The Trouble with Sidney, Crosby

I usually write about the Sharks, but the dank dark California weather rendered in my the spirit to write about a different team, different player.  Enjoy!

Today’s victim is Sid “The Kid” Crosby.  Now, the way I see it, Sidney Crosby isn’t the second coming of Wayne Gretzky.  Sure, he has admirable stats.  A Stanley Cup at just age 21.  He has good hockey skills, and good hockey sense.  My problem with Sidney is that, well, he’s a whiner.  He cries at the drop of a hat.  He’s always complaining to refs about calls/non-calls.  Basically, he isn’t a good sport.  So why does he get all this attention?  Why is Pierre McGuirre and the rest of the hockey  media so in love with this man? It must be the Gretzky-ness, but I don’t see it.  Gretzky was only as good as the people around him, he said so himself.  If he didn’t have Marty McSorley to protect him who knows if he would have succeeded to his elite level.  There are a lot of other players today that have, in my opinion (and remember, this is just my opinion), the skills to win a cup.  All-around hockey goodness comes in all packages.  Not just a shiny young one from Nova Scotia.

You may ask for examples: well, Patrick Marleau comes to mind.  You didn’t think I’d get through a whole post without mentioning a Shark did you?  Marleau leads the lead in goals (two more than the Kid).  You’d never know it by the media attention he gets.  Pierre isn’t doodling “I Heart Patty” in his notebook (thanks @ryanclassic for that!). He may not have a Cup, but he’s got more hockey sense than the Kid.  During the 2008-09 playoffs, he played hurt.  Sure he had the Captaincy stripped from him during the off-season.  You’d never know it.  He’s playing with skill, grit and determination.  Crosby plays like we all should be in awe of his awesomeness.  I’m not on your bandwagon Kid.  Give me a player with heart and true love of the game.  Patty displays all of the qualities that should be admired in a hockey player, and because he plays for a team with a double curse, he gets overlooked:  West Coast team and Team that can’t move forward in the playoffs.

There are a lot of other players that deserve our time and attention, but I’ve run out of space and energy;-)  Feel free to comment on who you think plays with more spirit than the Kid.