When “Sid the Kid” was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, he was supposed to revive the NHL. Unfortunately for him, a young star named Alexander Ovechkin claimed the “face of the league” from Crosby.
NBC, however, apparently didn’t get the message.
To say the NBC hockey announcers, Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, respect Crosby is an absolute understatement. While Crosby is a great player and deserves the praise of the NBC commentators, he isn’t the one who “revived the NHL,” and he isn’t the best player in the league, as the NBC guys would like to think.
Crosby is undoubtedly a star in the NHL, but he plays with the third- or fourth-best player in the NHL, Evgeni Malkin. Meanwhile, Ovechkin plays for Washington with a supporting cast of Nick Today's Must Reads
NBC always refers to the penguins as “Sidney Crosby and the Penguins,” implying the Penguins are just a rag-tag bunch of players, and then there’s Sidney Crosby to save the day. Maybe that's because Pittsburgh is a bigger hockey market than Washington, but NBC’s bias is showing big time.
Sidney scored a whopping six goals in the playoffs, while Ovechkin scored four in 13 less games. The point I’m making isn’t that Ovechkin is a better player than Crosby, but that Crosby isn’t the main focus that drives the Pittsburgh offense.
Moreover, I’m sick of the NBC commentators going on and on about how “Crosby has worked so hard to get the Penguins into the Cup Final.”
Two issues with that:
1) It definitely wasn’t all Crosby. There were more than a few games where Fleury stood on his head to keep the Penguins in games.
2) In the infamous words of Ricky Bobby “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Oh, and one more thing. I’m tired of the NBC guys praising Crosby for his lame, half-assed attempt at a playoff beard.
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2 months ago
Well...it's all a matter of opinion isn't it?
Facts can be one thing but it's very hard to judge who has the "heart" of a team.
In two years the Penguins made a magical leap and it was led by Sidney Crosby.That is my opinion...not based solely on fact but emotion...as is the game of hockey...
Michelle in NS
2 months ago
Has Alexander Ovechkin really claimed the “face of the league” from Crosby? Crosby, almost two years younger than Ovechkin, has led his team to a Stanley Cup final, and has scored 120 points in a season (Ovechkin scored 112 points in his best season). Also, Crosby was the league's leading scorer this year before missing 28 games with a high ankle sprain. Ovechkin finished the season averaging 1.37 points per game. Crosby's average was 1.36. They seem pretty equal to me.
2 months ago
Wow
Look maybe you feel this way because you didn't see Sidney play a whole season this past year, so lets break this down.
Sidney had been in the lead for points when he went down with his ankle. He missed *29* games. Thats huge. No one has any idea who would have ended up in the lead if it weren't for Sid getting hurt. I can see you feeling like ovie dominated Sid during the regular season, only because you missed out on seeing sid play in 29 games.
How ever, like Stephen said above, Sidney lead his team to a Stanley cup final. Sure Ovechkin made it just under the wire into the playoffs. No I'm not denying that Ovechkin isn't a fantastic player, he is. But Sidney has much more drive, and determination. The Penguins are his life during hockey season.
The NBC reporters do respect Crosby, and they do truly believe that he changed the face of the NHL. And he did. Sidney brought about more loyalty to teams (look at all the players currently taking salary discounts, JUST to stay in the 'burgh). Sidney brought in that "no matter what happens, we will push ahead, we will learn from this, and be better" attitude.
Sidney is 20 years old. He is the youngest captain in the history of the NHL. He sets records like no one else can. You can't criticize the NBC announcers then, and not go after Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky himself said it would be Sidney to break his records.
Look, I'm tired of people comparing Sidney to Ovechkin, they are both stand out players. Both are great guys all around. Ovie is probably the better scorer. But when it comes to a better all around player on and off the ice, well, Sid beats him every time.
2 months ago
Please tell us how you really feel. NBC is biased?! Seems like you might be as well.
2 months ago
Just to add, you did state that you weren't trying to say Ovie was the better player, so sorry, I really am just sick of them getting compared. I get a little carried away.
But also, no one said Sidney is the only reason the Pens made the play-offs. Every guy on that team helped them get there, we know that. Fluery is a stone wall, and the pens fans know that too. The point is Sidney is their captain, and he's responsible for keeping them motivated. His teammates refer to him as the best player in the world, and they look at him as the best player they'll ever play with, and just another guy off the ice.
2 months ago
who is this ovechkin guy you speak of? i never heard of him.
2 months ago
Okay, maybe I am a little sick of Sidney getting over-publicized, especially by NBC, and yes I am biased because like I said I'm sick of seeing it. Its just that NBC always refers to the Penguins as "Sidney Crosby and the Penguins." That just irritates me no end because its not like in basketball where they say "Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves" (as an example, I know he's traded now) because the Timberwolves really were KG and a bunch of other guys. KG scored all the points, took all the rebounds, and played great defense. In hockey though, one guy can't do it all. Sidney's a great offensive weapon, but quite frankly, there are other aspects of the game he sucks at. Can he play great defense? no. Can he play physical? no.
To the casual fan, scoring is sexy, and scoring is great because it wins hockey games. But dedicated hockey fans know there's much, much more to the game than scoring; you have to be able to keep the puck out of your own net. That's what NBC doesn't get that there's more to the game, or maybe they're just catering to the "casual fan."
2 months ago
I can assure you I'm no "casual" hockey fan. Sidney can do more than score. Look, Sid had 20 assists in the playoffs because he said he wanted to be a play maker. I don't care if he scores, or if Max Talbot scores, it doesn't make a difference. Have you ever watched Sidney just play? He comes out of no where when you think he's on the other end of the rink, to do some ridiculous move to get around the other teams defense men, gets the puck, and send it to someone for an assist. If you just watch him play, forget the points, you'll see how great his skill is.
As for not being able to do anything but offense, how would you know? He's never been asked to play in a defensive spot, or go out there and just be a body checker. Sid gets in hits on a regular basis, and I mean he's the one hitting. Plus, there are guys assigned to go out there and just be physical, like Ruutu was, now we've taken on two new guys meant to replace him. They don't want Sid getting physical, because they don't want him hurt again. There is a video, on the Pens myspace it's the first one, it's a play off game against the Sens, and he gets knocked down TWICE, and still gets back up with the puck and tries to keep playing. The guy punches him, so Sid starts to hit back, but 4 other guys come in, and Whitney beats the crap out of the guy. No one wants people messing with Sid.
As for your pet peeve of them being called "Sidney and the Penguins" it's just because he's captain. No different than saying "Jason Pominville and the Sabres" or "Saku Koivu and the Canadiens".
Sid may be over published to you, and thats ok you feel that way, but NBC is a business, and their catering to the majority of their fans, who like me, love Sid. I don't want to get catty and mean because your entitled to your opinion. But please, don't ever say there is some part of hockey Sidney sucks at unless your talking about being a goalie. Lol, ok I'm sorry but that kid could master any skill in the game of hockey if he really wanted to.
Plus, it's been said a lot, that the Penguins used to be (oh and Sid said it himself as well) Mario and he was the star who did it all. But the game changed. Someone had been comparing Sid to Mario saying he would never get as many goals in the play offs as Mario did. Sid was like 'well of course not. the game has changed, and it's not about one guy any more. All of our lines produce momentum, and every guy out there is helping us.' ( this is in no way a direct quote) I can't say enough, every pens fan knows the team is so much more than just Sidney. He's just a huge part of it.
2 months ago
I didn't mean to say you were the casual fan, and I'm sorry if you took it that way. I know Crosby is a huge part of Pittsburgh's success and yes I know he's the type of player that can turn a game around. At the same time though, its frustrating that the American media, most namely NBC, puts the blinders on and doesn't realize there is basically the same thing going on in a bunch of NHL cities around the country. Koivu, Gaborik, and Burns caring the Wild, for example. That's a bad example because its three against one, but you get the point. There's great things going on all around the league, if only NBC would see it with a wider spectrum
2 months ago
Ovechkin is butt ugly and barely speaks English.
Ovechkin scores more goals, but Sidney makes the payers around him better.
Sidney is Canadian, Canadians love hockey.
about 1 month ago
See, now that I under stand. Why didn't you write THAT in the article? I can completely get that there are teams the media ignores. Especially the western league teams. I mean how often do we hear about the Calgary Flames, or the Canucks? And when Luc Bourdon passed away this pass season, next to no one talked about it here in the East except Kris Letang because they were really good friends. I thought there should have been story after story being written, and yet there was only a few paragraphs.
Next time, rather than targeting Sid, please could you go right to the source? I agree with your whole idea now that you've gotten tot he route of it, but attacking what Sid does, won't stop what NBC says.
about 1 month ago
Well I for one think it makes sense to play up the fact that a 20 YEAR OLD captain led a young, exciting team to the STANLEY CUP FINAL and impressed while doing so. That was a big deal. A very big deal
Gaborik? Minn? I don't even remember how their season ended...and they play boring, defensive hockey. You want to market that?
Ovechkin? Played well and exciting style, but lost in the 1st round so for the majority of the playoffs that "face" of the NHL was out of the picture....make it kinda hard to market him then, no?
Det is loved by the media for their standard of greatness and veterans. Pgh because of their young, exciting talent. Crosby leads Pgh in every facet of the game (and for the record, he is a great defensive center, watch him play!!). It's the obvious choice to promote Crosby, as well as the youth vs. experience matchup. and that is what NBC did. -dont get me wrong, i hate all but the local FSN feed, b/c the national ppl are more worried about their "persona" then the actual hockey. but in this case it is/was/will be the obvious choice.
And finally, until the Hossa deal Crosby's linemates were guys like Colby Armstrong, Max Talbot, Mark Recchi, etc. And you're saying he isn't the main focus driving Pgh's offence?
about 1 month ago
You basically went apple picking here and picked all the nice ones for the top of the basket and buried all the bad ones at the bottom. Ovie CAN score...He has a good shot no doubt, but cmon can anyone honestly say Ovie does much more than throw the puck at the net? He has had a few goals that make your jaw drop but everyone has...NO REALLY WATCH HIGHLIGHTS - ha. But lets face facts here if Ovie does not have the puck he is standing around. He was voted the funnest player to watch and I dont even understand why? If I want to sit there and watch someone play 1 way selfish hockey I will go down to my local rink.
about 1 month ago
funnest? that's not a word buddy
about 1 month ago
Which face would you want representing the NHL???? Are you serious? This isn't even about ability - Ovechkin is just an ugly dude....
about 1 month ago
he has better hair than Crosby though...
from about 1 month ago
This is getting funny...frankly there is no contest if you were looking to compare the looks of Ovechkin and Crosby for the "face" of the NHL. No contest. Hands down Crosby wins...and by the way, is only getting better looking as he gets older and fills in. Hey, sex sells in every aspect of the entertainment biz, and make no mistake that professional sports is entertainment. That is why they promote Crosby over Ovechkin in this case. He is nicer to look at and is a better spokesperson for the game, among his other obvious talents...bad hair or no...and isn't it nicer to watch hockey and not have your girlfriend always trying to change the channel? ;)
about 1 month ago
Whether or not Crosby"s better than Ovie or Ovie's better than Crosby is not the issue. They are both incredibly good at hockey, end of story. Crosby is a great player, but Ovechkin—from a fan's perspective—is better to watch.
But it is SO obvious that every broadcast team praises Crosby because he is "the saviour". I'm not jealous that it's not Ovechkin, but the last time I checked a hockey team consists of 18 skaters, 2 goalies, and about 5 black aces.
It's not a 1-on-5 game out there, and people should recognize that Crosby is contributing to a team effort and not being the one and only reason Pittsburgh was successful.
The reality is that these two are mere equals and respect each other. If they can get along with each other, why can't their fanbases?
about 1 month ago
I am both shocked and amazed that someone, who seemingly understands the game of hockey, would have such an ignorant view of Sidney Crosby and what he has done for his team and the NHL in general. Every point you made is biast... and therefore makes you a hypocrite! NBC is in the business of getting people to watch the game, not be perfect in their 'opinion' of one player over the other. However, if you consider the people that are announcing, and their knowledge of hockey, it only weakens your point. Even the most dedicated of Penguin fans will acknowledge the scoring ability of Ovechkin. You might want to consider acknowleging that scoring alone does not make you the face of the NHL or the best player in the league. There are many aspects of the game. There are many factors to play making. There is a lot to be said of someone that can be a 'pied piper' in a town that is tired of paying taxes to support yet another pro team. No one will ever understand the sacrifice and dedication required, unless that person walks in those shoes. In the future you might want to weigh out ALL of the statistics (along with the factors that aren't in pen) before you write such a tasteless and factless article. Let's Go Pens! And.... Let's Go SID ! ! ! ! ! ! !
about 1 month ago
I do not think you can claim Ovechkin is the face of the NHL, because you can't see it behind that fogged out shield of his. Also who cares if Crosby only had 6 goals in the playoffs, he made up for with assists, which is why his team went to the cup finals and not Ovechkins
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