Sidney Crosby: Why Did He Face the Press Hours After Deadly Russian Plane Crash?

Sidney Crosby is thought of as an ambassador of hockey. However, in light of today’s event, that claim appears to be a bit further from the truth. Despite the horrific tragedy that occurred in Russia on Wednesday, "Sid the Kid," the "Golden Boy"—or whatever cliche nickname the media bestow on him—went on with his news conference.

Fine, so he wanted to have his time in front of the cameras to inform the world that he is still recovering and most likely won't be healthy to start the season. 

The reaction of many on Twitter when they learned this was, “Umm, really?” 

Crosby couldn't have gotten the news out via a press release? He couldn’t have postponed it a day or two? Players had died, wives had lost husbands, children had lost their fathers, parents had lost their sons and Crosby couldn't even acknowledge the tragedies that occurred?

Everyone knows that he is a talented and gifted hockey player. I am not taking away the fact that, when healthy, Crosby is probably the best center in all of hockey. But just because he is a great player doesn’t make him an ambassador of the game.

I find it inexcusable that he didn't mention or pay his respects to the family members that have died. He could have taken the time to make a brief 20-second statement on the events that had occurred.

One popular point brought up in his defense on Twitter was the following:

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"People don't realize that it isn't as easy as 1,2,3 to move these press conferences."

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Understood. But still, had the press conference been postponed, the logic behind moving it would have been justified and no one in his right mind would have questioned it.

Before you accuse me of harping on Crosby because I am a Rangers writer, here are two of the many tweets that lash out at Crosby.

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"NHL scout text to me: ‘Biggest tragedy in history/sport, & so-called ambassador of game going ahead w/ a how-am-I-doing presser? Insane.’"

“It has been mentioned by a few other media folk this morning, but allow me to chime in: SidneyCrosby should wait until tomorrow.”

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You get the idea. You can just search #SidneyCrosby and #KHL on Twitter and see more posts that are a bit more inflammatory.

The real controversy of the matter started when Ray Shero made an opening statement about the tragedy and he then looked at Crosby. There was an awkward silence, and then they started the press conference.

Ray Shero did the right thing, but Crosby should have at least taken the time to address the matter. Players like Nicklas Lidstrom were teary-eyed and shaking when talking to the media about the loss of former teammates and friends.

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter what I think. You all will have your own opinions on the matter despite the events that went down. The bottom line is that Crosby is arguably the most popular player in the world. What message does it send by holding a press conference to say that nothing really has changed and you pretend like the KHL tragedy didn't even happen?

Sports icons like Cal Ripken, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, etc. wouldn't have made as huge of a blunder. Twitter was also full of so many hockey players paying their respects to those who were lost today.

The NHL's website compiled a list of many of the tweets sent out by players.

At the end of the day, I think Don Lagreca said it best when it came to the NHL: "When you follow and work in hockey, you consider everyone in it family. This is one of the darkest days in the sport’s history!"

Kevin Weekes also had a great tweet:

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"Next time you Tweet-bash someone...remember days like today,we're all sisters,brothers,sons+daughters and all#connected,please respect that."

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Fans, we are all a part of a huge hockey family. We watch these players night-in and night-out. We grow to love them and know them, and in turn, we become a part of a huge hockey family. Today we all lost many brothers, friends and loved ones.

Personally, as a Rangers fan, I lost Karel Rachunek. My memories of watching him play are very fond. He was a hard worker and was a fun-loving guy. You could see him laugh and smile on the bench, but he was all business when he got on the ice.

Pavol Demitra was another player I was quite fond of. He was a great person and player,

and it is a mystery to me why no NHL team tried to pick him up before he returned to the KHL. He had such a great wrist shot and was a natural goal-scorer. He was great friends with countryman Marian Gaborik, and the loss must be just devastating for him.

As you can see, one player should never be bigger than the game of hockey. A day like today will always be remembered. These players may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. 

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist, a New York Rangers Featured Columnist, a WWE Featured Columnist and a lifelong sports fanatic.

Tom can be found on Twitter by clicking the button below.