Crosby's 2012 Season now in Question

[mackel 679]

How?

You simply can't allow someone into the Hall based on what might have been.

I wish you weren't wrong about this but with Cam Neely in the hall you obviously are... when he was inducted atleast here in Canada it was the old "what would this guy have accomplished had he not been injured by Ulf Samuelsson" line...

[miksteri 55]

But SuperMarios basement is such a wonderful place to rest the weary head.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

He's a member of The Illuminati. How else do you think he gets so much promotion?

Crosby's a member of the Illuminati? So we've got CEOs of multi-national corporations, international banksters, and a...hockey player?

They're infiltrating every aspect of society, folks.

[LeftWinger 4,949]

Crosby's a member of the Illuminati? So we've got CEOs of multi-national corporations, international banksters, and a...hockey player?

They're infiltrating every aspect of society, folks.

...if people only realized how true this statement really is.

[Red Wings Addict 787]

Crosby's a member of the Illuminati? So we've got CEOs of multi-national corporations, international banksters, and a...hockey player?

They're infiltrating every aspect of society, folks.

Don't forget...

It's all beginning to look so clear now, eh?

[ifonlyicouldskate 11]

I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Any injury that keeps someone from playing the game they obviously love to play. Besides if he never plays again. Who will we hate? We would have to find another scapegoat!

[Red Wings Addict 787]

I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Any injury that keeps someone from playing the game they obviously love to play. Besides if he never plays again. Who will we hate? We would have to find another scapegoat!

My guess is they'll focus their marketing efforts on Stamkos in such a situation. Once we start to hear his name over and over and over again on NBC telecasts we'll hate him just as much as Sid.

[vladdy16 2,154]

I have to admit I'm shocked. I watched both hits he received that could have given him the concussion and neither looks anywhere near bad enough to keep him out this long. If he's going to go out, it had better be on a more vicious hit than either one of those. That would just be a pitiful way to derail a career.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

...if people only realized how true this statement really is.

This times 1000000000000. Hopefully this doesnt ruin the conversation, but In all seriousness, people need to wake up.

[esteef 2,679]

I have to admit I'm shocked. I watched both hits he received that could have given him the concussion and neither looks anywhere near bad enough to keep him out this long. If he's going to go out, it had better be on a more vicious hit than either one of those. That would just be a pitiful way to derail a career.

Just goes to show how soft he really is.

esteef

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Don't forget...

It's all beginning to look so clear now, eh?

I'm not worried about him, he's not smart enough

[Red Wings Addict 787]

I'm not worried about him, he's not smart enough

Neither is Crosby but you get a good number of suits behind him and you got a giant tool like Bieber.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Karma for all the diving he did/does when he barely gets tapped....now he knows what a real hit feels like!

...besides, he come back and play half the season and they will "give" him another trophy, the Masterson Trophy. Then they will fill the NHL airwaves full of talk about what heart and dedication he has, and how he is the only "true champion" for coming back from his injury. I can see Eddie Olczyk (and Carmen) wiping the jizz off his face already.

I have no sympathy for him as a player (as a person I do hope he is ok to live a nice life,) this is what happens when you start believing the hype and think you are bigger than the game...the game stands up at the blueline and knocks you out...Eric Lindros part II...

I have several issues with this:

What has Crosby done to give indication that he is "bigger than the game?"

He didn't get his concussions from getting stood up at the blueline.

Lindros kept skating through the middle with his head down, probably from growing up playing against guys so much littler than him. This is no way the same thing as what happened to Crosby.

Crosby isn't even in the top ten of divers in the league. He did it more early in his career, but he's nowhere near what half the Vancouver and Sharks teams were doing in the playoffs.

True, but the only reason this is going to hurt the league, is because, as you pointed out, they've dedicated like 90%+ of their player marketing soley to Crosby.

I've always felt this was absolutely retarded, for this exact reason. What happens if he gets seriously injured and is out for a long period of time, or worse, his career is ended early? You screwed yourself. If they had decided to market a lot of great players instead of putting all their eggs in the Crosby basket, then if one of those players gets hurt, it doesn't have as adverse of an effect on the league. Hopefully they will learn from this, but honestly, they probably won't.

Losing one of the best players to ever play the game is going to hurt the league for more than marketing reasons.

I get sick of all the Crosby marketing and wish they'd spend more time promoting other players, but that's not Crosby's fault.

Honestly I hate the little f***. I think he's still kind of immature and he has some little-***** like quality that's easy to hate. But he's 24 years old. There's still time to grow up. And he's an incredibly talented player who works his ass off.

I just don't get how so many hockey fans would want one of the best players in the game not to be able to play. Even if just to hate him when the Wings play. I've hated a lot of great players over the year, in part for that reason, because they were great and they kept schooling my favorite players. But it makes it so satisfying when you defeat them. It makes for great rivalries.

Edited August 15, 2011 by haroldsnepsts

[eva unit zero 271]

I am no fan, but Crosby is already a sure-fire Hall of Famer, even if he never plays another game.

You're probably right, but I wouldn't put him in. You shouldn't get in on potential alone. True, he's a great player, but he really needs a longer career with more accomplishments and steady work to be considered, I think.

On the flip side, I hope he recovers.

How?

You simply can't allow someone into the Hall based on what might have been. As it is, Crosby has 1 Cup, 1 Olympic Gold, 2 Finals appearances, a Pearson, Hart, Ross and 4 All-Star appearances. Compared to other notables not in the Hall, that's nothing.

Pavel Bure: 6 All-Star games, Calder and 2 Richards.

Phil Housley: 7 All-Star games, 1 Finals appearance, 2nd most points by an American.

Sergei Makarov: nearly a point per game for his career, despite starting in NHL late. 8 World Championships, Calder, Canada Cup.

Adam Oates: 4 All-Star games, better than a point per game for his career.

Fred Shero: 2 Cups as a coach, 4 trips to the Finals, Adams, Patrick.

Eric Lindros: Hart, Pearson, 7 All-Star games, 1 Finals appearance.

How exactly does he stand out as a lock when the likes of Housley, Oates and Bure are out?

I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Any injury that keeps someone from playing the game they obviously love to play. Besides if he never plays again. Who will we hate? We would have to find another scapegoat!

Crosby's not a lock. Neither is Lindros. But both IMHO are over the cusp based on what the selection committee has shown to be the standards. They were (if Crosby is done) one of if not the most dominant player in the world for much of their career, won a Hart trophy, and had excellent scoring numbers. Crosby doesn't have much in terms of the way of postseason All-Star achievements. Compare him on paper to Ovechkin and Ovechkin's career looks much more HHOF-worthy, aside from the Cup, despite the fact that the two have been more or less equals for their entire careers. The same can be said of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Datsyuk has a bunch of Selkes, Zetterberg has a Conn Smythe. Dats has a bunch more points. But they've been more or less equal players for their entire careers; if one is worthy so is the other.

Makarov should already be in; Nieuwendyk and Gilmour over Makarov this year was insane, Ciccarelli and Neely ridiculous. It's becoming the NHL hall of fame if they start ignoring guys like Makarov who were among the best players in the world when they didn't play in the NHL.

However, and I know I will be lambasted for this, I think the comment about the Hall/potential can be traced to precedent not through Cam Neely, but to Bobby Orr. Orr would not be considered the best defenseman ever if he had not had his career cut short. It would be Doug Harvey or Red Kelly, or maybe Denis Potvin. What if Ray Bourque had a career-ending injury in the 1994 playoffs? He'd have 5 Norrises, 11 First-Team selections, and 4 Second-Team selections in 15 year career. At that point, his only obvious challengers were the same guys who he had been dominating (Chelios, MacInnis, Housley, Suter, Hatcher, Stevens, Leetch), suggesting he would continue to win Norrises and First-Team selections. Maybe Bourque would be considered the best ever? Or if Coffey wrecks his knee and retires in 1989? If Orr plays a long career where he loses his speed, and Bourque has an injury costing him much of a great career, Bourque is probably considered the better defenseman because of what he *could* have continued to do. It's subconscious, but it's true. Even if Bourque didn't win another two or three Norris trophies after 1994, if he had been injured people would have thought he *could* have won many more because of how dominant he was. Just as people say Orr could have gone on to win more, but realistically he might have won a couple more but would have started to lose out to guys like Savard, Potvin, etc. who were in their primes while Orr was at that point much older and slower. He could have finished with maybe 11, but I doubt more. And his years after that would not have been elite years the way Bourque's were.

But of course we have to go based on reality. And Orr was, when he played, absof***ingamazing. So calling him the best ever is certainly justified.

I still say Cam Neely in the Hall is borderline, but he did have a pretty good career. Three-time 50-goal scorer, just under 400 points, just under 700 points, all in just over 700 games. Four-time Second-Team All-Star at right wing. Twice behind Hull's ridiculous seasons. More deserving than Bure.

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

I'll be the mean and evil one. I can't deny that Crosby is a great player but I hope he doesn't ever play again. Thank who is gonna be Bettman's little baby boy and the face of the NHL. I'm sorry but I HATE Crosby. I hate the fact that I live in Michigan and whenever I go into a hockey shop or a sports store the only Reebok Hockey Stick has Crosby's name and number on it; like he is the only player in the NHL that uses Rebook equipment and can endorse for Reebok. I know that's Reebok's thing and has nothing to do with Crosby playing but I think back to the 09 Cup Finals and listening to my local sports radio show and all anyone could talk about was Crosby not even the rest of the Penguins squad just Crosby and his tremendous skills. Everytime I think of 09 I get sick, and I feel I always will. It's as if he is the ultimate Hockey God and I just can't stand to hear about it and even if he doesn't play we'll still hear all the NHL talk about him not playing but for me it's better than hearing about him being the NHL's hero and all the other crap they can come up with to make Sidney Crosby into Superman. So I hope he NEVER plays again.

right beside crosby's stick in all sports stores is Datsyuk's reebok stick...where is Datsyuk's publicity?? I'll chime in on a solid fact from even non-Wings fans...DATSYUK IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NHL! it's not all about getting points, it's about being a complete player. Datsyuk does all this and still does things with the puck that the rest of the world can't even do in their dreams.

personally, i like crosby (minus the whining and his pathetic stache), but i hate the penguins more than any other team ever. and the whole thing with his concussion s***, he could have come back and played last year in the playoffs, but the pens organization milked the whole thing and they knew that without malkin and the fact that they have a s***ty supporting cast, there was no point in bringing crosby back, they just wanted to use crosby for publicity of head shots......1 thing they didn't think of is that the hits on crosby weren't that bad. the steckel hit, steckel just braced himself at the last second when he caught crosby out of the corner of his eye. mr. entitled wasn't paying attention at all and it resulted in him hitting the ice. the other hit from hedman, hedman didn't do anything dirty, he braced crosby and guided him into the boards and didn't even do it very hard. i'm not even sure how he got hurt on the play, and yes i watcehd it alot of times wondering how cause i've been taken into the boards the exact same way 100 times and never got hurt once.

there's alot of guys that have been hit way harder than that and alot more blindsided and are perfectly fine. even hudler is playing hockey of some sort, well, atleast entering the ice surface, we don't know what exactly the f*** he does when he's on the ice, but after the hit he took in the playoffs that was blindsided, i think from joe thornton if i'm not mistaken, he was back pretty quick, and he's a puny whimp.

point is, crosby is milking it, as are the pens, and the masterson is a joke if he gets it this coming year. i'd rather it go to jagr or yashin, and it burnt my fingers typing that garb.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review :

The occasional recurrence of concussion symptoms has not forced Penguins superstar center Sidney Crosby to "shut down" his offseason training, general manager Ray Shero said late Sunday.

"There are going to be some symptoms with this injury, but nothing where he's had to shut it down or anything," Shero said, noting that he was in contact with Crosby over the weekend. "He's pushed himself, which is good."

...

Uncle Gary is not happy with this news, especially with regards to future Bridgestone NHL Winter Classics. Besides, this situation is Pittsburgh's headache, not Detroit's.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

personally, i like crosby (minus the whining and his pathetic stache), but i hate the penguins more than any other team ever. and the whole thing with his concussion s***, he could have come back and played last year in the playoffs, but the pens organization milked the whole thing and they knew that without malkin and the fact that they have a s***ty supporting cast, there was no point in bringing crosby back, they just wanted to use crosby for publicity of head shots......1 thing they didn't think of is that the hits on crosby weren't that bad. the steckel hit, steckel just braced himself at the last second when he caught crosby out of the corner of his eye. mr. entitled wasn't paying attention at all and it resulted in him hitting the ice. the other hit from hedman, hedman didn't do anything dirty, he braced crosby and guided him into the boards and didn't even do it very hard. i'm not even sure how he got hurt on the play, and yes i watcehd it alot of times wondering how cause i've been taken into the boards the exact same way 100 times and never got hurt once.

there's alot of guys that have been hit way harder than that and alot more blindsided and are perfectly fine. even hudler is playing hockey of some sort, well, atleast entering the ice surface, we don't know what exactly the f*** he does when he's on the ice, but after the hit he took in the playoffs that was blindsided, i think from joe thornton if i'm not mistaken, he was back pretty quick, and he's a puny whimp.

point is, crosby is milking it, as are the pens, and the masterson is a joke if he gets it this coming year. i'd rather it go to jagr or yashin, and it burnt my fingers typing that garb.

You seriously think Crosby could have come back in the playoffs but the organization decided to intentionally sit him? Players don't get paid for the playoffs, so the greatest expense for owners is essentially gone for every playoff game. Making it to even one more home game rakes in a ton of money for the franchise. I can't imagine why any organization would pass that up, along with that whole trying to win the Stanley Cup thing.

Along the same lines, what's the point of them milking it now? What exactly are they gaining?

Crosby was on an absolute tear the first half of the season, it doesn't make any sense for them not to want him back into the lineup. He's an impact player that would've greatly increased their chances of making it to the next round.

As for the size of the hits, I agree, they didn't look awful. The first one he got caught unaware, but the second one is a play that happens all the time in hockey. The point is that it doesn't matter. Concussions are a fluke thing, and cumulative in nature. Once you've had one you're more likely to get another, and not necessarily from a jarring hit.

They did a study on college football players, and a guy could get crushed on one play and suffer a huge blow to the head and not get a concussion, but later the same game could get one from a routine hit. They're a strange flukey thing.

I'm sure given his young age and elite talent, they're being extremely cautious bringing him back. But that's not milking it.

[wings1110 184]

From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review :

Uncle Gary is not happy with this news, especially with regards to future Bridgestone NHL Winter Classics. Besides, this situation is Pittsburgh's headache, not Detroit's.

It is, very literally pitts headache.

[Itchin' to go 16]

point is, crosby is milking it, as are the pens, and the masterson is a joke if he gets it this coming year. i'd rather it go to jagr or yashin, and it burnt my fingers typing that garb.

So not throwing your franchise player into the NHL playoffs, when he hadn't played in 4months and was having recurring concussion symptoms, is milking it? Ok.

Pretty obvious things are not going as planned with Crosby's recovery. It would seem the Pens are trying to keep it quiet, not publicize it.

Ryan

[Barrie 900]

I'm the first person to say "Crosby Sucks!", click on my name I even own a shirt, and call him "Cindy", however, I take no joy in saying this, I think Crosby's career is over, or at least like Marc Savard's.

[vladdy16 2,154]

I won't call him anything except Whiny ***** and/or He Who Shall Not Be Named, but this is no way for his career to decline.

I have to tell you guys, my sister called this near the end of last season; she somehow knew how bad it was. Maybe I should ask her for lottery numbers.......

[55fan 5,133]

I won't call him anything except Whiny ***** and/or He Who Shall Not Be Named, but this is no way for his career to decline.

I have to tell you guys, my sister called this near the end of last season; she somehow knew how bad it was. Maybe I should ask her for lottery numbers.......

Maybe your sister's just a jinx.

I actually liked him as Sid the Kid. Sid the Young Adult was kind of grating, plus there was the whole beating-us-in-2009 thing. I was hoping that Sid the Mature Adult would be likable. Here's to hoping he gets the chance.

[BostonBruinsDan1924 53]

My guess is they'll focus their marketing efforts on Stamkos in such a situation. Once we start to hear his name over and over and over again on NBC telecasts we'll hate him just as much as Sid.

I have no problem seeing the media showcase a player over and over. They did that with Messier in the late 90's and I liked him as a player. I know he was no Gretzky for talent but he didn't ***** and whine either.

[Casey 145]

Top 10 finishes:

1, 2, 3, 6 - Crosby

2, 3, 5, 7 - Bure

1, 6, 7 - Lindros

And unlike Bure and Lindros, Crosby won a Cup, as the youngest captain to do so ever.

He is a shoe-in.

I'll continue the list.

Guy Carbonneau- 3 Selkes, 3 Cups.

Larry Aurie- 2 Cups, 1 ASG.

Marc Tardif- 2 Cups, 2 WHA MVPs and scoring titles.

Aleksandr Mogilny- Cup, Olympic Gold, 7 ASGs, Byng. First Russian NHL player, All-Star, Captain.

[LeftWinger 4,949]

This times 1000000000000. Hopefully this doesnt ruin the conversation, but In all seriousness, people need to wake up.

You got a -2 and I got a -5 for the comments about this! I wonder if we got negged because of the subject matter or the fact that most sheeple are walking down that narrow hallway? Anyhow I gave you plus to try to bring you back up...

I wish Crosby a happy and healthy life... I'd like to see him come back and try to play, but one more hit and its scrambled eggs... and all this talk about him going to the Hall? I understand that the "stats" he has is your guy's argument on him being there, that's fine, but if we are saying if Crosby doesn't play one more game and he still has "stats" that are good enough to get him in the Hall, then Osgood is a shoe-in and NONE of you who are arguing FOR Crosby to get there can say Osgood doesn't have the "stats" to get him in based on other goalies in the Hall... Thank you guys for putting an end to the Osgood/Hall of Fame argument...that means #30 will rise to the rafters as well (as it should be!)

Edited August 16, 2011 by LeftWinger