Faceoff Factor

How Spoiled We've Become...

Andrew Chiappazzi | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jan 18, 01:46 AM | Hype this story!

There’s little question that Penguins fans – heck, much of the NHL – is spoiled with the introduction of Sidney Crosby to ice surfaces across North America.

This is Year Three of the Reign of Sid The Great, and one thing has become painstakingly clear: We’ve run out of things to criticize the world’s best player on.

Weak at faceoffs? Not anymore. Crosby’s at 51%, which easily places him among the top players in the league when it comes to faceoffs and overall production.

Doesn’t stand up for himself? Andy Ference and the Boston Bruins say otherwise, even if Ference doesn’t want to admit it.

Doesn’t kill penalties? Michel Therrien changed that this year, although fewer kills overall the past few weeks for the Penguins have limited Sid’s ice time on the PK.

So we’re grasping at straws. But have no fear, one of us has come up with an answer. For that incredible information, we turn to Dave Molinari, the seemingly distant and curmudgeonly Penguins beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mr. Molinari’s latest article: Sidney Crosby’s point production at home is lacking this season. Not overall, mind you. But he hasn’t scored his occasional 5 or 6 point night in Mellon this year.

Really.

No, you can look it up. Click here

Amazing, isn’t it? Talk about your fantastical flights of illogical whimsy.

Maybe Mr. Molinari is feeling the pressure of not having a game to write about since Monday night’s pasting of the New York Rangers. But if the biggest gripe we can come up with this season is that Sidney Crosby hasn’t torched a team for six points like he tortured the Flyers for last year, then we’re just a bunch of nattering nabobs of negativity.

I bet even Spiro Agnew would agree to that.