This is the mentality that drives me crazy about the NHL higher ups, and Pens fans.. He's not making the league any more money outside of the Pittsburgh market, and that is a proven fact. Like you said, pretty much all non-Pens fans hate him so it's not like we're going out of our way to buy tickets when his team comes to town. The competition their team brings might, but not his presence alone..

As for not being a diver, gimme a break man.. Pens fans must wear the biggest blinders and have the most selective of memories to be able to say that with a straight face. The entire NHL voted him as the League's Biggest Whiner, he got 51% of the votes for crying out loud. 336+ NHL Players can't be wrong.

You are correct on one thing though, he is certainly no Godard (or *insert any respectable fighter here*). And to further prove that thought, I leave you with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wqR17KrLKw

 

Believe me you'd be surprised that a lot of arena's sell more tickets def. in Canada when Sid is coming to that city.

And come on we all know here in the Burgh Sid is not wasting his time diving and falling all over the ice. He causes the most PP's in the league and everyone hates him of course he is going to get all those votes Jesus.

I do believe it is jealousy I really do. If Sid was on anyone elses team they would not hate him or be bitching. Look at Mike Richards of the Flyers. He is a diver, but he is not hated like Sid so you don't hear about that at all. Point is Sid will be one of the best before he retires and get used to seeing him.

 

You can't just make up stats and expect us to believe them as fact.

FACT: Currently (as of the time of this post) Sidney Crosby is 37th in the league as far as Penalties drawn per game. This is an average, not a total, so his current absence is irrelevant.

If you want to wear blinders, then that is your choice. But any real hockey fan can see through his BS when he swan dives after getting tapped in the leg.

You can believe it until your *** bleeds, but that doesn't necessarily make it true. I simply do not approve of the way he plays the game. I played hockey all through childhood and have been an avid fan since I was able to form memories. As I said before, Crosby is an extremely talented hockey player! He will just never command respect from most people if he continues to sell calls and run to the Ref every time something doesn't go his way.

There's a reason things like Crosby's current situation never happened to players like Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, etc.. Those players played the game with respect, and were given that respect in return.

"The Kid" would not have survived in the NHL pre-lockout, when Diving calls were as abundant as Holding/Interference calls are now.

Sidenote: Richards is an ******* too, but I've never once been told I HAVE to accept him, so I don't bitch too much about him.

 

Sid's been out for over a month now come on that stat is wack!

Crosby has heart, what do you expect when a call doesn't go a players way? Skate away like it's no big deal, come on man. Like I said if he was on your team would you bitch, NO. Maybe fans don't respect Sid around the league(mostly Caps and Flyers because of the rivalry), but the players and the league do and you know this.

He is more of a challenge for players and teams because he is one of the best and most talented and plays the game straight forward.

Every player embellishes a bit, that is there job. A team is more likely to score when they have the man advantage instead of being full strength. If you get whacked with a stick in the face or on the leg you are going to snap your head back or fall down. It is common sense to do it and any smart player would.

Embellishing is different than diving, though. Every once in awhile you will have a player that dives, but it is uncommon. If you watch tapes and highlights of the penalties Crosby draws, you can tell that he is actually tripped up. I understand it is a common reaction for a fan or player to run their mouth about a penalty, but think about it first. Every time Crosby goes down does not mean it was a dive. It would be safe to say that 98% of the time he goes down it is not a dive.

People need to stop bad-mouthing Crosby and just accept the fact that he is a great player, and probably the best around since Mario Lemieux. Do not be surprised when Crosby breaks many of Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky's records.

Sid always goes for the home run, trying to deke through two to three defense men and Sid usually beats them forcing them to wave sticks and force trips it's pretty obvious.

 

Did you guys watch 24/7? He does whine a bit. There's kind of a gray area when it comes to just embellishing or full on diving.

 

Gray Area, come on man read what I said. There's a difference. Leader not a whiner.

 

I meant there's a gray area with all players not just him. Everyone embellishes differently. Maybe his way of doing it is a little more extreme than others idk. But he still whines a lot. I mean come on he still lives with Mario.

 

Lol no he doesn't. He lives 10 minutes from my house. He bought a huge *** house my the Westmoreland Fail Grounds in Westmoreland County PA.

He whines? Because he is passionate and questions calls..hmm. Well If I were him I wouldn't stop, he is doing it right.

 

lrn2readplease..

Since you'll probably ignore this FACT again anyway, you should know that he was ranked 139th in the Drawn Penalties Category for the 2009-2010 Regular Season. So, again, your "stat" is BS, mine is based on fact. Check the books.


You seem to be confused on the whole respect thing. He is respected for stats and on/off ice determination, not as a person or a player. I'm sure he'll wear his big boy pants eventually and clean up his game. And at that point, he will realize how ridiculous his past antics really were.

Johan Franzen has been accused on multiple occasions of being a diver. As a diehard Wings fan, I am man enough to admit that I agree with some of those claims. I scoff in disgust at plays like that no matter who's team/player is doing it. It's a disgrace to the game. So, yes, I would bitch every time he took an obvious dive, even if he wore a Winged Wheel. I guess that's my love for the game showing through above loyalties.


This is true for the most part. I've said 5 times now that he is an EXCELLENT hockey player. That is, when he's playing hardnosed hockey, and not giving everyone swan diving lessons. It wouldn't take much for him to become a respected member of the NHL, all he's got to do is keep is feet moving. He trains like crazy and is a strong kid. Which means there's no excuse for him to fall down with his arms in the air every time he feels a stick near his skates.

Here we go again with KingDakota's "stats."

Mario maybe, but no one is ever touching Gretzky's scoring records. This should help put it into perspective:

Crosby would need to average 38 Goals per season for the next 18 years just to TIE Gretzky.
He would also need to average 89 Assists per season over 18 years to Tie Gretzky.

A great hockey player he is! "The Great One" he is not.

 

I think he is well respected as a person/player. I will agree when he first game into the league he surely cried about plays, but he has already grown up into the leader role where he discusses not whines. Once again he Embellishes just like every other single NHL player in the league.

I don't think either Sid will reach Gretzky's numbers, but I think his skill level and performance at his peak will be just as great. Let's face it, it was easier to score goals and pad your stats 10+ years ago until now where goalies have bigger padding and just more reliable. His stats will never be there, but his performance will.