Looking Back at The Season of Sid

by Jes

Mike Brophy of The Hockey News takes a look at the past season, and rightfully declares it to be "The Season of Sid".

The Ducks won the Stanley Cup? *yawn*. Dickhead Messier made the Hall of Fame? *sigh*. Operation Slapshot? Does anyone but the media care? Not really.

All of those events just pale in comparison to the fact that Sidney established himself as the New Mr. Hockey and made the NHL his personal bitch.

But at the end of the day, 2006-07 belonged to Sid the Kid. Because regardless of all else that transpired, Sidney Crosby’s emergence as the best hockey player in the world gives hope for the future to a league scratching and clawing to remain relevant. At 19, Crosby assumed the role of face of the NHL – crowned the league’s top player by both his peers and the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association that named him MVP.

It has been obvious for a long time that Crosby would one day rule the NHL, but the fact he took the helm before his 20th birthday is both remarkable and a tribute to his dedication to excellence. It would be unfair to say he singlehandedly guided the Pittsburgh Penguins into the playoffs, given the team’s other youthful talent – such as Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal, Ryan Whitney and NHL rookie-of-the-year Evgeni Malkin – but clearly Crosby is the driving force behind a team on the cusp of greatness.

The first teenager in NHL history to win the scoring title, Crosby had 120 points in 79 games and has served notice nothing will stand between him and the Cup. Crosby has been criticized for his over-the-top intensity on the ice, be it cussing officials who don’t call the game the way he sees it to trash-talking opponents who try to take liberties with him. The only question is, how soon before the Penguins win the Cup? The betting is sooner rather than later.

I'm always amazed that Alexander Ovechkin gets a free pass for his bombastic style of play and enthusiasm, yet Crosby is branded as a 'whiner'. Both kids are hard working and both play in-your-face. Just because one does it with a smile doesn't mean it's all that different.

*ahem*

Obviously, the next and final step for Crosby to take is some success in the playoffs. Given the Penguins moves this off-season, Crosby has a very good shot at a Stanley Cup if the Penguins could just get a goaltender that doesn't suck.

Caution: Beware of Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins made some huge strides this year, thanks to their kiddie corps. You know, after their quick defeat to the Senators, that this group is just raring for another go at it.

Mike Burse of The Bleacher Report has a look at the Penguins heading into next season...

2007 will not be the Year of the Penguin.

For most of the Pens roster, the postseason loss to the Ottawa Senators marked a virgin run in the Stanley Cup playoffs—but with four solid lines that can score and take hits, the future looks bright in Pittsburgh.

In fact, if the Penguins can pick up a capable fourth or fifth defenseman and one more defender to come off the bench, they should be primed to make a run at a championship in the next few years.

Wasn't the Penguins biggest problem their goaltending? (Ie. lack of GOOD goaltending)

Marc-Andre Fleury: I'm not entirely convinced that this young man will be able to lead Pittsburgh to a Stanley Cup. Historically, he has struggled in the clutch—especially during his time in the QMJHL and at the World Junior under-20 Championship Tournament. Unless he shows that he can handle the playoffs, Malki may have to be traded before the Penguins win a Cup.

I'm not convinced Fleury will develop into a good goalie, either, which means the Penguins need to find a quality backup. Thibault is a nice backup, but they need somebody better in case Fleury falters again.

Goaltenders are funny toys, and can take a long time to pan out. Just look at how long it took Rick DiPietro to pan out with the Islanders? Fleury may not turn into a GOOD NHL goalie for 2-3 seasons, which would be too late for the Penguins.

If I'm the Pens management, I'm going after a good 1B goaltender that can be counted on...an arrangement like they have in Minnesota or Nashville, for instance.

Sidney's Got the Eye of the Tiger

(cue Survivor soundtrack)


So, what do you see when you look into Sidney Crosby's eyes?

Some people see Maurice Richard, apparently ...

When it comes to determining Sidney Crosby's "tell" for big-game readiness, the eyes have it.

"People have often talked about the look in Maurice Richard's eyes back when he played, and that's what I've seen in Sidney," said his agent, Pat Brisson.

He's going to respond the way he did at the Memorial Cup and two world junior championships," said former NHL coach Pierre McGuire, an analyst for NBC. "The first year he played in the world juniors, he was solid but the team lost. The next year he was unbelievable. You could see the dogged determination he brought into the gold medal game."

McGuire remembered sitting with Wayne Gretzky watching Crosby practice. "And Gretzky said, 'Look how intense he is. Look how focused he is,' " McGuire recalled. "When a player has that, it doesn't change. They have championship spirit, championship vision, championship work ethic. So they aren't intimidated by the moment."

Brisson understood Crosby's molten intensity after he watched Crosby's Canada team lose 4-3 to the USA for the 2004 world juniors title. "I saw his eyes coming out of the locker room, and those eyes were telling me he hates to lose," Brisson said. "Those eyes told me, 'Next year we are going to win this thing,' and next year he did win it."

Well, no matter how intense Crosby might look, I don't think he can make up for the suckiness of his teammates...

You can view the full article right over here.

Is Sidney Crosby Soothing?

Can watching Sidney Crosby soothe the soul and ease the mind?

It certainly can, if you watch his exploits, rather than some thuggish activity that seems to make all of the headlines.

From TSN.ca:

Here's a suggestion for critics of hockey; instead of complaining about the problem of violence in the sport just sit down on the couch and actually watch Sidney Crosby play a game.

How many times do we need to see the image of Chris Simon whacking Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick or watch as Todd Fedoruk gets carried off the ice on a stretcher after getting knocked out in a fight?

That's not to say that those incidents aren't important, but there are also amazing things happening in hockey and a great deal of them come from the stick of a certain 19-year-old scoring machine from Nova Scotia.

To be fair, when the sports news channels do find the time to report on hockey and there isn't a scandal to talk about, they are likely to mention Crosby before all other players. And with good reason because the future of the Penguins franchise is lighting up the scoreboard and making his team a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.

Sure, there are plenty of thugs in the NHL that damage the sport with their violent antics, but are those incidents so prevalent that we should forget how great hockey can be when someone as skilled as Crosby takes the ice? I think not.

Well, we know the media, especially in the USoA, loves violence and unusual events. Sidney doing amazing things with the puck is fun to watch, but not that unusual. Seeing Chris Simon hack Ryan Hollweg across the face is NOT the usual activity in hockey, despite with some mediots might want you to think.

Gary Roberts = Sidney's Saviour?

This article is more about Gary Roberts than Sidney Crosby, but the author relates the trade for Roberts as a great thing for Sid, personally.

From FOX Sports:

While Sidney Crosby has been finding all the holes on the ice during the regular season, that can all change for the youngster in the blink of an eye in the postseason, when teams clamp down on the opposition and the scoring chances are few and far between.

This is where Gary Roberts is going to be worth his weight in gold and black to Crosby and the Penguins this April in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The gritty Roberts, who has scored 20 or more goals 12 times in his career, was brought over from the Florida Panthers to play on the No. 1 line with Crosby, hoping the aging superstar could open up some room for the 19-year old and his linemate, Mark Recchi.
"I can't believe I'm playing with those slugs," joked Roberts, who had 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) with the Panthers this season. "It will be OK. I'm thrilled to be able to play with a kid like Crosby and obviously Recchi. I've known him for years and know the competitor that he is, so I'm really excited about the opportunity. Hopefully I can help them out a bit."

While secondary scoring is important in the playoffs, the biggest stars really have to do it for themselves. Forsberg, Sakic, Gretzky, and Lemieux (Mario and Claude) all performed exceeding well under the playoff pressure. Acquiring Roberts may help the Pens with some grit, but it's not exactly going to make Crosby all that much better.

Given Sidney's assertive style, my only worry is that he tries to do too much. Sidney has been trying to shoot himself out of his current slump, and has stopped using his teammates as much as he usually does.

Is Sidney Shooting Back at Critics?

According to Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period, Sidney is fighting back at his critics through his on-ice exploits.

Let's scroll back to early October 2006. As the 2006-07 season was commencing, if you'd ask ten hockey people who they'd prefer on their team, Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin, nine would have told you the Russian winger.

Indeed, Ovechkin was the new poster boy for the NHL with his massive rookie season, easily outdistancing Crosby in a landslide vote for Rookie of the Year. His highlight reel goals, his appearance at the NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver and willingness to do every interview made Alex everyone's darling.

I'm calling a big BS here.
1 - 9 out of 10 hockey people would have instantly picked Crosby over Ovechkin. We know Crosby's upside is bigger and his game is more well-rounded.
2 - While Alex was quite the darling, Crosby was the one who got the most media attention, endorsements, and even a book about him.

If you had asked me then who I'd want to start a franchise, I would have said (Ovechkin), too.

Now, I'm not so sure.

Not so sure? Umm... judging by the first three paragraphs of this article, I'm questioning this guy's hockey sense in general.

For those of you hiding under a rock since the New Year, Sidney Crosby has led the Pittsburgh Penguins on a massive run over the last twenty games.

Once struggling to get into the final eight in the Eastern Conference, the Pens are within waddling distance of the New Jersey Devils for the lead in the Atlantic Division and sit in the fourth position overall in the East.

With all the impossible hype surrounding him last season, Crosby still fashioned a 100-point season (39G, 63A), but was an afterthought with Ovechkin's campaign. As the Penguins entered this season, the spotlight was on another Russian rookie, Evgeni Malkin, whose European vacation to get to the NHL was headline news in the summer.

And while Malkin has put up predictably strong numbers, he's not the reason that the Penguins have won 13 of their last 16 games.

Yes, Mark Recchi is ageless, Jordan Stall is tracking for 30+ goals and Marc Andre Fleury is maturing into an NHL goalie, but Crosby has put up numbers at the tender age of 19 in terms of the man he was originally compared to, Wayne Gretzky. Crosby has a 15 point lead over Vincent LeCavalier in the scoring race and barring injury, will come in over 130 points in his sophomore season, which would be the highest point total for any scoring leader since Mario Lemieux tallied 161 in 1996.

Ovechkin, still a virtuoso, remains in the top ten in scoring and is still the most dynamic player to watch for my money. But when you consider the Washington Capitals are sitting fourteen out of fifteen in the East, perhaps it's time to re-examine who the more valuable player is.

Hmm, why does the writer so easily dismiss the quality of teammates Crosby has? Yes, Fleury sucks, but Recchi, Malkin, Whitney, Gonchar, and Staal are a lot higher quality than what Ovechkin (Clark?) has around him.

No doubt Crosby is a great player, but it's not as if Crosby, by himself, would turn the Capitals into a contender if he switched places with Ovechkin. Crosby was awesome last year, but the Pens were nowhere near a playoff spot.

The Capitals' roster, especially the defense, has junior varsity written all over it, but they do have some depth along the forward wall (Alexander Semin, Dainius Zubrus, Chris Clark) and a veteran goaltender in Olaf Kolzig, so there's a bit of talent to carry on Ovechkin's broad shoulders. But because his mentality is to shoot first, ask questions later, he's less likely to make the players around him better

Depth? You call that depth? No, that's the makings of a poor first line. Depth means you have QUALITY and QUANTITY. The Caps have neither.

While Crosby's stats combined with the Pens' improvement make him an odds-on choice for the Hart Trophy at this point, my other two candidates for the honor are evidence that the game, with all the rule changes, hasn't really changed that much.

It's still about goaltending. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur has had an insane season; he's posted 11 shutouts during a year that is arguably his career best. It's not so much the doughnuts he's thrown up on the board; it's more the team he's doing it with. Talk about junior varsity, the Devils are next to last in goal scoring in the East, only ahead of the hapless Philadelphia Flyers (my, have times changed.)

Bernstein somehow completely ignores the fact that Brodeur has an insane SV% this year, and actually DESERVES MVP consideration, while he didn't in the past. It has nothing to do with the game changing or not.

Bah!! you can read the entire article right here. The good stuff comes near the bottom, where he discusses non-Crosby topics.

"Cheap Shots on Crosby Going Too Far"

It's all too obvious that Sidney Crosby gets a lot of special attention on the ice.

So, what the hell can be done about it? Anything?

From Chris Bradford of the Beaver County Times:

While becoming the youngest player in NHL history to record 100 points a season ago, Sidney Crosby also became the first player to amass the century mark in points and penalty minutes.

Along the way, the Pittsburgh Penguins' teenage superstar garnered a less-flattering reputation - at least in some corners - as a whiner, a diver, a crybaby and an embellisher.

In hockey circles those claims are serious charges. They are akin to questioning the manhood of the 19-year-old.

Well, Crosby *did* take a lot of diving penalties last year. It's not like the labels came out of thin air...

Oddly, much of that criticism has come from Crosby's native Canada. For a people who love hockey so much - it's the national sport north of the border - it's strange that Canadians would bash their native son. It's no secret that Wayne Gretzky was a notorious whiner and he's as Canadian as Canadian bacon. But this is 2007, not 1987.

Umm, most hockey press of any sort, good AND bad, comes from Canada. It certainly doesn't come from Uganda, or the USA

Hockey, the NHL more specifically, needs Crosby more than ever.

Now, more than ever, we need to stop using this phrase...

With miniscule television ratings in the U.S. and minimal media coverage being given to the sport, even in traditional hockey areas like Chicago, Boston and New York, those who ridicule Crosby should instead cherish him.

There should be no doubt that Crosby is the future of the NHL. Every goal Crosby scores, every highlight reel play he makes, can only help the beleaguered league get off the mat in the eye of the U.S. sporting conscience.

The last thing the league can afford to have is "the face" of said league bloodied by a cheap shot.

It's no surprise that opponents have begun taking liberties against Crosby in recent weeks. First, the New York Islanders' Jason Blake speared him in the gut. Then Montreal's Maxim Lapierre butt-ended him off an opening faceoff. Later in the same game, the Canadiens' Francis Bouillion bloodied Crosby's face with a high stick.

The response of the 21,000-plus fans in Montreal that night? Chants of "Faker! Faker!" reigned down from the Bell Centre. Some "true patriot love," eh?

Umm, it has more to do with them being, I dunno, CANADIENS fans than anything else.

That's not to say the charges lobbied against Crosby don't have some merit.

He does argue penalty calls against him and argues when he doesn't get a call in his favor. But, who doesn't? When was the last time a player went into the penalty box happily? Or was happy to have his face cut?

And that's not to say Crosby isn't tough. He is. He's fearless driving to the net and going into the corners. He takes on defenders and still controls possession of the puck as he did Wednesday night in the final minute of regulation in a 5-4 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

No doubt, Crosby will get the refs in his favor. But this being the NHL, where old school thinking still applies, Crosby will likely have to wait to get his respect. It's why Roger Clemens' strike zone is bigger than say, Zach Duke's. And it's why Michael Jordan always got the foul call.

That's also the dumbest reasoning I've heard in some time. I know that big stars often get the benefit of the doubt, but they SHOULDN'T. Every player should be subject to the same standards, regardless of star status or not.

That might not be want the Penguins want to hear. But that will likely be the reality.

Unfortunately, the NHL isn't MLB or the NBA. It's not in a position to wait.

Hockey fans can only hope that those in the league offices in Toronto and New York understand that fact. The NHL needs Crosby to flourish, not absorb cheap shots.

Hart Trophy winner (league MVP). And, best player in the world.

Now, those are more fitting titles for a player like Sidney Crosby.

Or, maybe the Penguins ought to get a real goon to start pounding some ass when Crosby is so much as breathed on. It's not up to the NHL, or anyone other team, to protect Crosby.

Penguins Mates Impressed with Crosby

Gee, who isn't impressed with Sidney Crosby, other than jealous Ovechkin fans?

From Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Sidney Crosby's teammates are used to seeing him accomplish mind-boggling feats on the ice, whether it's scoring a highlight goal or making the perfect pass through traffic.

"Yeah, I think everybody's amazed and impressed by him every day," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. "There are still times when we say 'Holy (expletive), how did he do that?' It's good to have him on my side."

Since when did papers censor Holy Cow? Is the beef industry behind this?

But what the 19-year-old center's doing now -- running away with the NHL scoring race -- has even his teammates in awe. Crosby, who became the youngest player ever to break the 100-point mark in the NHL last year with 102 points in 81 games for sixth in the NHL, has 87 points in 52 games this season.

Going into Sunday's games, he led the Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin, the Atlanta Thrashers' Marian Hossa and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Martin St. Louis by 15 points in the scoring race.

Last season, he had 59 points through the same number of games, and is on pace to top 120 points this season for what could be his first of many Art Ross trophies for the league's top scorer.

"It's incredible," forward Colby Armstrong said. "I think his attitude and the way he approaches every game is key to that. He's ready to play every night and he's focused. He just takes it a game at a time. He never gets caught up in anything, and I think that's the key to his success. I think a lot of people can learn from how he handles himself."

You can read the entire article right....HERE!