The Tale Of Two Cities
Jesse Marshall | General Hockey (IIHF, Olympics, etc)
Dec 2, 12:34 AM | Hype this story!
Last year, the Penguins played Boston at Mellon Arena in a game that got fairly heated. Marc Savard took some liberties with the Penguins players, and Sidney Crosby challenged him to man up and take account of what he had been doing.
Savard responded to Crosby by making a snide comment about the young captain’s visor. Motioning that if Crosby were to remove the visor, Savard would love to have a go.
Crosby skated to the bench, obliged, and Savard never held up his end of the deal.
That, my friends, is answering the bell. Sidney Crosby has done it on numerous occasions.
Has Sid done regrettable things in his career? Absolutely. As an 18 year old, he was ostracized for his constant whining and on-ice theatrics.
Since then? He’s been busy winning. The Stanley Cup and two Eastern Conference titles, respectively.
Where Crosby matures, his counterpart in our Nation’s capital seems to regress.
Last night’s knee on knee hit by Alex Ovechkin was his third (and maybe fourth) questionable offense in the last fourty games.
We have the hit on Kaleta, the knee on Gonchar, the blind side on Heward, and now the infamous knee on Gleason.
Finally, after all of these transgressions, Ovechkin has been suspended by the league.
The next time that we hear from Colin Campbell on a questionable Ovechkin offense, we’ll hear the words “repeat offender” used an as adjective to describe Ovechkin.
Sidney Crosby, meanwhile, is plugging along without much attention. ESPN Insider’s will tell you he was hurting the Penguins, but Crosby was just being Crosby. He hasn’t lost a step, he isn’t losing his flair, he’s learning where to go to score goals, and he already has 17 of them on the year.
Just as it always is with Sidney Crosby, his moment will be one unnoticed by the hockey community. Just as it always is with Sidney Crosby, he’ll continue to plug along and dominate the ice. It’s become so routine to see Sidney Crosby do what he does, that in some remotes of the hockey world, not producing at a constantly high level gets him flamed by virtually every armchair general manager in North America.
It’s almost as if people have become spoiled with Sidney Crosby. If I said it once, I’ve said it a million times. There will be a day where Sidney Crosby retires from this game. People in Pittsburgh, as they did with Mario, will slouch back and wonder what happened to the time. There will be a day where you cannot go to the Consol Energy Center and watch Sidney Crosby play hockey. In that moment, and only in that moment, will those spoiled people in Pittsburgh and throughout the hockey universe rue the day they spent their time criticizing Crosby versus enjoying what he brought to the table on a nightly basis. Friends, readers, do not let yourself fall into this trap.
Ovechkin will be sitting in the box with a banged up knee watching the Capitals play without him. Crosby will be on the ice, blazing the path and leading the Penguins to the win column.
When it comes down to situations like this, Penguins fans will do just as they did last year when the birds eliminated the Capitals from the playoffs.
We’ll sit back, fold our arms, let out a big sigh, and enjoy our Pittsburgh Penguins.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Capitals fans are scrambling for excuses faster than the politicians that share the district with them.
Comments
SprJudd
Dec 2, 08:07 AM
You forgot about Alex Ovechkin’s slewfoot on Rich Peverly. That makes 5 – count ‘em, 5 – “questionable offenses” in the last 40 games. That speaks to a pattern of behavior of a guy who thinks he’s untouchable.
SprJudd
Dec 2, 08:21 AM
And the Caps organization, fans, and Ovechkin himself do nothing but make excuses. The common thread between the Peverly slewfoot and both knee-to-knee hits (on Gonchar and Gleason) is that Boudreau said Ovechkin was leading with the shoulder on all 3; and in the case of the knee-to-knee hits, it was the fault of the hit player for moving away from it at the last second. With Kaleta, they say it was Kaleta’s fault for turning his back to the play. I can’t even remember what excuses they gave for the Heward hit other than saying there’s no way the hit was dirty. The plain simple truth is that Alex Ovechkin is a dirty player – a cheap shot artist. He’s Jordin Tootoo with goal-scoring ability.
DaBich
Dec 2, 08:34 AM
Well written article, Jesse and how true it is! Crosby will go about his business and get the job done. While I admire AO for his goal scoring ability, this pattern of nasty hits makes him look very bad. I’ll take a whiner over a dirty player anytime :)
How the league handles his next “questionable” hit will be interesting to say the least. I know I’ll be paying attention.
Your comments on Crosby are dead on. While he’s here doing his job, collecting titles and awards, he’ll be overlooked. He’ll be sorely missed when he’s gone. So I intend to enjoy every game, every shift, every minute of the Crosby Show.
Ray aka WildcatRay
Dec 2, 10:42 AM
Some, I stress, some people tend to build someone or something up only to turn and tear them or it down, again. Psychologists and psychiatrists can probably explain the why behind this condition, but what is important is that it is there.
The best thing to do is ignore it and enjoy watching Sid and Geno and the rest of the Penguins knowing that their detractors do so out of envy and jealousy.
Nate
Dec 2, 10:43 AM
Very good article. I’ve said many times, the only people that criticize Sidney are folks that are not true students of the game. “ESPN insiders” included, these people only see talent that shows up in the box score. I watch damn near every game and the things that Crosby does on the ice is, in one word, incredible.
Not being able to see the beauty in a perfect tape-to-tape saucer pass or between the leg shot is a problem I think too many “sports writers” fall victim to. I love the Pens, they’re my team, but I watch the game because it is a game I loved to play growing up and still love to play today. Therein lies the problem with many of the hockey pundits writing throughout the league, few have ever played the game and fewer still ever took the time to study the game.
REBEL
Dec 2, 11:00 AM
Jesse, thank you for the articulate and beautifully written article. Pittsburgh has been blessed with a series of unselfish athletes over the years. Sid, Geno, Mario, and in other sports such as Mean Joe, Swann, Stallworth, Clemente, etc. The city and the sports owners do not seem to tolerate “showboats” or trouble-makers. Some outside Pittsburgh criticized the Steelers for letting Plaxico Burress go, but look where he is now.
The character of our sports teams reflects the character of the city. Their workmanlike attitude and toughness are admired all over the country and indeed the world. That is why there are so many Pens jerseys in the stands at away games and why there is a “Steelers Nation.” Yes, the fans travel well, but many of those wearing Pittsburgh jerseys at away games are locals who love Pittsburgh teams. We have commenters on this site from foreign lands, and it is terrific!
Anyway, Jesse, this is a great article and illustrates why we should be so appreciative of our special players while we have them.
Jesse Marshall
Dec 2, 11:45 AM
@SPRJUDD – You’re right. I forgot the Slewfoot! That makes five. About time Colin Campbell answers the bell.
@Nate and Rebel –
Nice comments. When you love and appreciate the game, it becomes tough to watch people criticize the players you enjoy watching for no good reason. All we can do is cheer from our seats and take in the magic.
Casey
Dec 2, 11:58 AM
Jesse, as always, great article. I’ve been saying since last year that Ovechkin is the NHLs most talented pest. Watching him play just annoys me.
TIM
Dec 2, 03:48 PM
Jesse that line about Crosby retiring one day almost brought a tear to my eye. It has been so special to watch these kids play (I am about 6 months older than Flower which blows my mind), and one day they will be gone. Of course there will be other amazing players we will grow to love, but Crosby, Geno etc. will hold a special place in our hearts, and one day they will be gone.
DigitalGypsy66
Dec 2, 05:05 PM
I think James Mirtle said last year how lucky the Penguins were to have four generational talents to root for, where he, as a Canucks fan, never had a single player with that level talent on his team (Sorry, Pavel Bure).
Dave
Dec 3, 09:36 PM
I loved every single moment of watching Mario play. I couldn’t care less that people said he was a floater, or lazy at times on the ice. I saw with my own eyes, the miracles he performed on an almost nightly basis. Always when the team needed a big goal or
performance he came through.
Can’t believe that he isn’t playing anymore. It only seemed like yesterday he was blowing past Bourque for his first goal.
It’s already been 4 seasons and going with Sid.
Time goes quickly indeed. We should be VERY appreciative we
have had the amazing talent we’ve become accustomed to.
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