What makes Crosby so great?

Sidney Crosby is my favorite athlete. I think he's the best player in hockey and a wonderful human being.

Sometimes, though, I find myself wondering how great he is. His best highlights don't quite drop your jaw like Mario Lemieux's or even Alexander Ovechkin's (warning: this clip made me throw up in my mouth.) Nobody did what Mario could do. Nobody can do what Ovechkin can do, as much as I hate to admit it.

Here's the thing: I don't think I've seen Crosby make a play that nobody else can make.

His goal in game 6 is a good example of the quickness, hands, vision, and knack for being in the right place that we all point to as proof of his greatness. But Tyler Kennedy could have scored that goal.

Other players can pass like he can. Other players can score as prolifically as he can. Other players are fundamentally sound and play relentless defense. Other players are better in faceoffs. Others are great captains and raise their game when it matters.

What makes him the best player in hockey, I suppose, is that nobody puts it all in the same package like Crosby does. I have a man-crush on him because of it and I don't care who knows it. But I still have the same nagging question... is being really good at almost everything the same as being truly great?

#87 is #1

There's a great article about a Pittsburgh athlete in this week's Sports Illustrated. (I'm not talking about this article)

SI's Michael Farber says that Sidney Crosby is better than Alexander Ovechkin.

I thought it was apparent about a year ago, and again a couple months ago, but the national media must've needed more proof.

I'm not sure if people are high on Crosby or just down on Ovechkin--or a bit of both--but either way, they're finally realizing what Pittsburgh fans have known for years.

REMINDER: See you guys in a couple of days.

Party like its 1999...Pens vs. Habs Game 2

First things first...there goes my sweep prediction--obviously.

I wouldn't have said the series would be a sweep if I would have known we were going back in time to the not so exciting world of the late 90's NHL. The time when clutching and grabbing was a way of life and Mario Lemieux called the NHL a "garage league" (Doesn't make sense--I know--but it seems like an insult, right?). This style of play was supposed to be eliminated after the lockout in an effort to make the game "exciting" and "reward skill players" again, but it's totally up to the referees to keep the clutching & grabbing in check by calling penalties. The referees today must have missed that memo.


I am typically not one to blame the referees. So, lets give Montreal some credit. One thing they do well is stick to their system and hold a lead like their lives depend on it. They know the only chance they have in the series is to somehow get ahead and then neutral zone trap and "Murphy Dump" their way to a victory. It leads to a ton of shots on goal for the Pens, but not very many good ones. The great chances the Pens were getting on Friday night were nowhere to be found today cause of their unwillingness to crash the net (still not sure why) and their decision to play like the Capitals in games 6 and 7 against Montreal. Halak will be the first to tell you he worked harder Friday facing 23 shots than he did today against 39.


The Penguins need to get back to the style of play that won them game 1. Or at least have the NHL remember it's 2010--not 1999.


Couple quick bullet points...


-Matt Cooke has been just awesome in the playoffs. Its like he is going to be a free agent and is playing for a big money contract (Oh wait...).


-Today wasn't one of Malkin's best games. Of course, it would help if his wingers ever -as the gentleman sitting next to us last week at the Arena so eloquently put it- "did something that doesn't suck."


-How bad are NBC's broadcasts? I love Sidney Crosby and all, but there are other guys on the team worth mentioning every once in a while.


I am not that worried about the Pens losing the series. Of course, I was the one who didn't believe the Habs would actually beat the Capitals till it happened......

Sid vs. Ben

Here's a pretty good article by Eric Adelson of Yahoo! Sports.

To summarize: Sidney Crosby is a class act, and Ben Roethlisberger is a punk.

One of my best friends, "Snakes," works at Mario's on the Southside. If you don't believe what you just read in the article, stop in at Mario's and ask him about it.

Tell him "Touchdown" sent you.

If he rolls his eyes, please make fun of his hair.