Viewpoint

This article makes a very good point. As a Penguins fan I can say I love having Sid on my end of the ice playing for my team, but I want him to stop being passive. The only time I want to see him talking to the ref, is after he has nail someone in the mouth and is headed to the penalty box.

And to reply to
The Bark (comment 35, posted March 8, 2007) I think you missed the entire point to this story brother. Heatly a VERY good player, but thats far from the point.

Sid is great but he is not the best player in the NHL (yet). That would be Danny Heatly. If you add Sid's points to his +/- you would get 98+9=107. For Danny Heatly it is 86+23=109. What good is a million points if the opposition scores as many when you are on the ice? Maybe old buck-tooth isn't as photogenic, but he's my first pick for MVP.

The Bark

Mike from Montreal..
Although I realize you are the brunt of much criticism, I just couldn't resist. I especially enjoyed your comment about Crosby joining the national women's team, really nice touch, and not in the least sexist. Crosby is accomplishing unrivaled feats for a 19 year old, the diving question is irrelevant when you are the NHL leading scorer. Dive or no dive- he still enters each game with a fierce competitve attitude which we all should admire.

A very good point. I guess it's no different in life or the playground. If you want respect turn around and whack the bully. Thats just life and Croscby has to learn it.
Whiner or not he does come across that way, so instead of yapping to the refs or opposing players drop the gloves and take your lumps.

Rob from Kingston. Brilliant ideas. I'm sure that's what Sydney's coaches are saying - "Drop the gloves and take your lumps" Does that loudmouth TV commentator from Kingston do all the thinking for Kingstonians(?).Think for yourself man. Just 'cause someone famous(ouch)from Kingston shoots his mouth off without thinking doesn't mean you all have to.

I don't usually comment however... this whole Crosby issue has me intrigued. There are many opinions on whether he is a diver or not...
has he ever been penalised for that? Despite what most people say or think , the refs actually do have a pretty good grasp of whats going on on the ice. Generally, superstars must be protected, they are the essence of the league. People come to see them play, and that's what it's all about. The NHL knows that, the players themselves know that. Superstars mean more fans, more fans more money, more money better contracts... you get the picture. More fans come to watch Crosby apply his skills than to watch bonehead McGratton apply his. So the longer superstars are around the better it is for all. We had a superstar once called Bobby Orr. He wasn't protected. Coaches knew that he'd be on the ice for 40+ minutes a game and if left alone to free wheel he would devastate them. So rather than stay away from him they purposely threw the puck into his corner and went right after him. Eventually they wore him down, wore him out, to the point where he was no longer a superstar, to the point where fans would no longer come out to see him play. You could hear a collective "OH OH WHAT HAVE WE DONE!". When Gretzky came along it was different, some goon could have taken him out but no one dared. A lesson had been learned. This guy was good, people came to watch him play! We have to keep him around! So that's why today's superstars have to be protected. We need them to draw crowds to make money because making money is what it's all about! And for those of us who appreciate their gift (whether they happen to play on our favorite team or not) we want them to be around for a long time to entertain us with their great talents in this wonderful game we call hockey. GO LEAFS GO!

SIDNEY ROCKES!

BECAUSE I SAID SOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#87 IS #1

I have played and watched the game for 40 years now. I got to see Howe,Hull, and a lot of great players. I found Makorovs way of covering the ice as unique as The great Ones office set up behind the net. Sid is now and will be mentioned in the same breath as all the greats. He will be remebered as a player who played with a target on his back, on ice and one over his heart for all to pot shot at. He is 19 years old and if a few of you no mind critics think about what you were doing and not acomplishing at that stage in your lives I am sure you would reign in your opinions a wee bit. I have an idea why not watch the likes of Sid and Alec and the rest of the really fine talent playing the game today for the pure joy of watching the best doing thier best. Sure cheer when your team wins and boo when they don't, but stop whinning when extra effort and talent wins the day.

Mike from Montreal, you have no idea what you are talking about. Have you even been speared in the midsection? If not, let me tell you it hurts. Where you 30 feet away from the opening face off when Crosby got butt ended by that garbage exuse for a hockey player Maxim Lapierre? If NOT, Pierre Mcguire was and stated "If anyone thinks Crosby took a dive on that play, they better come see me and I will set them straight.
No then Mike, I see you are from Montreal, so I understand why you are caling Crosby a diver, and it is because the Penguins are ahead in the Standings of your Montreal Canadaians who only have 6 Canadian players on the team, while Pittsburgh has 7. All that aside Lemieux did not retire because of clutching and grabbing, he retired because of Atrial Fibulation; a condition that made his heart beat irregularly. The only reason you think Crosby acts like Lemieux is because it the same reoccuring problem for the Penguins; they have the talent but no one to protect there superstars. Gretzkey was protected, Lemieux and Crosby were/are not, heck even Ovechkin has Brashear on Washington. Pittsburgh needs someone to step up and make an example of the next person who messes with Crosby. He is the new NHL, and if it were not for cheap/dirty players trying to take him out and or injure him (like your buddy Maxim Lapierre) the penguins would not have to worry about picking up an enforcer. Long live the Pens

Forsberg is great, and his toughness is admirable, but perhaps also the reason for his constant injuries. The NHL needs Crosby to be the star and spokesman for the league for years to come. Crosby is an aggressive player, but does not have the physical attributes of Ovechkin, and it is frustrating to see commentators constantly comparing the two. Not only should the Penguins get an enforcer, but NHL players should realize that the day they injure Crosby is the day they see all their salaries drop again because the entire league will suffer.

Sidney is a whiner PERIOD

There is a point with this. Have never been that into the fights in hockey but you need to handle some stuff. Crosby is a talant that is rare and should be looked after, but still, he needs to be able to take care of himself, the game is played like this. Instead of complain, he should do what he does best, creating goals, and maybe include a good solid tackle. To stand up for himself. I tink Forsberg is a good example. never backed from anythng. works hard, nobody picks on him with out getting some back. and he still have scored many points.

But I think crosby will be ok, as he grows older he will be albe to stand up for himself. he's only 19. but he can't wait for that change too long.

Magnus http://hockeytheme.blogspot.com/

As for the abuse that Sidney has taken in recent weeks. That will happen, if the media left it alone, it would resolve itself. But then what would they have to talk about? Maybe they should write an article on Guy Carbonneau asking who is Maxim Lapierre? Must be the next Stephane Lebeau.

Leave the kid alone, let him play, let him dominate the league as he's doing. It will upset fans in the eastern conference. Who wouldn't be upset that he isn't on their team. He's the best.

Montreal fans always show resentment towards good players, they haven't had a superstar since Roy was traded (asked to be traded). Mario Tremblay was a keener back then. They haven't had a top 10 scorer since Elvis died. When is the last time a Montreal player won the scoring title? Maybe Chris Higgins will have a 160 point season this year. Better chance of Huet getting pregnant.

As for Mario, how can you knock that man. He overcame Hodgkin's disease in January of 1993 and still won the scoring title that year with 160 points in 60 games. Remember that? How many Montreal players ever had 160 points?

It won't be long before the Montreal brass change their jersey logo to add an "oke" to the Ch.

What a riduculous article. Sid has to fight back? Are you crazy? The top scorer in the lead by a 10+ point margin with less games played then anyone in the top ten in the league at nineteen. You have got to be joking me. Why risk him breakings his hand throwing punches at some no talent goon??- (cough Downey cough)

What an absolute joke.

You think Sid cares about what some yokel is screaming about his so called diving and whining?? He is WINNING SCORING TITLES AT NINETEEN and bringing his team to the playoffs.

Canada should be proud of a talent like him, but instead you nitpick any little thing you can. That is so sad.

A very good point. I guess it's no different in life or the playground. If you want respect turn around and whack the bully. Thats just life and Croscby has to learn it.
Whiner or not he does come across that way, so instead of yapping to the refs or opposing players drop the gloves and take your lumps.

It is hockey afterall, Sid will be ok. It sounds like all the complaining is coming from people who have never played hockey. It may come as a shock to y'all but it is a rough sport. It is very rare to see an injury, to a player, that is done on purpose, that causes that player to miss any gametime let alone end his career. Bill Barber and Ken Linesman were 2 of the best divers ever. Claude Lemieux played for Montreal and frequently racked up perfect tens from the judges. Bring back fighting as it is tolerated in baseball, which is Americas game. (go figure)...

tO use Sids words I used to like the Habs growing up but I changed my mind. I also thought they were a class team and I changed my mind also. The pens will take care of their own and isn't it supposted to be a hockey game and not a back street brawl.

Crosby does indeed play up the incidents .
He could probably do better . He has got
to let his gloves , stick , and helmet fly
off in all directions on the next "assault". Gretzky was more of a whiner . I do
believe , and have said in a previous post
many weeks back , that the goons will have
to come back . Whether it is Crosby , Iginla , Sedin ( one with red hair) , or
a Selanne , an enforcer is needed . Just
one less "skilled" player on the team to make room for the enforcer. Crosby needs it. Rutu's mouth is not scaring any opposition
away . Actions will speak louder%

Well I'm from the Montreal area and I LOVE Sidney Crosby even though he plays for our rivals. The kid is just 19 and is an amazing player. I think he will be Gretzky and Lemieux's equal when all is said and done. Give him a chance to grow more as an individual and stop expecting him to be 30 years old already! I also hated Ribeiro and his exploits so it was good riddance to his pathetic acts.

The fact of the matter is this: Sid is going to be the best player in the league for years. If Pittsburgh really values him as much as they should, they need to sign a heavyweight to protect him, instigator rule or no instigator. If Wayne Gretzky played when there was an instigator rule, you know that the Kings and the Oilers would still have McSorley and Semanko.

i am going out on a limb here and saying that the Penguins are gonna trade for Todd Bertuzzi before the trade deadline. They need a player whose good enough to play on the first line with crosby, and be able to protect him, and florida is looking to deal Bertuzzi who is returning from surgery on Feb 17. seeems like a perfect union. Todd is one of the leagues best power forwards, can score, pass and play tough, and matched with sid, could be a lethal combo. the question is where do the pens get the money to spend on him?

Well, Mr. Mike from Montreal, where to start. I am glad that someone else brought up Mike Ribeiro's best seal impression the NHL has ever seen. Remember, the red white and blue seal flopping on the ice against the Bruins? What a disgrace to the NHL. How about Mario leaving the game for """"Cluthing?"""" and grabbing. Spelling bee's obviously weren't a priority in your heydey. What's a """pre-madonna?""" Is that someone that sang before Madonna? Also, it's the NHL, not the lnh. Turn your TV dial from now on to UHF - Uneducated Hockey Fan. The channel may be snowy, maybe you'll be watching Snow. He was a singer, may have even been Pre-Madonna. Uneducated fans. It's a shame.

Crosby is 19 years old. Not many 19 year olds lead the league in scoring, let alone have to protect themselves. If they didn't try to clean up the game so much, cutting out fighting, there would be less stick work. The media has a field day publishing stories like these. Everyone refers to Gretzky, Sakic, Yzerman, and Messier. Remember, back in the 80's and early 90's, there was no internet, no blogs, nothing other than the evening news on TV and the paper. There was no attacking of players publicly. Gretzky had Semenko, Yzerman had Bob Probert/Joey Kocur/Darren McCarty, Sakic had Chris Simon, and Messier needed nobody.

Give the kid a few years, he's already the best in the game. What more do you want from him, a 19 year old that's leading the league in scoring? The Pens will get a policeman, it's only going to make the best player in the game better.

It's only going to make Habs fans whinier. If that is possible.

As good as he is, he has been diving a lot lately. The spear that he got barely touched him, and he went down like a sack of potatoes. And the high stick did get him in the mouth, but not that bad for him to plop down and do the "oh my god, all my teeth are gone" act. Sid isn't really that small a guy. If he wants to, he can fight back, and he should. It might make others think twice before they go after him.

I think there is one thing everyone can agree on and that is Sidney Crosby is a once in a generation player. I had the privilege of watching him play here in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago and the building was full of electricity from watching Sid. Every time he was on the ice the place buzzed and every time he touched the puck people stood up. It was such a blow out that he didn't even come out for the last 6 minutes of the third. He took quite a few sticks and grabs throughout the game and he handles himself fairly well but why would Pittsburg's owners want Sid to have to keep worrying about himself? Sure he can defend himself from time to time and it's probably good that he does it on his own while he is young. For the good of the game and the longevity of his career he is going to need at least one certified heavyweight (and probably 2!) to roam the ice and make sure all he has to worry about is filling the opponents net up. Once he doesn't have to watch his own back he will develope into the class of Mario and Wayne... he's almost there as it is. Give him his own version of McSorely and we will see a true once in a generation player who will make you jump out of your seat everytime he touches the puck.

There is a reason why a sport like soccer has a difficult time gaining ground in the Canadian market. We don't like divers. Period. Much like watching Portugal's Christino Ronaldo in the World Cup...Canadians puke at the sight of watching a great player drop like a sac of potatoes after a feather touches them...then flail on the ground and flap around like a fish out of water.

Would you like to know why Crosby is getting the 3rd degree on the possibility of him being a diver? It is because he is the one leaving that impression on the ice. One aparent dive...would not make a story...multiple aparent dives...there is a big story...multiple aparent dives from the best in the game at the moment...huge story. That is also why he is having liberties taken on him. No one likes that...not the fans (at least the Canadian Fans)...not the players...not the media...Crosby is a fantastic player but the impression of diving has to stop.

When you watch players block 100mph slap shots...then limp over to block another...then as they are trying to skate off the ice get popped one more time...finally to get to the bench and get ready to do it again...that is Canadian hockey. Crosby may have been watching too much soccer or something. He is his worst enemy when it comes to the questions of diving.

I like Crosby and to answer the questions as to why people don't (or didn't) take liberties on the likes of Yzerman and Sacic...it is because the players of the league respect them for being tough stand up players. They take their shots...they give their shots and at the end of the day they are respected because of it.

Crosby I know you are still a boy but act like a man and you will be golden in the eyes of the Canadian fans again...don't disappoint us!

Sid's the best thing that has happened to the NHL in a long time. If anyone can't see that, well maybe you should be watching the world senior's lawn bowling championships. Really I think Pittsburg needs to go get a couple of guys that like to get thier nose dirty,like Jody Shelley (who was loved as a Moosehead)or another tough Halifax boy like Ryan Flinn. Look at the way Malkin got manhandled last night.He and Sid need help and soon.

It's funny that you say Crosby is a diver all the time...Montreal protects Koivu all the time...I mean, the best player on your team (Souray) took an instigator for him because of a clean hit. Yet, this kid dives when you clip him in the face?

And as for Mario, that was probably the most ignorant thing ever said. Especially when he can come back after a couple years of retirement and put up some of the highest ppg stats in the league. He played through cancer and back problems for years, in a league that was significantly worse for the clutch and grab than the new NHL, and still put up amazing numbers, even without an enforcer.

My only comment is that people who post a message here should read out loud what they are writing before posting. It is hard to take an arguement against Sidney Crosby seriously when it is as coherent as someone just hammered by Brashear or Parros.

What Crosby and the Pens need is someone that can use their sticks in a reckless manner too. Maybe they can acquire Justin "the butcher" Williams from Carolina. Afterall, a level playing field in only fair.

Dear HNIC:

Sidney Crosby isn't as fragile as Ming vase, as you say in the column printed here.
In fact, he played in the toughest and roughest league in the world without an enforcer protecting him before getting drafted to Pittsburgh two years ago.
One day, God willing, his jersey will be raised in the Mellon Centre, just as his owner's will be some day. We all know Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest players in the world and would still be skating if it wasn't for nagging injuries. Many people don't know that Mario played half his career with a bad back and he didn't complain once. Not to mention his spell with cancer.
Right now I'm waiting for the jersey raising ceremony of the best goaltender of all time. In only minutes the CBC will broadcast Ken Dryden's number 30 gettubg raised to the rafters tonight before thousands of fans in the stands and millions at their homes.
God bless Ron and Don and all patriotic Canadians.

Bruce Culp

All this talk of Crosby being a diver or not should all just stop. It has no relevance and can never be proven. What you can prove is that other players do take liberties on him and it should not be up to him or his penguin teammates to take a retaliation penalty. They can't afford to because they are in the mix of the playoff race in which they play a lot of close, hard fought games and a penalty could be very costly. The league and the referees should be protecting him, he is there greatest asset. With the exception of maybe Ovechkin, I don't see opposing teams flocking to arenas to see any other NHL players. They certainly do for crosby. Last time I checked the rule book, a high stick whether on purpose or accidental is still a penalty and the same for a spear. It should not matter how early in the game (opening faceoff against the canadiens), how late in the game, what the score is, or how many penalties where alrady called on a team (all the case for the blake incident and the latest canadien incident). The league needs to set the standard that a player can't take liberties on another especially a superstar. Maybe if teams starting loosing games because they take these cheap shots then it will all stop. Crosby does not deserve any special treatment, nor should any other player, but penalties need to be called especially potentially injuring ones. On a differentnote too, how many times does crosby get knocked down and he either jumps right back up and continues to play or how many times will he just make the play from his knees. He is the best at it. Most importantly, he never complains to the press or holds grudges, its usually the opposing player or opposing coach that complains to the press. Lastly, I say if players can take cheap shots, players and haters can call him a diver but remember he will never stop coming. It only makes him better, just ask anyone from Philadelphia.

Hey Mike, Mario was one of the biggest babies in his early days as well, so was Gretz i suppose. But it's like in a blog earlier today, they lived and learned how to live through it and excel. It probably is trus though, The Kids gonna have to gat the Messier mean streak goin at some time and just wack somebody and do it hard to send his own message. But then again the league might go easy on him then people will say, he's being protected. What a catch 22 for a kid with his future ahead of him, that could be cut short by some NHL goonery.

It's obvious that Mike is from Montreal! I certainly have never seen Crosby pull a stunt anywhere near as cheesy as that other Mike formerly from Montreal (Ribeiro).

Signing Ruutu took some of the attention away from Sid the kid, but the Pens will need to get an enforcer - like Washington did with Brashear. Until then, Sidney has to just focus on the game and not let things get to him...it will just make things worse.

It appears that most of the diving accusations seem to come from fans and teams who keep getting humiliated by Crosby racking up 2 and 3 points against them. It should be apparent to any one that has watched him play that he certainly doesn't backed down from any one. Watch him work in the corners. The Kid has been taking a beating and the Pens will need to bring in some heavies.

LOL, idiot. Figures someone from Montreal would say something so stupid.
You know you would be praising him if you had him on your underacheiving team.
Crosby is for real. Let me hit you in the face with a stick and see how long it takes for you to get up. Interested Mike? Didn't think so.

It really depends on personality. Nobody ever touched Joe Sakic, I don't know why.. Stevie dropped the gloves maybe once, Jagr never did, but he still thrived in NHL. There are a number of star players who never needed a protections. That's what really beats me.

http://alexovetjkin.blogspot.com

the kid dives no question. he is a good player but how much complaining are is the LNH going to take from this pre-maddonna? did he learn everything from Mario? remember how Mario hung it up because of cluthing and grabbing? i think it was more of a broke down knees not getting him to the net as fast as he used to be. Maybe he should try out for Canada's national womans team, well that is of course if the ladies play nice,