Faceoff Factor

I Want to Know...

C.J. "Stoosh" Jiuliante | National Hockey League

Jun 20, 12:47 PM | Hype this story!

...how big the Pittsburgh-related bug was that crawled up the rear end of MSG Network’s Stan Fischler.

Fischler – the self-proclaimed “Hockey Maven” – used his June 15th blog to take some shots at Sidney Crosby after Crosby was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Fischler couldn’t just argue his case that Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was the more deserving player; he had to resort to childish name-calling and thinly-veiled references that Crosby already has the NHL is his back pocket and the league will bend over backwards for him.

Fischler refers to Crosby at one point as “Mr. Pittsburgh Perfect”, apparently an unfunny attempt to insinuate that Crosby has league officials eating out of the palm of his hand. He says Crosby is “overgifted; there’s too much silver on his mantle,” a statement that would be hysterical if it wasn’t so damned pathetic.

“Too much silver on his mantle?” Riiiiiight, he said sarcastically. Perhaps “The Maven” can point out said silver, especially the stuff adorned with the NHL logos. Or maybe “The Maven” needs to brush up on his research because the Art Ross Trophy (which you have to win the scoring title to receive), the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson awards were the first major individual awards that Crosby’s won in his career. He didn’t win the Calder during his rookie year, Stan. That went to Alex Ovechkin, and Ovie was quite deserving of that honor. He did win the Mark Messier Leadership Award this year, but that isn’t quite on the same level as the Art Ross, the Hart and the Pearson awards.

The only other NHL “silver” on Crosby’s mantle comes from being named to the 2006 All-Rookie first team, and you’ll have that when you finish second in voting for the Calder trophy. The only other awards he’s won are awards going back to his junior, and to say he didn’t deserve those would pretty much be the height of lunacy.

I frankly have no idea what Fischler is trying to get at here. OK, forget that…I know exactly what he’s getting at. His buddy Brodeur got beaten out by a 19-year old kid for the league’s MVP award. Fischler seems intent on cutting off Crosby at the knees to make Brodeur seem taller, despite mounting evidence that Crosby was every bit deserving of the Hart Trophy. In his desperate attemtps to come off as funny, Fischler ends up sounding like a petulant baby.

There are a million starving comedians out there already, Stan. Stop trying to be one.