Sidney Crosby: Hockey Player Or Professional Diver?

Sidney Crosby may be one of the most talented players to ever hit the ice.  He is already a great star and will surmount to much more as he matures and grows older.  It is hard to put down a superstar like him, but people find a way to do it.

There are many times in a game where Sid the Kid busts down the ice trying to split two or three opposing players, sometimes even all five players of the opposing team.  Of course, the opposing players do not want him to get through, so what do they do?  They slash, hook, trip, and anything else they can do to get him down. 

So Crosby does fall, and the refs hand goes up to call the penalty.  It was a no-brainer by the ref to call the blatant foul, but the defenseman still barks that it was a dive.  Yeah, I would be diving on the ice too if I had a stick swung at my ankles or legs every sixty seconds.

It is getting quite ridiculous that every team that Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins go up against claim that Crosby is diving constantly.  Same with fans of the opposing teams who call Crosby a cry baby and a diver. 

Most of these fans are jealous about the fact that Crosby is the best player in hockey right now, and the only player who comes close is also a Pittsburgh Penguin, Evgeni Malkin.  (Yes, that's right, Alexander Ovechkin does not come close to Crosby.  It's easy to score 50+ goals in a season when you take 100,000+ shots.)

Every player embellishes a bit, that is there job.  A team is more likely to score when they have the man advantage instead of being full strength.  If you get whacked with a stick in the face or on the leg you are going to snap your head back or fall down.  It is common sense to do it and any smart player would. 

Embellishing is different than diving, though.  Every once in awhile you will have a player that dives, but it is uncommon.  If you watch tapes and highlights of the penalties Crosby draws, you can tell that he is actually tripped up.  I understand it is a common reaction for a fan or player to run their mouth about a penalty, but think about it first.  Every time Crosby goes down does not mean it was a dive.  It would be safe to say that 98% of the time he goes down it is not a dive.

People need to stop bad-mouthing Crosby and just accept the fact that he is a great player, and probably the best around since Mario Lemieux.  Do not be surprised when Crosby breaks many of Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky's records. 

So attention bandwagon fans everywhere, stop yelling dive every time someone falls!  Learn the rules of hockey and maybe you will understand he is just playing the game.