Sidney Crosby entered the NHL to tumultuous expectation and excitement. Following his superlative performance for Team Canada, he was compared time and time again to the great one, Wayne Gretzky. Crosby finished the season last year with 102 points (39G, 73A) and is on pace to break that record this season, already being at 100 points (28G, 72A) with 17 games remaining this season.
However biased as it may seem, Crosby is vastly overrated. Had he been of Gretzky calibre, he would have broken, or at VERY least MET the 40G mark last season. Crosby is over decorated as a hockey player, receiving far to much credit for benefiting from the hard-working players on his line. Georges Laraque could score 50 points if he played on a line with Evgeny Malkin, Jordan Staal, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Malone... Crosby came into the NHL with his own commercials, endorsement deals, and culture of hype. While "Sid the Kid" was living it up in his fame, a less-known rookie was annihilating the competition.
Alexander Ovechkin came into the NHL without any of the self-cheapening corporate hype, and somehow thoroughly shellacked Crosby for the Calder (Rookie of the Year) trophy. Ovechkin threw hits, scored goals, and made plays with such consistency that Crosby was not much of a roadblock in his way of the Calder. Ovechkin proved himself at the highest level a hockey player can play at. Crosby, talented as he may be, is so self-absorbed and arrogant that he somehow believes that he deserves more than any veteran in the NHL. There is no respect towards other players, because he is "Sid the Kid." Ovechkin is one of the most humble components of the game. So who is YOUR favorite?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment