper-reactionary self-defense on your part…
The cap will hurt every team - not just the Penguins.
That’s just factually incorrect. Is Atlanta really going to be hurt if the cap goes down 7 million bucks? Columbus? Florida? LA? Minnesota? Nashville? The Islanders? Phoenix? St. Louis?
Shut up. Those teams couldn’t care less what the cap ceiling is. All they care about is what the cap FLOOR is. There are another half-dozen teams set up to be able to adjust if the cap goes down, as well… meaning they don’t have 38 million bucks tied up in 6 guys out past next season.
However, in the day and age of salary cap, taking over $10 million a year is way selfish, just like the “me first” attitude he displays each and every time he goes out on the ice.
Okay, so taking 9.538 mil (what Ovechkin actually counts for against the cap) is being ‘way selfish’ and ‘me first’, but taking 8.7 mil is being a resonsible dude? That 838 thousand bucks makes the difference?
Again, shut up.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/18/09 at 11:57 AM ET
Not sure how you all got so far off the subject, but Sid is indeed a great player. Is he better than Malkin and Ovechkin? I could argue either way for the following reasons:
1. Malkin isn’t very smart. Or maybe he just doesn’t do so well when thinking is important. ie: the Geno-patented right wing blue line drop-pass EVERY TIME he enters the opposing zone; the shootout/penalty shot attempts; the turnovers every shift on the power play. ADVANTAGE: Crosby
2. Ovechkin is an egomaniac on a par with Jagr. Or maybe just a puck hog. Look at his G/A ratio. If he were a bit more willing to pass, the Caps would be serious contenders and Malkin wouldn’t be the point leader. ADVANTAGE: Crosby
3. Crosby’s affinity for passing and not taking shots hurts his personal numbers as well as the team’s. very few bad turnovers from his perspective, but a lot of missed dishes and over/under skated redirect chances (though Kunitz may help that). ADVANTAGE: Ovechkin
4. Crosby overthinks and makes things more complicated than they have to be sometimes. He can pull it off well because of his skating and shooting, but pure unadulterated natural hockey sometimes eludes. ADVANTAGE: Malkin
Posted by Doc on 03/18/09 at 12:55 PM ET
Crosby, the always hard-working player, who commits on defense just the same as on offense, trumps both Ovechkin and Malkin in sheer overall effectiveness. However, to become an even more effective player, Crosby has to start playing the PK—regularly. He’s certainly showed the skills. He’s positionally sound usually and has shown a willingness to block shots. And because he’s got amazing speed, he’d be quick to get to loose pucks and intercept passes. He’s improved so much since his rookie year in winning faceoffs. Sometimes Crosby gets too caught up playing dipsy-doodle with making the perfect play, and I think that’s something he can certainly improve upon from watching Malkin. Crosby’s shot selection also leaves something to be desired as well. And Crosby sucks in interviews.
Malkin, playing the point on the PP, has scored so many goals from just firing the puck on net. Malkin is a machine. He has to be in the top 5 among players with the longest shift times. Malkin, unfortunately, isn’t as composed or cool as Crosby. He easily gets frustrated and is prone to taking bad penalties as a result. Malkin also has a tendency to try to do too much. At least once a game, he’ll try to split four players through the offensive zone and losing it, instead of making the simple play of dumping the puck in. But Malkin’s creative. And he’s willing to go into the middle of the ice to make plays. And Malkin, whether it be by sheer size or sheer determination, is the most visible Pens player on the ice. I think his skill and creativity surpass Crosby and Ovechkin.
I marvel at Ovechkin the goal scorer, but he’s missing the more complete game of Crosby and Malkin. Time after time he’s one of the last forwards back in the defensive zone. He doesn’t harass puck carriers. And when he takes runs at opposing players he’s almost always putting himself out of position for the next play. Alex is creative and he’s damn determined at scoring. But when he isn’t scoring goals, he’s not doing the other things that helps a team win hockey games. Especially when the chips are down Ovechkin isn’t the hardest working player on the ice. He’s not trying to disrupt the next scoring play. He’s not trying to block the shot on goal. As for Alex’s goal celebrations… I don’t mind slamming the boards (though he’s just asking for a separate shoulder) but the stick’s too hot celebration (thanks Theo) was pretty lame. He has to be careful before hockey traditionalists start lumping him in with T.O.
Posted by Will Bulldozer on 03/23/09 at 02:16 AM ET
I think it is stupid that they dont call him the best on the team the only reason malkin has more points then him is because he was injured for a while but overal a very well written and informational paper.
Posted by joey from 117 S. highland ave. on 04/03/09 at 01:23 PM ET
People will always bash crosby because the media has know turn on him. People hear something on sportscenter or jeremy say it and they flock like morons. Crosby culd score five goals have sixteen assists in this next series and people would still say he sucks. Its popular to hate on him and it will be for a while I just hope malkin and ovie have to go through the same thing to see how they handle it!
Posted by Neil on 04/30/09 at 02:52 AM ET
“Sidney Crosby isn’t evil, nor is he a simpering schoolyard brat.”
Haha, My girlfriend went to school with him and he was just that. Nice to know you pull wrongful information out of your ass
Posted by T Truth from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on 07/19/09 at 11:31 PM ET
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solid article.
he does work as hard or harder than anyone. just watch him unbiased once and you’ll see
Posted by btumpak on 03/16/09 at 12:50 PM ET