How are people feeling about Crosby right now?

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

In thinking back to some of this years heated debates about Crosby being either the best player in the game or the biggest disappointment since Ryan Leaf (j/k) many of his detractors mentioned that he couldn't get them past the 1st round of the playoffs, hence that's why in their eyes he was a disappointment.

Well, the Penguins are 6-0 so far, the only team not to lose a single playoff game yet. And Crosby is doing his part with 10 points in those 6 games.

I'm curious, will it be enough for some of his detractors if he can help them get to the Conference Finals? Or does he have to get them to the Cup Finals or even moreso, do the Pens have to Win it all before he will no longer be a "disappointment" to some?

[thedisappearer 291]

In thinking back to some of this years heated debates about Crosby being either the best player in the game or the biggest disappointment since Ryan Leaf (j/k) many of his detractors mentioned that he couldn't get them past the 1st round of the playoffs, hence that's why in their eyes he was a disappointment.

Well, the Penguins are 6-0 so far, the only team not to lose a single playoff game yet. And Crosby is doing his part with 10 points in those 6 games.

I'm curious, will it be enough for some of his detractors if he can help them get to the Conference Finals? Or does he have to get them to the Cup Finals or even moreso, do the Pens have to Win it all before he will no longer be a "disappointment" to some?

I am conflicted here. Previous to this season, I worried that he whined too much and was a diver. He has toned both down considerably this season. He is obviously immensely talented.

But I think the development of Malkin and the other young players, as well as the pick up of Hossa is as much of a reason, if not more, with the Pens success this year. I am not even sure if he's the best player on his own team, though he most likely is.

I don't think they have enough playoff experience (outside of Roberts) to get to the SCF though.

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

Ehh the Ottawa series should only count as 1 win. That team was BAD

[interminded 1]

he owes me 25 bucks !... that's how i feel about him.

[scottDFW 0]

No doubt that Crosby is aging, maturing, and getting better every game that passes.

One of many reason for wanting to make the SCFs is to get a chance to see him play (against our team). Granted, that isn't one of the most major reasons I wanna to go the SCFs, but it is still one of them.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

In thinking back to some of this years heated debates about Crosby being either the best player in the game or the biggest disappointment since Ryan Leaf (j/k) many of his detractors mentioned that he couldn't get them past the 1st round of the playoffs, hence that's why in their eyes he was a disappointment.

Well, the Penguins are 6-0 so far, the only team not to lose a single playoff game yet. And Crosby is doing his part with 10 points in those 6 games.

I'm curious, will it be enough for some of his detractors if he can help them get to the Conference Finals? Or does he have to get them to the Cup Finals or even moreso, do the Pens have to Win it all before he will no longer be a "disappointment" to some?

Who are these people that are disappointed in him? I don't have man-love whatsoever for him but there's no denying the talent he has, and I would think anyone in their right mind would realize that if the Pens don't go past this round (or any other) that its not because of him.

Seriously, who's disappointed in him?

[servo 15]

When Crosby first came into the NHL, I was VERY scheptical about his natural "greatness". I didn't think that he could excell as predicted and would fade into obscurity. (I was all about Ovechkin!)

BOY was I wrong. He will be a HOF'er.

[Sergeiwasmyfav 0]

I don't question Crosby's talent or anything like that; he is definitely one of the top players in the game today, and I think he is too young to base his abilities on playoff success. He has only been in the playoffs twice, and I don't think it takes anything away from him if they don't make the Finals the two times they have been in the playoffs with him. I don't see how he could be a "disappointment" at this stage of his career as far as playoffs go. If five years from now they still haven't made a conference final or SCF, then maybe, but not now.

I get annoyed with Crosby because of how everyone reacts to him, not because of anything he does. I think he gets way more attention than he should because there are other players in the NHL (not many, but there are) who are just as good if not better than him, and they do not get the same attention. That's my only beef with Crosby, and it's not anything he can even control.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

I don't question Crosby's talent or anything like that; he is definitely one of the top players in the game today, and I think he is too young to base his abilities on playoff success. He has only been in the playoffs twice, and I don't think it takes anything away from him if they don't make the Finals the two times they have been in the playoffs with him. I don't see how he could be a "disappointment" at this stage of his career as far as playoffs go. If five years from now they still haven't made a conference final or SCF, then maybe, but not now.

I get annoyed with Crosby because of how everyone reacts to him, not because of anything he does. I think he gets way more attention than he should because there are other players in the NHL (not many, but there are) who are just as good if not better than him, and they do not get the same attention. That's my only beef with Crosby, and it's not anything he can even control.

Great post!

[eva unit zero 271]

I'm disappointed in Crosby.

The kind of hype he had coming into the league, his team should have went 98-0 every year.

Now if we're going to go by realistic expectations?

Nobody should be disappointed in him, and I don't think anyone is. If anything, he gets too much credit for his team's success.

Edited April 29, 2008 by eva unit zero

[betterREDthandead 58]

In thinking back to some of this years heated debates about Crosby being either the best player in the game or the biggest disappointment since Ryan Leaf (j/k) many of his detractors mentioned that he couldn't get them past the 1st round of the playoffs, hence that's why in their eyes he was a disappointment.

Well, the Penguins are 6-0 so far, the only team not to lose a single playoff game yet. And Crosby is doing his part with 10 points in those 6 games.

I'm curious, will it be enough for some of his detractors if he can help them get to the Conference Finals? Or does he have to get them to the Cup Finals or even moreso, do the Pens have to Win it all before he will no longer be a "disappointment" to some?

I always thought it was stupid to call a 19-year-old kid a disappointment because he couldn't drag his overachieving band of fellow kids past the eventual conference champion.

I don't mind all the attention he gets. It's well deserved. If he stays healthy his whole career he's a legitimate threat to Gretzky's scoring records.

[JayUp88 1]

I still like AO better then him.

[Spinner 6]

I don't question Crosby's talent or anything like that; he is definitely one of the top players in the game today, and I think he is too young to base his abilities on playoff success. He has only been in the playoffs twice, and I don't think it takes anything away from him if they don't make the Finals the two times they have been in the playoffs with him. I don't see how he could be a "disappointment" at this stage of his career as far as playoffs go. If five years from now they still haven't made a conference final or SCF, then maybe, but not now.

I get annoyed with Crosby because of how everyone reacts to him, not because of anything he does. I think he gets way more attention than he should because there are other players in the NHL (not many, but there are) who are just as good if not better than him, and they do not get the same attention. That's my only beef with Crosby, and it's not anything he can even control.

I totally agree.

[edicius 3,269]

One thing I found interesting is that he's not even close to leading the Pens in ice time this postseason. Heard on XM yesterday that Therrien's got four skaters on the team with more ice time than Crosby (which made me wonder if Therrien's giving that time to more defensively responsible players once they have the lead, etc.).

With that said, I don't think the Pens' successes (or failures) in the postseason will fall solely on Sid's shoulders. If Crosby was the only dynamic scorer on the team, perhaps...but they're spreading around the wealth of scoring and right now, they look like the favorites to come out of the East.

[sinbin 3]

Over-hyped......AO is better!

[awingsincebirth 0]

I'm thinkin that him and the Pens need to be eliminated ASAP so that he can shave that little Dirty Sanchez/Upper Lip Surprise thing he's got goin on. GOD AWFUL! He looks like an illegal immigrant.

[Shaman 713]

Dont count out the rags they still have fight in them. I dont think Crosby is the soul reason they are 6-0, hes a big part, but, hell the Sens didnt deserve to be in the playoffs even the fans in Ottawa knew that. I hope we do play them in the SCF because I think Lids will put him in his place. But anyway, I do think the Pens are the team that will come out of the east.

PS worst playoff beard since Fedorov.

Edited April 29, 2008 by Shaman464

[Jon_G 6]

I've been watching just about every Pens game, and I think Crosby is amazing. He reminds me of Gretzky.

People who compare him to Ovechkin need to calm down. Its been said before, they are completely different types of players. Personally, I think Crosby is harder to shut down, and therefore more effective. Ovechkin's main weapon is his individual offensive skills, whereas Crosby has playmaking ability. Teams that can shut down Ovechkin take away all of his effectiveness, but teams that shut down Crosby still get burned by his linemates - you can never really stop a playmaker.

As long as Marc-Andre Fleury can keep playing the way he is, Pittsburgh is going to the SCF. Crosby has been leading them and he will continue to put up points. What I'm wondering is, if the Red Wings meet the Pens in the final, will they be able to stop Crosby? I'd like to believe the Wings would sweep the inexperienced Pens, but in the back of my mind, I wouldnt be surprised to find out that Crosby/Malkin/Hossa etc CANT be stopped...

[Hank 0]

IMO, Sid Crosby is the best offensive player in the game.

The only negative on him is that he doesn't shoot enough. But I haven't seen anyone with his kind of vision since Mario. He can find guys and thread passes that he can't even see.

And his stength, determination and desire to get into high traffic areas is also something special.

Malkin had a fantastic year, no doubt, but in my mind, Crosby is still a cut about him. And he's only 20 years old. He's only going to get better.

AO is also an immense talent. I think he and Crosby are close in talent but if I was building team I'd still pick Crosby over anyone else.

I'm still amazed that he was able to turn Andy Hilbert into a point-per-game guy two seasons ago. Watching him on center ice, all Hilbert had to do was keep his stick on the ice and he'd get goals/points.

I have a feeling that if Crosby can remain healthy for the majority of the next 10-12 years, he could get 2000 points before his career is over.

[BeeRYCE 2]

The thing I find best about Crosby is that he could possibly be top 5 in close to every offensive asset that a hockey player can have.

He has an excellent shot, one of the best releases, the best vision, probably the third in playmaking behind Thornton and Datsyuk, one of the best stickhandlers, one of the quickest skaters, the strongest on his feet, one of the best in the corners, and his defensive ability is not bad at all. He is pretty much flawless. The other great players are missing some key aspect, whereas Crosby isn't missing much.

[scottDFW 0]

People who compare him to Ovechkin need to calm down. Its been said before, they are completely different types of players. Personally, I think Crosby is harder to shut down, and therefore more effective. Ovechkin's main weapon is his individual offensive skills, whereas Crosby has playmaking ability. Teams that can shut down Ovechkin take away all of his effectiveness, but teams that shut down Crosby still get burned by his linemates - you can never really stop a playmaker.

Excellent anaylysis. (imho)

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Who are these people that are disappointed in him? I don't have man-love whatsoever for him but there's no denying the talent he has, and I would think anyone in their right mind would realize that if the Pens don't go past this round (or any other) that its not because of him.

Seriously, who's disappointed in him?

If I remember correctly there was a thread titled NHL disappointing players or some such. It got pretty heated.

There was 1 poster in particular who argued vehemently that Crosby was a disappointment b/c he didn't get the Pens out of the 1st round of the playoffs and based on his hype he should've been able to.

And the mystery poster is: drumroll.......................

imisssergei

People tried to explain that most of the Pens on that team that lost to Ottawa had never played in the playoffs, that most of their key personnel were young kids with zero playoff experience, including their goalie and that the Sens were the best East team that year. It didn't even make a dent.

All joking aside, this was not meant to single this poster out. There were others in that thread if I remember right. And that's just 1 thread. I didn't have it in me to delve deeper into the bowels of LGW.

Instead of being a historian, I figured those that thought of him as a disappointment would come forth and tell us if they feel any differently seeing as his team has fared much better this season. Those people had a reason for their opinion and I just wanted to know if it has changed at all.

[FinRedWing 172]

He's Top Notch™.

I hope he & AO both stay healthy next season,so they can push themselves to new heights when competing for the Art Ross.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

The thing I find best about Crosby is that he could possibly be top 5 in close to every offensive asset that a hockey player can have.

He has an excellent shot, one of the best releases, the best vision, probably the third in playmaking behind Thornton and Datsyuk, one of the best stickhandlers, one of the quickest skaters, the strongest on his feet, one of the best in the corners, and his defensive ability is not bad at all. He is pretty much flawless. The other great players are missing some key aspect, whereas Crosby isn't missing much.

Bee, I agree with you for the most part. Except that I (and i've said it before) would not hesitate to call Pavel Datsyuk the best forward in the NHL.

Deficiencies? Does the guy really have any?

He has an unbelievably accurate wrist shot with good velocity.

He is arguably the best passer in the league.

He is arguably the best overall playmaker in the league. Nobody creates something out of nothing and evades defenders in tight corners to create space or find the open man than Dats

His board work is ridiculously good. His body positioning is fantastic and we get to see it every game as defenders bump into his rear end yet can't find a way to get the puck from him.

He's arguably the best defensive forward in the league (stats and Selke nominations concur)

He is strong on is skates and although not a checker can bring a heavy shoulder when its needed

He is arguably the best stickhandler in the league, especially at top speed

Most importantly though, his hockey sense is through the roof. He seemingly always knows what the right play is be it a pass or a dump in or the lift of an opponents stick or a subtle drop pass, etc...

Guys like AO, Crosby, etc...they work hard, they battle and fight through traffic and are unbelievable. And then you watch Datsyuk and the seemingly effortless nature to which he does everything. Nick Lidstrom has that same way about him and we call him the best defender and maybe the best player in the game. So I think it perfectly reasonable to think of Dats as the best forward/player in the game as he is so similar in how easy he makes the game look.

[Hank 0]

The thing I find best about Crosby is that he could possibly be top 5 in close to every offensive asset that a hockey player can have.

He has an excellent shot, one of the best releases, the best vision, probably the third in playmaking behind Thornton and Datsyuk, one of the best stickhandlers, one of the quickest skaters, the strongest on his feet, one of the best in the corners, and his defensive ability is not bad at all. He is pretty much flawless. The other great players are missing some key aspect, whereas Crosby isn't missing much.

Totally agree. Although, I think he's the best passer in the game.

If he would only shoot more I think he'd be even more dangerous. Dmen and goalies almost always know he's going to pass.