Shake the baby!

Seriously dude, square up.  Don’t be a pussy and jump the guy who’s got his head down waiting for a face off.

Posted by Django on 01/03/09 at 06:47 PM ET

It’s come down to a he said, he said....

Crosby said in the postgame that he asked McLean to go and he said yes.  (http://penguins.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=29728)

McLean said after the game that he acknowledged that Crosby said something to him, but he didn’t hear it..... http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/836316.html

So, of course, everyone will say Crosby is lying, naturally....

Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 01/03/09 at 07:40 PM ET

How often is Crosby really assused of lying? Its a little incriminating when there is a linesman standing in between you and you end up with 4 penalties.

Posted by SGTEXPLORER from Covina, CA on 01/03/09 at 08:08 PM ET

The linesman is really irrelevant in my view… If McLean didn’t hear Sid, then this is all just blustering.... And if he didn’t hear him, and therefore turtled, that’s what caused the instigating penalties....

Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 01/03/09 at 08:15 PM ET

Doesn’t matter if he agreed to the fight or not. Crosby still jumped him. Take the draw, then square off. None of this sneak attack bullshit.

Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 01/03/09 at 08:56 PM ET

I love when crosby doesn’t do anything he’s a pussy, but when he tries to fight, he’s still a pussy. At least give him some credit for having some balls.

Posted by Kevin from Pittsburgh on 01/03/09 at 09:29 PM ET

I wouldn’t call Crosby a pussy. I’ve never seen him back down from anything. He can take the hits and give em. He’s not afraid to stand in the post-whistle scrums. And of course he’s had his fights. But he is starting to build himself a dirty rep.

Fights are all good, but he’s gotta do it the right way. No sucker ball punches on a guy already tied up, no attacks off the draw. One on one, and let the guy get set. Ditch the visors too.

Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 01/03/09 at 09:37 PM ET

I’m embarrassed for him.

Posted by Boris Valabik on 01/03/09 at 09:41 PM ET

this is straight up rediculous.  for the past 3 seasons its been “crosby is a baby who needs laraque or an enforcer to protect him.  hes not as good as iginla and not a good captain cuz he doesnt fight.  hes a pussy, blah blah blah.”

so crosby fights.  stands up for himself and gets his team going when they’re being straight up embarrassed.  but thats not good enough.  he needs to have a sanctioned title bout with floyd mayweather.

i mean seriously.  what do you want from this guy?  he gets in there and throws it around and has two fighting majors now plus all the extra crap surrounding this one. 

if crosby scored 250 points in a single season people would say something like “he only had 90 goals instead of gretzky’s 92 and most of he only played every other penalty kill”. 

people cry about crosby crying more than crosby cries.

Posted by ohcomeon from whatev. on 01/03/09 at 09:51 PM ET

Yeah but nobody cries like Crosby fans crying about people crying about Crosby crying.  Nate A already spelled it out.  Square up, drop the gloves and fight clean.

Posted by Django on 01/03/09 at 10:55 PM ET

Okay so yesterday I thought crosby was a winy weanie, but still be the best player in hockey. Today, I got a whole pile more respect for him.

Posted by laker from Kamloops on 01/04/09 at 12:02 AM ET

If Avery would have jumped someone like that what would people say?

Cindy’s a coward!

A great playmaker, but a coward nonetheless.

I smell a league issued suspension. You just can’t jump someone like that and get away with it....this was an assault not a fight.

p.s. You would never see something like this from a quality hockey player like: Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Hossa.

Posted by The Hurricane on 01/04/09 at 01:15 AM ET

I watched the game and I lost all respect for Crosby. He is a spoiled kid. He jumps one of the smallest guys on the Panthers when he isn’t looking. I can’t wait till somebody rings his bell. I use to respect Crosby but no longer. The guy is a jerk.

Posted by Bo from FL. on 01/04/09 at 01:41 AM ET

Hi Mike -

I still think Sid’s a talented player, and I never hated him, nor will I write that I have lost all respect for him.

But what is up with his season?  First he punches a guy in the crotch, and now this?

I think he and Alexander Semin should leave the altercations to the professionals…

Posted by PB from GIlbert, Arizona on 01/04/09 at 08:18 AM ET

Crosby is such a puss.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 01/04/09 at 09:45 AM ET

I wouldn’t call Crosby a pussy. I’ve never seen him back down from anything.

Easy not to back down when you jump a guy off the faceoff and leave your visor on. What was McLean going to do to get back into the fight, even if he did acknowledge before the puck was dropped that they were going to go? Was he going to break his knuckles trying to throw uppercuts into Cindy’s visor?

Crosby is a supreme offensive talent. He’s one of the best offensive players in the game. But unlike a few seasons ago, when it looked certain he’d be (at least) the premier offensive player in the game, you can’t say that anymore. There’s at least a debate about the best offensive player in the game… Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin all have legitimate cases to be considered that top forward.

Furthermore, you cannot call Crosby the best player in the league because his all-around game isn’t up to the level of a number of other players. His faceoff percentage is currently below the 50% mark this season. He’s not a go-to guy to shut down the other team’s best players or kill off a critical penalty. In his rookie year, and now again this year, he hurt his team by spending too much time in the penalty box.

When you look at the all-around games of guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Iginla, Getzlaf, Hossa, and this season in particular, Marleau and Joe Thronton… these are all guys that are much more productive without the puck, and in the defensive end, and on the backcheck, and on the PK than Crosby is.

He’s way more mature than he was his rookie year, but he still acts a bit like a kid. I can’t blame him too much. There’s been a spotlight and lots of pressure on him for a decade+. That’s got to be hard to deal with. But it doesn’t change the fact that he still has a tendency to act like a petulent little girl when things don’t go his way, and that his all-around game, if you’re honest with yourself, is not up to the level of many of the other start players in the league.

Posted by Nathan on 01/04/09 at 11:36 AM ET

When does Sid fight? When he’s all PO’d, because things aren’t going his way. He fights when he loses his temper. It’s not like he plays a consistent brand of tough-nosed hockey. That fact is he occasionally snaps, and pity the poor person he sucker-punches when he erupts.

That’s what a “leader” does for a struggling team? He jumps a player out of frustration?

Sid isn’t a leader, and the NHL will regret the day they ever decided this over-rated prima donna was the “Next One”.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 01/04/09 at 01:18 PM ET

“That’s what a “leader” does for a struggling team? He jumps a player out of frustration?

Sid isn’t a leader, and the NHL will regret the day they ever decided this over-rated prima donna was the “Next One”.

Agree with Red Winger.

If Avery jumped a guy when he wasn’t looking he would be banned from the league but when Crosby does it’s okay. Double standards for the league’s teacher’s pet.

Posted by Bo from FL. on 01/04/09 at 01:32 PM ET