Sidney Crosby's Absence Will Hurt the NHL More Than the Pittsburgh Penguins

Everybody knows that losing Sidney Crosby will be detrimental to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's easily the best player in the game today. 

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, the Penguins couldn't even get past the first round last season without Crosby. If Crosby's concussion symptoms persist, the Penguins will be in a heap load of trouble.

Let's not kid ourselves though. The Penguins will still be competitive. They still have a healthy Evgeni Malkin to lead the team along with Chris Kunitz, James Neal and Tyler Kennedy. The Penguins defense alone is strong enough to get them deep into the playoffs.

The Boston Bruins proved last spring that a team doesn't really need a superstar to win the Stanley Cup. They did it with a solid team, clutch scoring, stingy defense and great goaltending. The Penguins have those ingredients even without Crosby.

That being said, Crosby's absence from the sport will be highly damaging to the sport of hockey. It's the league's worst nightmare. Flyers and Capitals fans are probably happy that they won't have to deal with Crosby when their teams play the Penguins.

But let's face it. Hockey is a business. Ratings mean everything. If Crosby is not playing in a huge playoff series, the ratings will surely fall. He's the greatest in the game and having him away from the sport will automatically mean the casual fan will not be watching.

Look at what has happened to the sport of golf ever since Tiger Woods' demise. Other than golf purists, nobody watches golf anymore. 

It's true that hockey has more up and coming stars than golf does with guys like Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane and Taylor Hall, but they don't come close to Crosby's talent level. 

If these concussion problems linger into next season it will be even more damaging to the league. Crosby becomes a free agent after next season and if he doesn't choose to sign an extension with the Penguins, we will have an unbelievably entertaining offseason. Crosby will undoubtedly become the highest paid player in hockey.

Personally, it would be exciting to see him have a "The Decision" show like LeBron James did to make his announcement. It would be great for the sport's growth and provide some swagger to a sport that seemed all but dead six years ago. 

If Crosby is still having concussion problems by then, this will not be possible. His stock will drop immensely and he'll be more like Eric Lindros than Wayne Gretzky because of his injury. 

It's important to note that Crosby is the rock star of hockey. Wherever he goes from Phoenix to Montreal, there's a sell out. Other than Alex Ovechkin, Crosby may be the only player that has this rock star status.

Having Crosby out will be terrible for small market teams that can only sell out games when guys like Crosby or teams like the Red Wings come to town. 

The sport of hockey has enjoyed a great deal of growth in the last several seasons because of guys like Crosby carrying the sport. Television ratings have soared and the sport has become exciting for casual fans around America. 

Losing Crosby means that the league won't be able to market the sport as well as it once did. The Penguins may get by because they have a great front office and a phenomenal organization, but the league as a whole will take a major hit.