Didn’t watch 1 Second of that FARCE & that Network is WORTHLESS !!!

BUT Congrats to Sid !!

Posted by Evilpens on 07/15/10 at 08:41 AM ET

someone needs to start a “Vote for Ovie” campaign next year, and bombard the ESPN site with any vote other than a Crosby selection…this is just getting out of hand

Posted by yzer19man from Chicago, IL on 07/15/10 at 08:49 AM ET

someone needs to start a “Vote for Ovie” campaign next year, and bombard the ESPN site with any vote other than a Crosby selection…this is just getting out of hand

uhh, ok.  Getting out of hand is what I would call getting the shaft on nearly all individual awards for the past 3 seasons.  Crosby deserves at least one, don’t you think.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 07/15/10 at 08:52 AM ET

I thought he deserved the Hart, but really can’t say Sedin didn’t.  And the way the Lindsay is defined, it was hard not to make an argument for Ovechkin.  Regardless of either of those awards, Crosby being tied for the Richard Trophy was the big one.  Some questioned whether he would ever hit 40 goals, let alone 50.  Regardless, hopefully he takes a bunch of awards next year, including the big silver one in June. 

I also think the Espy’s don’t really matter, so congrats Sid I guess, but it’s not a big deal.

Posted by pens fan in baltimore on 07/15/10 at 09:11 AM ET

Getting out of hand is what I would call getting the shaft on nearly all individual awards for the past 3 seasons.  Crosby deserves at least one, don’t you think.

He got to share the Rocket Richard.  That’s an individual award and the one he deserved and the one he got.

Ok, well he deserved the ESPY too, but I’ll leave judgments on what an ESPY is worth to each of you individually.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/15/10 at 09:24 AM ET

There is always so much talk—it’s almost a given in some quarters—that Crosby is the soulless, corporate, boring face of the league—not as talented, not as exciting, but forced on people as such even though he’s not the true fan favorite.  While the dynamic, the passionate Alexander Ovechkin is the real favorite of the fans and the more popular of the two.  Isn’t this the generally accepted meme?

Then this award—sheer, shameless popularity contest that it is—comes out and you have to wonder.  And I can’t believe that non-hockey fans are voting in overwhelming numbers on this award and skewing the result.

Oh wait, I know ESPN and Bettman conspired to fix the voting so the Golden Boy could win! Why didn’t I realize that earlier? (I am joking, but I’m sure many out there actually believe this).

It’s ESPN—not really worth worrying about . . . but it’s worth pointing out that Crosby is not quite as unpopular as many of his detractors would like to believe.

Posted by Lex Talionis on 07/15/10 at 09:44 AM ET

Lex Talionis

Look at the Post-Gazette’s (and Tribune-Review, TSN, The Score, Sportsnet, NHL Network, etc.) stories from two seasons ago when the Penguins went on their Western road trip and the circus that followed.

Also see Crosby scoring the Gold medal-winning goal from the Olympics, and our obsession with hockey.

Yeah, he’s definitely a lot more popular/liked than a lot of hockey fans think.

Posted by NathanBC on 07/15/10 at 10:25 AM ET

I always look to ESPN for hockey intelligence.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 07/15/10 at 12:20 PM ET

It’s ESPN—not really worth worrying about . . . but it’s worth pointing out that Crosby is not quite as unpopular as many of his detractors would like to believe.

Or, thanks to excessive marketing, he’s about the only NHL star that people who read espn.com recognize.  I still think Sidney is quite unpopular with most fans of the NHL.

Posted by Krononymous on 07/15/10 at 12:24 PM ET

he’s about the only NHL star that people who read espn.com recognize

Yeah, cause Alex Ovechkin is SO underexposed!  I mean, those two are the only ones even in the rink for this award, so that’s why Ovie is relevant.  You can’t possibly believe that people who read ESPN.com don’t know who Alex Ovechkin is.  If he is so much more popular, then why doesn’t he win this award?  Could it possibly be because Crosby has a pretty big following?

I still think Sidney is quite unpopular with most fans of the NHL.

You’re more than entitled to your opinion; as I pointed out, many share it—but this is one example of objective evidence that contradicts it.  So do the stats on NHL jersey sales, if I remember correctly, where, again, Crosby is the leader.

Posted by Lex Talionis on 07/15/10 at 12:44 PM ET

There’s nothing objective about a popularity contest.  The only objective awards are the ones based on leading in a category with objective data, e.g., most goals scored.

To say he’s currently the best player in a sport where there are numerous roles and players who individually excel in those roles is pretty pointless, and reeks of fluff designed to garner attention.

The NHL Awards were already given out.  This stuff is bunk.

Posted by snafu from Michigan on 07/15/10 at 12:54 PM ET

A question to ponder.  If Team USA would have won gold, I think the fans would have picked Ryan Miller but since they did not, the only two that had a chance to win were Crosby or Ovechkin.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 07/15/10 at 01:13 PM ET

To say he’s currently the best player in a sport

You’ve gone off-topic though—of course no one’s saying this shows Crosby is the best player.  At least, I wasn’t.  The ESPY, I think we all agree, goes to the most popular player, not necessarily to the best one.  The only point was that if we accept that the the ESPY is one measure of popularity, it shows that Crosby’s unpopularity may be overestimated.  That’s all.  No more, no less.

Paul, I completely agree with your point about Miller and Ovechkin.  That’s why I brought Ovie into the discussion.  As much as we can all admire Henrik Sedin, et al, (and I do), Ovie would really be the only other plausible winner of this popularity contest.  And yes, the whole thing is silly.  We can all agree on that too…

Posted by Lex Talionis on 07/15/10 at 02:05 PM ET

I also don’t want to say that Sidney Crosby is unpopular, because that’s absolutely not true.

Even despite the fact that I think the Espy awards are a joke, they probably got this one absolutely right.  Of all of the hockey awards that have been discussed, the Espy is the ONLY one where the voting criteria is best hockey player.  Both the Hart and the Pearson are (at least supposed to be) based solely on a player’s NHL season, while the Espy does not.  Scoring the Gold Medal winning goal for Team Canada probably won him this award and, if we’re taking Olympic hockey (or the World Championships) into consideration, I have a hard time saying that anybody had a better year on all levels of hockey with all things considered.

That said, I think objectively and among knowledgeable hockey fans, there could and should be a very strong case for this argument to be about Crosby vs. Toews.

I still think Crosby deserves it, but if the Espy voting takes Toews postseason and the fact that he was probably more valuable to Team Canada’s Gold Medal than Crosby, the argument is much, much closer than if you’re comparing Crosby to Ovechkin with the international games and the playoffs considered.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/15/10 at 02:42 PM ET

Nevermind, I’m a big idiot.  I probably should have read the Wiki page on the Espy before I published that whole rant.  The criteria for the Espy is certainly best NHL player.  The criteria listed on ESPN’s website doesn’t say anything about taking into consideration outside events (like it should), but it can be strongly inferred that they do not intend that to be part of the voting criteria.

Still… If you wanted to count playoffs and international competitions, then the case is Crosby vs. Toews with Ovechkin in 3rd.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/15/10 at 02:46 PM ET