Sorry, Another Crosby Complaint

[Carman 387]

Nah, my post certainly wasn't only directed at you Echolalia. Just mainly to other posters on the forum that seem to always bash Crosby at every given moment. You actually back up your posts with relevant events rather then just posting a "LOL CINDY IS ***'. I'm not going to sit here and say he is the perfect player, I just look past most of the on ice incidents and tend to focus on the actually game. Then again I'm pretty lenient on the chippy stuff in between plays(I'm a huge Avery fan). I think it's an ironic argument for a Wing's fan that loves Franzen to bash Crosby for diving. He certainly does not dive as much as some people make it out to be, he is no Mike Riberio. I watch every Penguin's game and really notice the determination in Crosby's game, night in and night out he never gives up in a battle in a corner, or give anything less then 100% on the ice which is a very rare thing for an NHL player sadly.

I guess I just want to show people that Crosby is a player that seems to be improving in every aspect of his game and I really respect it. He was an awful face off man when he got in the NHL, now he is a league leader, he was bad at shoot-outs 4 for 4 this year, switched his stick to improve his shot now he is off to a career high in goals. He is tremendously improving his defensive game and playing on the PK, and is really growing as a complete player as much as some people dislike it. It just irks me when people look pass the positive things he does just to call him childish names, I probably expect too much, but whatever.

[zettie85 106]

Nah, my post certainly wasn't only directed at you Echolalia. Just mainly to other posters on the forum that seem to always bash Crosby at every given moment. You actually back up your posts with relevant events rather then just posting a "LOL CINDY IS ***'. I'm not going to sit here and say he is the perfect player, I just look past most of the on ice incidents and tend to focus on the actually game. Then again I'm pretty lenient on the chippy stuff in between plays(I'm a huge Avery fan). I think it's an ironic argument for a Wing's fan that loves Franzen to bash Crosby for diving. He certainly does not dive as much as some people make it out to be, he is no Mike Riberio. I watch every Penguin's game and really notice the determination in Crosby's game, night in and night out he never gives up in a battle in a corner, or give anything less then 100% on the ice which is a very rare thing for an NHL player sadly.

I guess I just want to show people that Crosby is a player that seems to be improving in every aspect of his game and I really respect it. He was an awful face off man when he got in the NHL, now he is a league leader, he was bad at shoot-outs 4 for 4 this year, switched his stick to improve his shot now he is off to a career high in goals. He is tremendously improving his defensive game and playing on the PK, and is really growing as a complete player as much as some people dislike it. It just irks me when people look pass the positive things he does just to call him childish names, I probably expect too much, but whatever.

Well said.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

sounds to me like your issues are 100% with the NHL and 0% with Crosby.Every time I see an interview with Crosby he's always the same,mild mannered,down to earth and intelligent,not wondering why he's not getting more attention.

Of course it's not his fault. It'd be stupid to accuse Crosby of cramming himself down our throats-- the NHL and Canadian hockey media did that. But that doesn't mean people won't dislike Crosby for it, even if it's not his fault. And let's be honest-- Crosby could care less whether everyone on Earth loves him. It's really just Crosby fans that are taken aback by the hate others have of him, even though that hate is 100% due to his over exposure by the NHL and not due to Sid himself.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Nah, my post certainly wasn't only directed at you Echolalia. Just mainly to other posters on the forum that seem to always bash Crosby at every given moment. You actually back up your posts with relevant events rather then just posting a "LOL CINDY IS ***'. I'm not going to sit here and say he is the perfect player, I just look past most of the on ice incidents and tend to focus on the actually game. Then again I'm pretty lenient on the chippy stuff in between plays(I'm a huge Avery fan). I think it's an ironic argument for a Wing's fan that loves Franzen to bash Crosby for diving. He certainly does not dive as much as some people make it out to be, he is no Mike Riberio. I watch every Penguin's game and really notice the determination in Crosby's game, night in and night out he never gives up in a battle in a corner, or give anything less then 100% on the ice which is a very rare thing for an NHL player sadly.

I guess I just want to show people that Crosby is a player that seems to be improving in every aspect of his game and I really respect it. He was an awful face off man when he got in the NHL, now he is a league leader, he was bad at shoot-outs 4 for 4 this year, switched his stick to improve his shot now he is off to a career high in goals. He is tremendously improving his defensive game and playing on the PK, and is really growing as a complete player as much as some people dislike it. It just irks me when people look pass the positive things he does just to call him childish names, I probably expect too much, but whatever.

Fair enough, and I understand your qualm with those who can't look past his face and name and form a valid opinion. Even though he rubs me the wrong way and you enjoy him, I feel comfortable saying we are both frustrated with the blind Crosby bashers.

Edited November 5, 2009 by Echolalia

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Nah, my post certainly wasn't only directed at you Echolalia. Just mainly to other posters on the forum that seem to always bash Crosby at every given moment. You actually back up your posts with relevant events rather then just posting a "LOL CINDY IS ***'. I'm not going to sit here and say he is the perfect player, I just look past most of the on ice incidents and tend to focus on the actually game. Then again I'm pretty lenient on the chippy stuff in between plays(I'm a huge Avery fan). I think it's an ironic argument for a Wing's fan that loves Franzen to bash Crosby for diving. He certainly does not dive as much as some people make it out to be, he is no Mike Riberio. I watch every Penguin's game and really notice the determination in Crosby's game, night in and night out he never gives up in a battle in a corner, or give anything less then 100% on the ice which is a very rare thing for an NHL player sadly.

I guess I just want to show people that Crosby is a player that seems to be improving in every aspect of his game and I really respect it. He was an awful face off man when he got in the NHL, now he is a league leader, he was bad at shoot-outs 4 for 4 this year, switched his stick to improve his shot now he is off to a career high in goals. He is tremendously improving his defensive game and playing on the PK, and is really growing as a complete player as much as some people dislike it. It just irks me when people look pass the positive things he does just to call him childish names, I probably expect too much, but whatever.

You still troll the f*** out of the boards with your anti-anti-Crosby comments and your attempts to sarcastically turn the tables on Ovechkin fans, even though it's completely retarded and has nothing to do with your quest to make everyone love Sid as much as you.

We all know you think Crosby has become a complete player but in reality he's not one yet. He's 4th on his team in PK time on ice with 0:56 per game. Dupuis has 2:22, Staal has 2:59, Adams has 3:06 and Cooke has 3:07. Furthermore, because Sid leads his team in time on ice with a whopping 22 mins that minute of PK time is less impressive when you consider it as a fraction of his time played.

Next, let's examine his two way game through take-aways vs. give-aways. Sid leads his team in give-aways with 17. Malkin is next with 13. However, Crosby has only 8 take-aways while Geno has 13. Only two forwards in the NHL have more give-aways than Sid-- Gomez and Tavares.

So given these statistics you'll have to forgive me when I laugh at your insistence that Crosby as a complete player. He's trying to become one but he's not close to being there yet. He'll find that he will have to sacrifice offense to become a dominant two way player-- Yzerman learned that lesson. And before you say that Yzerman was no where near the offensive player Crosby is I'll save you the embarrassment of putting your foot in your mouth. Only two people have had a greater single season point total than Yzerman's best season (155pts)-- Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

As for the earlier statement that Malkin is worse defensively than Crosby I disagree based on his play in the finals against us.

I respect the hell out of Crosby-- he's an amazing hockey player, but he's no Ovechkin. Ovechkin's been better than him 3 out of 4 seasons so far. If you're a pure offensive player, as both Crosby and Ovechkin are (despite the fact that Crosby is trying to become a better two-way player he's not even in the same ball-park as a Selke candidate) it all comes down to numbers and in that area Ovechkin dominates Crosby.

[Carman 387]

I said growing into a complete player. No where did I say he was one yet, he still has to improve in many areas. And of course he isn't on the ice the most on the PK. Datsyuk is 7th on forward ice time for PK that argument isn't very good.

Also don't bring up the Malkin, he is so inconsitent and makes some of the most basic plays look ridiculously difficult in the defensive zone it's laughable, ask any Penguin fan that actually watches the games.

And I don't hate Ovechkin at all, I was just acting like Crosby haters as I commented on Ovechkin probably not a good idea, but it happens. That said I do think Crosby is a more valuable asset to a team.

I think you misunderstood me because we both agree he isn't complete yet.

[edicius 3,269]

The issues that I have with Crosby stem from his sportsmanship. He's willing to do more than most to sell a call, and he's embarrassing himself with some of the dives he's attempted. Its especially flattering coming from a captain. He also complains to the refs to an unparalleled degree, at least from what I've seen (but I don't watch Pens games religiously, so maybe I have an unequal sample size). I fully appreciate the necessity to talk to the refs, at the very least to let them know what's going on for future reference, but I'm almost wondering whether Sid's reputation for complaining is working against him because the refs have become so desensitized to it. He's also developed a reputation for being a cheap-shot artist as I'm sure you've noticed in a couple fights he has been in. Actually I was a bit disappointed in his last scrum because it was broken up so fast. He almost had an opportunity to redeem himself. But his cheap-shots aren't limited to fights. I've seen him slash people with intent to injure, spear people as they skate away, etc.

Prime example: not shaking hands after Game 7. That's lousy sportsmanship and lousy leadership. If I saw Yzerman, Lidstrom or Sakic (or even Iginla) pull some garbage like that, I'd say the same damn thing. Crosby's not even in the same league as those guys when it comes to the aforementioned qualities, not even close. That utter lack of class (and don't blame it on "excitement" - EVERYONE'S excited when they win the Cup) just reinforces the spoiled brat stereotype and he's earned it well.

[Doc Holiday 0]

Prime example: not shaking hands after Game 7. That's lousy sportsmanship and lousy leadership. If I saw Yzerman, Lidstrom or Sakic (or even Iginla) pull some garbage like that, I'd say the same damn thing. Crosby's not even in the same league as those guys when it comes to the aforementioned qualities, not even close. That utter lack of class (and don't blame it on "excitement" - EVERYONE'S excited when they win the Cup) just reinforces the spoiled brat stereotype and he's earned it well.

Yeah, how dare Crosby conduct an interview.

Seriously, if you want to blame someone, blame the newscasters for interviewing Crosby before the handshake for the first time I've ever seen a cup win. Crosby didn't do anything wrong for f***s sake.

[aw1340 0]

Fleury made a much more impressive save in that game on Koivu in the 3rd period and that should be the one getting the attention but maybe because of Crosby's poor defensive coverage on that play nhl.com is choosing to ignore it. Unless they mentioned it in the videos which I'm not bothering to check because I've seen the save by Sid in the highlights and its not worth watching 5 videos about it.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

who's the biggest "whiner," crosby or bitter red wings fan #1,784?

[#19forPresident! 1]

Well the kid's the marketing bread and butter in a league fighting for attention, they could have gone with a lot of players, but they chose him and they're gonna push him to the populous like cheap drugs.... It's that simple.... A good friend of mine is a life long Pens fan, and even he gets sick of the unbridled praise the league shovels on Crosby, feels like it's bad JuJu for the team.

But it is what it is, I'm not mad at 87or the fans, just annoyed with the unsuppressed spamming of his image the league forces us to endure.

[rage 24]

I understand its not crosby's fault for the publicity... but seriously that is one of the most unimpressive highlights ive ever seen. A completely routine play that happens weekly in the NHL, and can be done by any player. He didnt even move to make a save, he just lied down BEFORE the shot was taken, and the puck happened to hit him.

I understand some posters frustration with much of the overblown crosby hate, but this is a little ridiculous. If they are going to devote the site to crosby for a play he did, at least do it for a play that is special in some way (he has many highlight plays).

Also, to the pens fans:

I'm not sure why you are calling for all of us to rationalize our dislike for crosby. He is an opponent of our team, we have had two heated series against him the past two years, etc. I would think its pretty obvious why people dont like him, along with the compendium of reasons noted by others.

Yes some of the posts in this thread indicate some jealousy or irrational hatred towards him, but you seem to forget that this is a forum for the detroit red wings. I'm tired of the resident pens fans always getting so offfended and affronted when someone mentions they dislike crosby, cracks a crosby joke, etc. There are pens forums where this doesnt take place. It might behoove you to look into them.

This is the best and most accurate posts in this thread!! Two thumbs UP!!!!!

Your complaint is with the NHL, not Crosby. He didn't force them to make them the headline story.

I agree it gets really, really old, and is a disservice to a lot of great players in the league.

With Crosby being the great ambassador of the game that he is, he needs to step forward and promote the rest of the talent that the NHL has to offer. After all, he is the GOD of the NHL now, he should take it upon himself to make sure other players are recognized for their talent.

I'm sorry; is that too much to ask from the great sidney crosby?

Prime example: not shaking hands after Game 7. That's lousy sportsmanship and lousy leadership. If I saw Yzerman, Lidstrom or Sakic (or even Iginla) pull some garbage like that, I'd say the same damn thing. Crosby's not even in the same league as those guys when it comes to the aforementioned qualities, not even close. That utter lack of class (and don't blame it on "excitement" - EVERYONE'S excited when they win the Cup) just reinforces the spoiled brat stereotype and he's earned it well.

Yes, I'm sorry but there was no excuse for that. And if you try to blame a damn interview then maybe you shouldn't be doing interviews??RIGHT??

I mean Crosby being the "great leader" of the "model franchise" of the "NHL" not shaking hands as is the tradition in the NHL is beyond a joke.

He should have been stripped the "Captaincy" for that. That is just something that is not excusable and something I don't think any of us have ever seen a "Captain" do before in the NHL.

Great for Crosby, he can have another record to his name. Total *******. Too good to shake Nick Lidstrom's hand after he won his first Cup. Defiantly something I would hate to be known for.

Yeah, how dare Crosby conduct an interview.

Seriously, if you want to blame someone, blame the newscasters for interviewing Crosby before the handshake for the first time I've ever seen a cup win. Crosby didn't do anything wrong for f***s sake.

Yes. Of course you are right. It's the Journalist fault that Crosby did not partake in the National Hockey League Tradition of shaking your opponents hand after a series.

Or wait, maybe it was the Red Wings fault. Maybe they were leaving the ice too early?

Well this kind of thing happens all the time, right? OH NO, it's the first. But yeah, I see what you're saying.

Crosby gets a "special pass" since he was "doing an interview." He totally had no control over the situation.

wow.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Well the kid's the marketing bread and butter in a league fighting for attention, they could have gone with a lot of players, but they chose him and they're gonna push him to the populous like cheap drugs.... It's that simple.... A good friend of mine is a life long Pens fan, and even he gets sick of the unbridled praise the league shovels on Crosby, feels like it's bad JuJu for the team.

But it is what it is, I'm not mad at 87or the fans, just annoyed with the unsuppressed spamming of his image the league forces us to endure.

^ This.

For me personally, it rarely bugs me that Crosby gets so much attention. More often than not I generally don't read much into general media/news of professional leagues, just skim information and the like. So typically if guys like Crosby, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow etc. get too much attention, I don't really worry about it. It's merited to a large degree but I definitely wouldn't mind more attnetion to other players. I just wish people could grow up about Crosby himself (or any other athlete above ) about it with the mud slinging towards him/other athletes because 9 times out of 10, they aren't intentally a'holes or bad people or haven't done anything wrong, whatever - as has been stated in this thread. I don't know if that's too much to ask of people or not. In terms of media coverage in this regard, it's a no win situation for these superstar athletes.

I can't comment on Penguins fans in general or not on here, but on here the ones that have signed up to be members, they've shoved Crosby our collective faces as well with at one more/less that he is god's gift to earth, which is equally as annoying as Wings fans mudslinging him. I already know he's one of the best out there right now in hockey, I don't need to be reminded by Penguins fans aobut it. This has also been already mentioned on here but I can't find the exact posts/quotes so I apologize for not crediting previous posters for this.

All three - obsessive media coverage, Wings fans (probably others as well outside the Penguins) with over-obsessive mudslinging on Crosby when it's not really necessary or relevant, and Penguins fans who hump his leg and expect us to do the same are equally to blame for all of this, and I wouldn't mind seeing all 3 stop.

Edited November 5, 2009 by SouthernWingsFan

[Spinner 6]

I think they are just trying to find a way to justify giving him the Selke this year. He should have all award available in Hockey. The Vezina may be tricky but hopefully, they can find a way to award him with that too.

[Doc Holiday 0]

With Crosby being the great ambassador of the game that he is, he needs to step forward and promote the rest of the talent that the NHL has to offer. After all, he is the GOD of the NHL now, he should take it upon himself to make sure other players are recognized for their talent.

I'm sorry; is that too much to ask from the great sidney crosby?

Yes, actually. What do you expect him to do? When asked a question about a game he just played, say "You know I'd like to give a shout out to Alexander Ovechkin and Pavel Datsyuk, those guys are really great players who need to be covered more."?

You are asking too much of the guy. It is the NHL's fault if they don't publicize more players than Crosby.

v sorry but there was no excuse for that. And if you try to blame a damn interview then maybe you shouldn't be doing interviews??RIGHT??

I mean Crosby being the "great leader" of the "model franchise" of the "NHL" not shaking hands as is the tradition in the NHL is beyond a joke.

He was doing the interview BEFORE the handshake line even started, and he shook the majority of player's hands when he was finished (I think Lidstrom and Drapes were the only two guys whose hands he didn't shake). The guy is in his early twenties and just won the cup. He gets asked to do an interview shortly after (btw no player has ever been given an interview before the handshake line in the finals). Of course he is going to take it. He is excited, he is young. Get over it please.

He should have been stripped the "Captaincy" for that. That is just something that is not excusable and something I don't think any of us have ever seen a "Captain" do before in the NHL.

Once again, first time the captain of a winning team has been interviewed before the handshake line even starts. Crosby was just doing an interview and since the handshake line hadn't started yet, he didn't see the harm. If the handshake line didn't even start till after his interview you wouldn't be bitching and moaning about it. He will not be stripped of his captaincy because well, that's an incredibly stupid idea. Once again, get over it.

Great for Crosby, he can have another record to his name. Total *******. Too good to shake Nick Lidstrom's hand after he won his first Cup. Defiantly something I would hate to be known for.

He doesn't think he is too good, he was just doing a god damn interview which started BEFORE they lined up for the handshakes. You could even blame Lidstrom for waiting longer than ten seconds.

Yes. Of course you are right. It's the Journalist fault that Crosby did not partake in the National Hockey League Tradition of shaking your opponents hand after a series.

Actually, Crosby DID.

Or wait, maybe it was the Red Wings fault. Maybe they were leaving the ice too early?

Well this kind of thing happens all the time, right? OH NO, it's the first. But yeah, I see what you're saying.

Crosby gets a "special pass" since he was "doing an interview." He totally had no control over the situation.

wow.

Once again, first time I've ever seen an interview done before the handshake line. So yes, it is the journalists fault that they needed to do an interview immediately after Crosby won the cup before the handshake line.

Waaaa waaa waaaa. Somebody call the waaaaaaambulancceeeeee.

Edited November 5, 2009 by Doc Holiday

[toby91_ca 620]

Just to play devil's advocate here...on the handshake thing....why has no one even come close to questioning Lidstrom? After all, he's the guy that left the ice and didn't wait until Crosby was available....most of his other teammates did. Crosby waiting around the year before while the Wings celebrated.

To be clear, I don't blame Lidstrom at all, but I also don't blame Crosby, I think the whole thing has been blown way out of proportion, but that happens with Crosby....good and bad.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Go to NHL.com. Serously. Sid makes a save, which let's face it is always cool, but not unheard of. Zetterberg and Lidstrom are known for doing this from time to time. Usually it merits a highlight reel playback or something.

What does NHL.com do? Not only is the headline story about it, but they have five freaking extra stories about his goaltending roots, learning from Fleury, two videos of Sid discussing the play and the video of the save itself. What the hell?

It's cool, yes, but do we need to have stories digging into his psyche to tell us how he's always been able to play every position at the highest level?

Sorry, bitchfest over.

I saw the main headline, didn't bother to read it as it didn't seem like a big deal to me. "skater makes save".....yeah, so f-ing what is what I say.

As for them talking about Crosby and his goaltending chops. I didn't read any of that stuff but a couple of weeks ago on the NHL channel they were following the pens around with the cup and they followed Sid back home. He played a street hockey game with his old friends and of course he was in goal. So they started to go on about how he was so much better than everyone that his friends made him play goalie so it would be fair. So that's apparently how he got some time in between the pipes. I found that pretty funny. Imagine you are a 13, 14, 15 year old and you are already talked about as the next Gretzky.....if I was his buddy I'd stick his ass in goal too.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Prime example: not shaking hands after Game 7. That's lousy sportsmanship and lousy leadership. If I saw Yzerman, Lidstrom or Sakic (or even Iginla) pull some garbage like that, I'd say the same damn thing. Crosby's not even in the same league as those guys when it comes to the aforementioned qualities, not even close. That utter lack of class (and don't blame it on "excitement" - EVERYONE'S excited when they win the Cup) just reinforces the spoiled brat stereotype and he's earned it well.

You couldn't be more wrong if your last name was "Incorrect".

1. Go back through the last 10 Stanley Cup victories and see if the media bum rushes any of the captains prior to the handshake line.

2. Gain a little perspective already as to who Crosby is. How old was he when he won the cup? 21 maybe? There's a world of difference between Nick Lidstrom and Sidney Crosby. That's not a knock so much on Crosby as it is a realization that Lidstrom is nearly twice his age, has won the damned cup 4 times and has been surrounded by HOFers, great captains and leaders for pretty much the length of his career. At this point in his life Lidstrom knows all the ins and outs of how to conduct oneself.

3. Watch a Crosby interview. He's as humble and well spoken a young athlete as I have ever seen. I find nothing arrogant or braggadocios about him in his sit down interviews.

4. Again, gain just a little bit of perspective. He is in my opinion the most talented guy I have seen in 20 years. No, he's not a great defensive player. No, he isn't Datsyuk with the puck. But you cannot deny the numbers nor the awards nor the consistency at such a young age. Be it sheer talent or will and determination, he continues to score points and his team continues to win. In the end that is what makes you great on a day to day basis.

Let's revisit this when he's 25, 30, 35. I'm certain he will be a fantastic Captain and role model in the years to come.

And you can bet your ass that if he wins the cup again, he'll be in the handshake line on time.

The rest is just whining and sour grapes combined with a healthy dose of resentment and denial.

[kook_10 1,705]

Can't Wings fans have a villain and not have to apologize for it? Jeez, the self loathing that goes on here is sickening. Who wants to apologize for Claude Lemieux? Where are the Pronger sympathizers?

[Doc Holiday 0]

Can't Wings fans have a villain and not have to apologize for it? Jeez, the self loathing that goes on here is sickening. Who wants to apologize for Claude Lemieux? Where are the Pronger sympathizers?

Claude Lemieux hit Kris Draper from behind, causing severe facial injuries, punched Slava Kozlov in the back of the head during a stoppage in play, and was generally a punk and a cheapshot artist.

Pronger tried to injure Yzerman in the 2002 playoffs, smashed Holmstrom's head into the boards in the 2007 playoffs, and once again is a punk and cheapshot artist.

Crosby dove a couple times in his rookie year, punched some other guy in the buttocks, and had the audacity to accept an interview after winning the Stanley Cup Finals.

One of these doesn't belong.

[kook_10 1,705]

Claude Lemieux hit Kris Draper from behind, causing severe facial injuries, punched Slava Kozlov in the back of the head during a stoppage in play, and was generally a punk and a cheapshot artist.

Pronger tried to injure Yzerman in the 2002 playoffs, smashed Holmstrom's head into the boards in the 2007 playoffs, and once again is a punk and cheapshot artist.

Crosby dove a couple times in his rookie year, punched some other guy in the buttocks, and had the audacity to accept an interview after winning the Stanley Cup Finals.

One of these doesn't belong.

you're arguing that hatred of a rival needs to be rational. i disagree.

in fact, a Red Wings board in a thread about Crosby complaints would be where I would expect to find a fair number of Wings fans who hate Crosby, possibly even irrationally.

Edited November 5, 2009 by kook_10

[MCleveland89 122]

The fact is, Crosby came into the NHL as a good, but immature hockey player. He was in the spot-light from the start. They guy couldn't breathe without every reporter wondering what kind of gum he chewed to make his breath smell like that. Every move he made was all over the media so we all knew he made some fake dives and things such as that. It was so easy to pick on him when we all heard about everything he did wrong. He was a media gold mine from the start because he was such a young player to enter the NHL. Of course we saw his every flaw too.

And for his "hot-headed" plays, c'mon, if you were a 22 year old Captain of a NHL team, don't you think you'd get a little frustrated too? Lidstrom has been in the NHL for quite some time, so he has some experience and knows the ins and outs of the game, especially after being under Steve Yzerman. He knows how to keep his cool at this point, and so will Crosby by then. He has matured immensely since his first season. From here on out, it's only going to get better for him.

I am in NO way saying I'm a Crosby fan by saying all of this (because I'm not one), but Christ, give the guy a break.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

With Crosby being the great ambassador of the game that he is, he needs to step forward and promote the rest of the talent that the NHL has to offer. After all, he is the GOD of the NHL now, he should take it upon himself to make sure other players are recognized for their talent.

I'm sorry; is that too much to ask from the great sidney crosby?

Yes, it is. He is played to pay hockey. He does not work in the marketing department for the NHL.

Do you not realize how ridiculous it is to expect him to be responsible for promoting other players in the league?

Yes, I'm sorry but there was no excuse for that. And if you try to blame a damn interview then maybe you shouldn't be doing interviews??RIGHT??

I mean Crosby being the "great leader" of the "model franchise" of the "NHL" not shaking hands as is the tradition in the NHL is beyond a joke.

He should have been stripped the "Captaincy" for that. That is just something that is not excusable and something I don't think any of us have ever seen a "Captain" do before in the NHL.

Great for Crosby, he can have another record to his name. Total *******. Too good to shake Nick Lidstrom's hand after he won his first Cup. Defiantly something I would hate to be known for.

Add Chelios to your list, and he didn't have the excuse of youth or distraction. He just wasn't man enough to come out and shake hands with the Ducks in the conference finals.

Edited November 5, 2009 by haroldsnepsts

[BlueMonk 102]

Can't Wings fans have a villain and not have to apologize for it?

Of course. It's okay to hate a player just for being good and on another team. People take this stuff more seriously than I do, I guess.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

The fact is, Crosby came into the NHL as a good, but immature hockey player. He was in the spot-light from the start. They guy couldn't breathe without every reporter wondering what kind of gum he chewed to make his breath smell like that. Every move he made was all over the media so we all knew he made some fake dives and things such as that. It was so easy to pick on him when we all heard about everything he did wrong. He was a media gold mine from the start because he was such a young player to enter the NHL. Of course we saw his every flaw too.

And for his "hot-headed" plays, c'mon, if you were a 22 year old Captain of a NHL team, don't you think you'd get a little frustrated too? Lidstrom has been in the NHL for quite some time, so he has some experience and knows the ins and outs of the game, especially after being under Steve Yzerman. He knows how to keep his cool at this point, and so will Crosby by then. He has matured immensely since his first season. From here on out, it's only going to get better for him.

I am in NO way saying I'm a Crosby fan by saying all of this (because I'm not one), but Christ, give the guy a break.

While annoying as hell, I think the majority of us understand that Crosby didn't choose to recieve the Obama-like Messiah following 24/7. The constant hockey media drooling over him is extremely tired and old, but I'm able to acknowlegde that he's one of the league's marketable players. Only problem is, the NHL still hasn't figured out that he isn't the ONLY marketable player.