Love Him or Hate Him, the NHL Needs Crosby

It's Sidney Crosby's ever-turning world, we're all just living in it and swirling with the rumors, reports and press releases.

Rumors of retirement were followed by updates claiming the contrary. Reports of training with subsiding symptoms were countered by stories of halted skating due to recurring symptoms. The media says one thing, his agent and the Penguins say another. The cycle keeps going and our heads keep spinning like Sid's is—allegedly.

The 2005 No. 1-overall pick went down in January after hits to the head from Washington's Dave Steckel and Tampa's Victor Hedman. The concussion forced Crosby to miss 41 games and the playoffs.

Sid was a Kid on fire before he got hurt. He was coming off a stretch in which he scored in 28-straight games. In 41 contests he had 32 goals and 66 points—on pace for a 132-point year. Had he hit that mark it would have been the highest single-season point total since 1995-'96 when, you guessed it, Super Mario Lemieux finished with 161. 

Reaching the 100-point plateau isn't a groundbreaking feat for the Cole Harbour kid. Only twice, including last year, has Crosby ever failed to score at least 102 points. But there was something about his 2010-'11 that had everybody's eyes opened wide. Networks, news stations, and—stop traffic—casual sports fans were taking notice. And that's what happens to the NHL when Crosby is at his best.

Before you start thinking otherwise, let me set the record straight. I'm not a Pittsburgh homer or the President of a Crosby Fan Club; I don't have an affinity for either. I've never been to the Steel City, I don't speak Yinz and I don't have a famous household appliance in my basement.

My earliest memory of the Pens is an old VHS tape of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final. Doc Emrick narrated while I watched Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Tom Barrasso sweep my beloved Chicago Blackhawks. My earliest recollection of Crosby was seeing him dive during a game. So there, I'm not bias, but I'm also not stupid.

A lot has been reported and refuted, but only a handful of people truly know what is really going on behind the scenes with Crosby. With concussions there are no guarantees of a full recovery—not even time, as we've seen in the unfortunate case of Marc Savard.

Crosby is a prodigious talent, a household name and what I like to call a "generational" player. Yesterday had Gretzky and Lemieux, today has Crosby and Ovechkin. People can debate between Sidney and Alex as to who is the better player, but there isn't really a contest as to who is the better face of the game right now. Due respect to No. 8, he has what one may call a "face for radio."

The average American sports fan calls hockey a "niche sport," but it thrives around the world and is growing in the U.S. market. Revenues are going up, as they have been since Crosby came into the league. With tons of young talent developing and a massive new TV deal, everything is in place for the National Hockey League to take another big step toward the mainstream.

The one thing missing from the movement is a healthy Sidney Crosby. It is imperative he return 100 percent. Not just because Dan Bylsma, Mario Lemieux and the Penguins need him, but because the NHL needs him.

Follow Stephen on Twitter: @Stephen__Nelson