Crosby post game Q and A

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

Beleive it or not, I understand where people are coming from. I'm not saying I don't get annoyed that he can't say more positive things about a team that his down 3-1 in the finals. I just understand, as a 20-year-old, what he must be thinking.

And yes, I do believe he's too young to be a captain and like Opie pointed out, it was more of a PR move. An older vet like Roberts or Gonchar should have gotten it.

I'd just prefer to enjoy the games and what Crosby brings to them, and the fact we're 1 game away from another Cup than worry about what someone else says or doesn't say.

In the end, I guess my point is, as good as Crosby has been, it's hard to expect him to act like a 10-year vet when he can't even legally drink in the US yet.

Crosby is an ultimate compitotor and he hates losing. Sure, he needs to channel his emotions better after games, but that comes with getting older and experiencing losses.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Crosby will do nothing but heap praise on the Wings and Babcock after Detroit wins tonight.

Most of what he is saying is just a ploy to rally his teammates. He's just not very versed in how that should be done properly.

Hey Hank,

I started this thread and i can see it has gotten alot of attention, i just want you to know that i understand where you are coming from in saying that hes only 20 and is just acting his age and inexperience. Im not trying to take away from his playing skills, or his off ice charity. Hell, i love crosby, i bought his jersey on draft day as soon as it was official what team he was going to. I was just a little upset after going back and listening to all the interviews and seeing all the wings players compliment EVERY pens player, and almost every question asked by press had something to do with zetterbergs PK playing. It was a superstardom type shift For Z and i was just upset to see Crosby downplay. Can i see where he was coming from being donw 3-1? yeah. Can i see that he isnt fully mature and isnt going to act like a 10 year vet? of course, i just think he needs to learn a little humility and be able to give some credit where credit is due. I didnt post the thread to make people hate Crosby (even more than some already do). I just think Crosby could have shown a little more class in the situation he was put in. I guess i was just upset seeing as all year noone in the league gave the wings any attention, and as soon as playoffs started people wouldnt stop talking about the pens and crosby. I thought finally we would get somepraise going to the SCF and than going up 3-1 on the pens and the golden boy. We are finally getting hte praise we deserve and it felt to me like Crosby was trying to take that away from us with that interview.

Again i love Crosby, and im glad to see hes doing good things with his popularity by helping the less fortuanate and the sick, i just couldnt beleive he was downplaying the skills of Zetterberg.

[betterREDthandead 58]

Sid is a 20 year old, not an immature 20 year old, he is just a 20 year old, very few 20 year old kids can take on the kind of responsibility of the C.

The Org is not helping very much, sure they put the players around him to take him to the SCF, but they are not helping foster Sidney Crosby the person, they are trying to foster Sidney Crosby the myth, the legend, the penguin!

That's what sells the merchandise.

My point about the coach comes from this: Most 20 year old athletes are in college and therefore their coach is usually an authoritarian father figure type. He coaches them not just on the field but in how to deal with the media, balance his time, etc. Crosby doesn't have that luxury. Pro coaches are 90% X's-and-O's guys. Worse, his coach has been setting a terrible example in dealing with the media. He has to muddle along. Mario and Steve were all class, but I'll bet it didn't always show when they were 20 either.

Maybe some of the veteran guys could/should be taking him aside every now and again, but they're in a tough spot too - they've grown up and got set in their ways, and those ways have never involved having to mentor the team captain.

[Dabura 12,207]

Well, I think we have to give them lots of credit. I mean, they're an extremely good hockey club, and there is not much room out there. When there is, seems like we've got difficulty scoring the goals. We're creating chances, but they're not clean chances like we had before because they're tracking back really hard. We have so much power in our offense and we can't get clean, clean chances like we did in the three previous rounds. It's frustrating because we know we could score more goals, but right now they're doing an excellent job defensively. - Hossa

That's called giving credit where credit is due.

See, Sid? Not so hard.

[Hank 0]

Hey Hank,

I started this thread and i can see it has gotten alot of attention, i just want you to know that i understand where you are coming from in saying that hes only 20 and is just acting his age and inexperience. Im not trying to take away from his playing skills, or his off ice charity. Hell, i love crosby, i bought his jersey on draft day as soon as it was official what team he was going to. I was just a little upset after going back and listening to all the interviews and seeing all the wings players compliment EVERY pens player, and almost every question asked by press had something to do with zetterbergs PK playing. It was a superstardom type shift For Z and i was just upset to see Crosby downplay. Can i see where he was coming from being donw 3-1? yeah. Can i see that he isnt fully mature and isnt going to act like a 10 year vet? of course, i just think he needs to learn a little humility and be able to give some credit where credit is due. I didnt post the thread to make people hate Crosby (even more than some already do). I just think Crosby could have shown a little more class in the situation he was put in. I guess i was just upset seeing as all year noone in the league gave the wings any attention, and as soon as playoffs started people wouldnt stop talking about the pens and crosby. I thought finally we would get somepraise going to the SCF and than going up 3-1 on the pens and the golden boy. We are finally getting hte praise we deserve and it felt to me like Crosby was trying to take that away from us with that interview.

Again i love Crosby, and im glad to see hes doing good things with his popularity by helping the less fortuanate and the sick, i just couldnt beleive he was downplaying the skills of Zetterberg.

Totally understand. I wish he'd give up a little more credit where it's due as well.

Perhaps Crosby knows there's a good chance his Pens will be facing the Wings a few more times in the Finals in the coming years and he doesn't want to make the Wings out to be unbeatable? Or more than likely it's just his frustrations coming through.

And I think Opie and Snepts made excellent points that his coach isn't exactly the classiest guy in the league. Before Crosby gets up there he has to hear his coach blame everyone but themselves for a loss or give credit to the team across the ice for utilizing a good strategy in their win.

Like I mentioned in my post before this one, it's the personal attacks I don't understand (again, I'm not directing that claim at you in the least).

I remember when Yzerman was rumored to be traded to Ottawa and he said that he would never play in Canada. As a Canadian I was very hurt by that statement and I didn't think it was an appropriate one for him to make considering his standing as a Captain or as one of the greatest Canadian born hockey players of all time. Afterall, there are/were a lot of kids looking up to him.

But even though he said that, out of raw emotion at the thought of leaving Detroit, it still didn't make him classless or lacking of humility. He was a human being who expressed his emotions in an uncontrolled manor.

Crosby's doing the same.

Heck, I've gotten worked up when getting beaten in Monopoly where I don't want to give other players credit for playing a good game. I can only imagine how upset some of the Pens must be at this time.

Crosby will learn how to handle himself and losses better as he matures. But just because he isn't toeing the line in regards to spewing out tired and old cliches, I don't think it makes him a bad person or egomaniac.

[esteef 2,679]

Well, I think we have to give them lots of credit. I mean, they're an extremely good hockey club, and there is not much room out there. When there is, seems like we've got difficulty scoring the goals. We're creating chances, but they're not clean chances like we had before because they're tracking back really hard. We have so much power in our offense and we can't get clean, clean chances like we did in the three previous rounds. It's frustrating because we know we could score more goals, but right now they're doing an excellent job defensively. - Hossa

That's called giving credit where credit is due.

See, Sid? Not so hard.

Exactly. Maybe Sid's just not Captain material? Of course Sid lovers don't want to hear that though, they're already sold on the fact that Sid is The Next Greatest Player of All Time.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

This is the point:

Its not about whether or not Crosby is 20 because, BY NATURE OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS GIVEN THE CAPTAINCY MEANS HE SHOULD BE DISPLAYING A MATURITY LEVEL ABOVE THAT OF A 20 YEAR OLD.

Other young players arent captains because they arent mature enough to be. By giving Crosby that C, he no longer gets a free pass because of being a youngster. Instead, that C says "Im mature enough, classy enough, smart enough, and strong enough to be the leader and face of my team. I'm mature enough to be the image of my team and act as a representation of all my fellow players."

Sidney Crosby is a captain. He was given that captaincy for the same reason guys like Lidstrom, Morrow, and Doan were. Are those guys going to jaw at the refs? Yes. Make a dirty play? Probably. But are they going to get off the ice, treat the media like s***, not dole out respect where its due, and ignore the things they and their teammates can do better? Absolutely not. Even Chris Pronger - a guy that most Wings fans hate and loathe as a captain - knows these things. After the Stars were up 2 games to none against the Ducks, what did Pronger say? "Nobody's quitting. We've got to dig in now, do a good job back there like they did against us here." Acknowledging the Stars strong play and looking towards themselves to get better. THATS what good captains do. If Crosby isnt capable, then he should've spent more time as an alternate.

[Opie 308]

This would have been a good answer in my book for Crosby to give, maybe he should get help from Orpik:

"They've had one of the best PKs in the regular-season, so as much as you want to point fingers at our guys, they gotta give them credit for what they're doing," Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "Osgood's seeing the puck pretty well … those guys do a great job of taking care of guys' sticks and second chances."

as opposed to this:

"He made a good play on me; he got my stick," Crosby said of Zetterberg, a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. "I don't think he did anything out of the ordinary besides what any other guy would do on a 5-on-3."

[Dabura 12,207]

Its not about whether or not Crosby is 20 because, BY NATURE OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS GIVEN THE CAPTAINCY MEANS HE SHOULD BE DISPLAYING A MATURITY LEVEL ABOVE THAT OF A 20 YEAR OLD.

Yep. I'm surprised it took 6 pages for someone to say this.

The guy/kid can't have it both ways; he's a captain and the face of the NHL, and he must behave accordingly. Age is an excuse for mistakes made in the defensive zone, but not for conducting yourself in a way that's not becoming of a captain.

All in all, I think people around here are generally too hard on him. However, I will say that I'm very disappointed with his performance in these finals thus far. That includes his work both on the ice and off it. If I know next to nothing about hockey and I'm watching these finals and following the press conferences and such, I'm thinking to myself, "Why is everyone so hung up on Crosby?" He really hasn't done anything in this series to prove that he's "The Next One."

[RedArmy 4]

Yep. I'm surprised it took 6 pages for someone to say this.

The guy/kid can't have it both ways; he's a captain and the face of the NHL, and he must behave accordingly. Age is an excuse for mistakes made in the defensive zone, but not for conducting yourself in a way that's not becoming of a captain.

All in all, I think people around here are generally too hard on him. However, I will say that I'm very disappointed with his performance in these finals thus far. That includes his work both on the ice and off it. If I know next to nothing about hockey and I'm watching these finals and following the press conferences and such, I'm thinking to myself, "Why is everyone so hung up on Crosby?" He really hasn't done anything in this series to prove that he's "The Next One."

yea it is kind of suprising and dead on too. I would like to add to that, that I am happy that Crosby sucks as a captain apperently, which means that our beloved Wings are on the way to their 4th cup. If Crosby was a great captain it wouldn't mean that pens automatically win, but I think they wouldn't get blown out in the first 2 games the way they did...

[mark the red 0]

I was against giving Crosby the Captaincy this year as well considering how young he was, but its hard to argue with the job he's done leading his team to the SCF in only his 3rd year in the league. I don't really know what if anything was said to Z at the end of the game so I can't comment on its relevance. Maybe it looked bad but I'd say that kind of thing happens a lot in this league. Sid is a fiesty guy and hates to lose, so maybe he was just letting off a little steam there. As for whether he will give credit to Detroit at the end I can almost guarantee that, although for Wing fans I'm not sure why they give a damn anyways what happens since raising the Cup means everything compared to what Crosby thinks of his opponent after its all over.

And just to let everyone know too, take a big guess what the quotes were from Sidney and the entire Pens team when we were steamrolling our way to the finals on the winning side of every game....exactly the same credit giving as Detroit players and coaches give to the Pens right now, big surprise. It is infinitely easier to give credit and accolades to your opponent when your on the winning side than vice versa, just keep that in mind when you want to micro-analyze every little quote coming out of the players mouths.

Maybe you can shed some light on the Crosby becoming captain sistuation. I have been told by a few people, that he had let it be known to the organization, that he would like to be captain. Do you know if this is indeed fact or not.

Going into this series, this whole 'Crosby Thing" was very interesting., You would here all the PR from the league, promoting Sid and itself, but we also heard a lot of negative stories also. Being involved in a series, Red Wing fans can now judge first hand for themselves and not have to rely on commercials or reported stories,

I think you are right in that Crosby wasn't ready to be captain. Please don't take offense, I know this will seem biased coming from a Wing fan but you can't confuse being competitve with constant complaining and not confuse constant complaing with leadership.

Coach Marc Crawford used [especially when he coached the Aves]. to do the same thing with the Refs. It came out later how a lot of his players were actually embarrased instead of motivated by it. He ended up also losing a lot of respect and creditability around the league.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I was against giving Crosby the Captaincy this year as well considering how young he was, but its hard to argue with the job he's done leading his team to the SCF in only his 3rd year in the league. I don't really know what if anything was said to Z at the end of the game so I can't comment on its relevance. Maybe it looked bad but I'd say that kind of thing happens a lot in this league. Sid is a fiesty guy and hates to lose, so maybe he was just letting off a little steam there. As for whether he will give credit to Detroit at the end I can almost guarantee that, although for Wing fans I'm not sure why they give a damn anyways what happens since raising the Cup means everything compared to what Crosby thinks of his opponent after its all over.

And just to let everyone know too, take a big guess what the quotes were from Sidney and the entire Pens team when we were steamrolling our way to the finals on the winning side of every game....exactly the same credit giving as Detroit players and coaches give to the Pens right now, big surprise. It is infinitely easier to give credit and accolades to your opponent when your on the winning side than vice versa, just keep that in mind when you want to micro-analyze every little quote coming out of the players mouths.

Maybe you can shed some light on the Crosby becoming captain sistuation. I have been told by a few people, that he had let it be known to the organization, that he would like to be captain. Do you know if this is indeed fact or not.

Going into this series, this whole 'Crosby Thing" was very interesting., You would here all the PR from the league, promoting Sid and itself, but we also heard a lot of negative stories also. Being involved in a series, Red Wing fans can now judge first hand for themselves and not have to rely on commercials or reported stories,

I think you are right in that Crosby wasn't ready to be captain. Please don't take offense, I know this will seem biased coming from a Wing fan but you can't confuse being competitve with constant complaining and not confuse constant complaing with leadership.

Coach Marc Crawford used [especially when he coached the Aves]. to do the same thing with the Refs. It came out later how a lot of his players were actually embarrased instead of motivated by it. He ended up also losing a lot of respect and creditability around the league.

Crawford is a terrible example. Hes an execption to the rule. The guy wouldnt even give Scotty Bowman the respect and credit he deserved as the best NHL coach of all time.

As for the "its easier to sound positive when youre on the winning side of things." Well, you cant really use that with the Red Wings. Look at Babcocks and Lidstroms pressers after the loss. After the Game 3 loss, Babcock was saying how there were about 15 or 16 things that the Wings couldve done better. He didnt go on a rant about Obstruction. Nor did Lidstrom talk about how the Pens got lucky goals and didnt do anything out of the ordinary. The Wings are a class organization because their coach and captain lead them in that direction, something Crosby has failed to do.

My opinion of Crosby as a Captain hasnt changed much. Has he done his job in terms of playing well? I would say so. Experience on the ice is something I cant fault him for. But has his done his job being a classy and well-spoken face of his franchise? No. Will he get better? I sure hope so. Because right now, for me, he has all the makings to be a great captain in terms of talent, but is far from it in terms of raw leadership.

[Graybeard 0]

Is a good enough leader to be their captain? Sure. Is he good enough to lead his team to a Stanley Cup? Not at this time. It's not entirely his fault but it's the truth.

The kid is a greatly gifted hockey player and if by some good fortune he gets the chance to play for a good coach he could actually become a great hockey player and possibly a great captain. Personally I think he was thrown to the wolves. He's had the weight of the world thrown on his shoulders and where he should have a good coach there to mentor him and steer him in the right direction, he's instead got this whiny pos MT. Lets be honest here Pens fans, MT really truely sucks as a coach. Saying he's done great for the team this far is a load of crap. He's ridden the coattails of a couple twenty something year old kids. He reminds me so much of Phil Jackson. People raving about what a great coach he is (especially himself) with all his wins and championships, when he went from riding MJ's coattails to Shaq's and Kobe's. Without the star power of Crosby and Malkin on the team Therrien doesn't even have a winning season, much less a run at the cup.

As far as the hate for the kid. The league set him up for that too. How many of us would love the guy if he wasn't jammed down our throat so much? Ovechkin has it made compared to Crosby. He's great, and everybody knows it without the constant manlove from the press and the league. Because of this (and his personality) most of us would much rather watch him and hope that he does good.

Another thing I would like to know is this. Obviously he's getting no help from his coach as far as how to handles himself, but where are the veterans that are on his team? Are none of them trying to help the kid out or is he the kind of guy who doesn't want help from others? I don't care who you are if you don't utilize the wealth of experience that older guys in your organization have you are a fool. This applies to butterbar leautenants being assigned their first platoon listening to senior NCO's as well as wet behind the ears hockey players who have had the C pinned on their chest listening to the vets in the locker room. One of those old guys should have the stones to take the boy aside when he comes back from his pressers and tell him he's making himself and team look bad with all the bitching and whining.

I don't dislike the kid on a personal level like a lot of fans here seem to, but it seems a few have swung a long way the other direction too. There may be books written about how he supports charities, rescues kittens from trees, helps little old ladies across the street, but I don't see how this in any way relates to how well he handles himself in the press or runs his team as a captain. All that talk being brought into it just sounds like a mancrush to me.

[GreatBallsOfFire 0]

Is a good enough leader to be their captain? Sure. Is he good enough to lead his team to a Stanley Cup? Not at this time. It's not entirely his fault but it's the truth.

The kid is a greatly gifted hockey player and if by some good fortune he gets the chance to play for a good coach he could actually become a great hockey player and possibly a great captain. Personally I think he was thrown to the wolves. He's had the weight of the world thrown on his shoulders and where he should have a good coach there to mentor him and steer him in the right direction, he's instead got this whiny pos MT. Lets be honest here Pens fans, MT really truely sucks as a coach. Saying he's done great for the team this far is a load of crap. He's ridden the coattails of a couple twenty something year old kids. He reminds me so much of Phil Jackson. People raving about what a great coach he is (especially himself) with all his wins and championships, when he went from riding MJ's coattails to Shaq's and Kobe's. Without the star power of Crosby and Malkin on the team Therrien doesn't even have a winning season, much less a run at the cup.

As far as the hate for the kid. The league set him up for that too. How many of us would love the guy if he wasn't jammed down our throat so much? Ovechkin has it made compared to Crosby. He's great, and everybody knows it without the constant manlove from the press and the league. Because of this (and his personality) most of us would much rather watch him and hope that he does good.

Another thing I would like to know is this. Obviously he's getting no help from his coach as far as how to handles himself, but where are the veterans that are on his team? Are none of them trying to help the kid out or is he the kind of guy who doesn't want help from others? I don't care who you are if you don't utilize the wealth of experience that older guys in your organization have you are a fool. This applies to butterbar leautenants being assigned their first platoon listening to senior NCO's as well as wet behind the ears hockey players who have had the C pinned on their chest listening to the vets in the locker room. One of those old guys should have the stones to take the boy aside when he comes back from his pressers and tell him he's making himself and team look bad with all the bitching and whining.

I don't dislike the kid on a personal level like a lot of fans here seem to, but it seems a few have swung a long way the other direction too. There may be books written about how he supports charities, rescues kittens from trees, helps little old ladies across the street, but I don't see how this in any way relates to how well he handles himself in the press or runs his team as a captain. All that talk being brought into it just sounds like a mancrush to me.

Your comments concerning Therrien are way off base in my opinion, but there are many Pens fans who would love to see him get the boot as well even with taking us to the Finals. He may not be as good as Babcock who I respect a lot, but he's done a hell of a job turning this team around from last to first in the East in just 2 and a half years. Yes, having Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, and Hossa now has made the job easier, but most of our players are just kids so to get them motivated to play as a team on such a consistent basis over 82 games and at such a young age has been impressive. I understand how he rubs so many Wings fans as a whiny "you know what" with so many comments in this series, but I really think he was left no choice but to make those comments with his team down 2-0 and on the verge of a sweep if something drastic was not said/done. You can state Babcock would never have done the same, but we'll never know the truth to that question really. I tend to believe he may have been forced to do the same.

Anyways, I would say to forgive him if he lost his cool there and said the wrong things, but if you heard him over the past 2+ years he really is a pretty funny, likeable guy who has really connected with this team. His english still isn't perfect either which you might be able to tell, so sometimes things come out a little different than I think he means at his press conferences, but after listening to them on a consistent basis I really have come to appreciate his approach to coaching the game. Don't forget as well, that we were without Crosby AND Fleury for significant portions of this season and Therrien still had the Pens winning on a consistent basis because of his coaching ability. Not to mention Gary Roberts and Mark Eaton were out of the lineup for most of the year, two guys who we were counting on to play some quality minutes for us. In the end, these are just a couple reasons why I stand behind Therrien even though his style may be a bit unorthodox and his press quotes may be a bit crazy at times. He knows the game of hockey well and the team is behind him 100%.

As for Crosby and his perceived inability to lead this team, I think a better question would be who should get the C instead. There really isn't anybody that deserves it more than Crosby which is why he received it I think. Malkin can't speak English, Roberts just got here last year, Malone or Gonchar might be possible candidates, but they don't seem to be good fits IMO. Gonchar is too quiet a guy, and coming into this season Malone was on his way out the door because he was performing way below expectations. Staal is too young, Sykora just arrived here, Talbot is a 3rd liner, Scuderi and Whitney have nowhere near the talent to be the leader of a team for the most part. So it all boiled down to Sidney being the logical choice which is why Pens fans defend him even though he may not show the maturity of Zetterberg, Lidstrom or Datsyuk. How can he when he's only 20 years old? Gretzky, Lemieux, and I guess I'll throw Howe in there too (since this is a Wing board) were not leading their teams to the Cup Finals at such a young age let alone the Captain of the team. Give him a little credit for the job he's done, even if it doesn't end with him raising the Cup over his head (which it still may of course). [Not certain about Howe's career, someone correct me if I'm wrong].

Edited June 4, 2008 by GreatBallsOfFire

[GreatBallsOfFire 0]

Maybe you can shed some light on the Crosby becoming captain sistuation. I have been told by a few people, that he had let it be known to the organization, that he would like to be captain. Do you know if this is indeed fact or not.

My understanding was that it was simply a mutual understanding that Therrien and Crosby came to. I do not know for a fact if he did request it, but I could be wrong or perhaps it did happen behind closed doors, but if that was the case I never heard that rumor to be confirmed.

I've seen enough of Crawford in this league also to have gained a strong dislike for his tactics and would agree with you there, but I don't see Therrien as doing the same.

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

I wonder what his comments will be when the Pens get eliminated this year

[Guest NumbaSixty-Six]

I wonder what his comments will be when the Pens get eliminated this year

[Holmstrom96 347]

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

haha nice

[Mors 201]

Ancient thread is ancient.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Mors

[softshoes 83]

As a former Magic player that has win all over it. Nice job.

To the OP paragraphs are your friend. Wall of text crits you for 1200

Edited May 3, 2009 by softshoes

[Broken 16 381]

As a former Magic player that has win all over it. Nice job.

To the OP paragraphs are your friend.

Ya... very odd to see anything Magic related here at LGW. Almost forgot where I was for a second. At least something cool came out of this useless thread.

[ltgator333 3]

Excellent!! someone should do something Magic-related for the photoshop war, that would own..

..just realized how long ago I gave all my cards away...

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

Return all cards you formally owned to your hand.

[Guest Crymson]

Excellent!! someone should do something Magic-related for the photoshop war, that would own..

..just realized how long ago I gave all my cards away...

I still have mine from the mid 90s. I wonder if they're worth anything.

[Datsyukian Geek 2]

lol More props for the M:TG reference!

I am curious as to what his excuses will be this year, though...

Edited May 3, 2009 by Datsyukian Geek