I know most of you hate Crosby, I do not share that hate. My team is not a rival of his and I don't find his style of play unwarranted.
Additionally, he is the player I most often suggest the kids I coach watch for skating ability. Not the fastest, but his tight turns, edge work, vision, etc. are unparalleled. he's like a one-man coaching clinic.
Anyway, this is a one minute story a radio host shared on twitter and I'd like the story no matter who the player was, but it was Crosby, and thought it was worth the 1 minute listen to hear about Crosby sharing the Stanley Cup with no cameras or press around.
IMO that's how you judge a person's character.
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LOL
I never saw Crosby that same way.
I also hate Torrey Krug though, and that is probably purely rival fan hate.
So I get it, but I have no issues marveling at someone like Patrice Bergeron or Auston Matthews (who play for rivals).
Cindy is still the biggest bitch in the NHL, nothing he does off the ice will change that.
Cindy is still the biggest bitch in the NHL, nothing he does off the ice will change that.
Completely untrue.
And even if it was, consider how the game has changed. People on the greatest of all time baseball thread repeatedly said even if Ruth was or wasn't, Gretzky was in any sport.
And while i don't deny it, not sure if you remember, but Gretzky didn't get touched when he played. He practically had on-ice body guards.
watch the abuse Crosby takes out there. he is every team's target and is subjected to a level of violence that super stars of other eras simply didn't get.
Now, that's hockey today and I love it, but IMO Crosby is a elite ambassador of the game with his on ice and off ice behavior.
the people calling him a "bitch" or whiny or a baby really says more about their hockey analysis IMO than it does about Crosby because yes there is a certain amount of it, but no more than say Tom Brady or Michael Jordan respectively.
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And I am sure that made that meant a lot to that guy being a huge Rocket Richard fan, but...
Cindy is still the biggest bitch in the NHL, nothing he does off the ice will change that.
Completely untrue.
And even if it was, consider how the game has changed. People on the greatest of all time baseball thread repeatedly said even if Ruth was or wasn't, Gretzky was in any sport.
And while i don't deny it, not sure if you remember, but Gretzky didn't get touched when he played. He practically had on-ice body guards.
watch the abuse Crosby takes out there. he is every team's target and is subjected to a level of violence that super stars of other eras simply didn't get.
Now, that's hockey today and I love it, but IMO Crosby is a elite ambassador of the game with his on ice and off ice behavior.
the people calling him a "bitch" or whiny or a baby really says more about their hockey analysis IMO than it does about Crosby because yes there is a certain amount of it, but no more than say Tom Brady or Michael Jordan respectively.
You're entitled to your opinion. The video evidence supports mine, though. There are tons of clips showing his diving prowess. He even gets a 9.9 from the Russian judge.
And I'm somebody that used to not be able to stand him but I've cooled on that stance a bit. Nice story.
You're entitled to your opinion. The video evidence supports mine, though. There are tons of clips showing his diving prowess. He even gets a 9.9 from the Russian judge.
In the end you have to blame the league and the officiating. They are creating this environment and encouraging it to happen by putting the other guy in the penalty box. There should be a 4 min major for diving. That would reduce the number of times this happens.
to me that's the beauty of hockey. especially in this era, you will get called out for your play, by your competition and I never see Crosby hide behind anyone.
But I don't care about any of that, this is a really cool story. Its one thing to go and visit people but on the fly thinking of helping this blind man feel the name of his favorite player engraved on the cup is pretty damn impressive. Talk about something that you will never forget.
and I can live with that, but IMO he's easily this generations best player. On the ice.
McDavid eventually will pass him, but now it's easily Crosby.
He's the best offensive player in terms of smarts and vision and creativity and he doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves from a defensive standpoint.
Watching Crosby clips is a great way for people interested in learning more to learn what hockey IQ means and to see fundamentals emphasized.
I know. And using my example, does that make Shaq a bitch? He flopped a lot, but it never changed my opinion of him. He took a beating, and took advantage of what he could.
When bad players flop to gain an advantage its pretty hilarious, but top players try to take advantage of rules (or lack thereof) all the time. The Crosby hate is so over the top, IMO. He isn't Grayson Allen.
I would say Lebron has the same stature in the NBA that Crosby does in the NHL.
Doesn't change the fact that he spent most of his career as a diving, whining, cheap-shotting bitch. I will admit that he's toned it down a great deal in recent years.
hockey is different, even from football, in that you will get hit and you will have to answer for your actions.
the only thing hockey players hate more than cheap shots is dives. I can tell you players will come after you if they go to the box due to a play you embellished.
the one "embellishment" that I take an issue with fans over is the stick to the face that doesn't actually connect.
And fans ride the player for jerking their head back when no contact is made.
This, I can tell you from experience, is a natural reaction. When a hockey stick gets anywhere near your head you will flinch and move your head unnaturally to try and avoid the stick. If it doesn't connect great. You're happy. If the refs call a penalty from seeing the head jerk back near a raised stick that is on the refs IMO not the player.
It's frustrating as a fan and for the "offending player" and their team since the penalty wasn't earned, but I never fault the player for that one. Not even a little.
I've seen faces torn apart and teeth knocked out from seemingly innocuous errant sticks and none of these guys who jerk their heads back are trying to embellish, they're protecting themselves (90% of the time at least).
Ok
Absolutely.
He is a class act, a serial winner, a grinder work ethic that's a superstar.
Josh Yohe had a few similar 'untold favorite' stories he shared earlier this month on the Athletic:
I got a phone call from Crosby on the night of Dec. 10. It was a Monday.
“Hey Josh, I know I told the media we were going to practice at Southpointe tomorrow. But something came up so we’re not going to be able to now. I’m really sorry about it. I would feel awful if anyone drove to practice, and expected us to be there. So if you could please let everyone know that we won’t be there tomorrow, I’d really appreciate it.”
or
Ray Shero was hovering around the locker room after practice. Some coaches were around. Dan Bylsma was looking for his captain and finally said, “Does anyone know where Sid is?”
No one knew, in fact. Crosby almost always talks with reporters following practices but wasn’t around the locker room that day. Nothing to be concerned about. Maybe it was an equipment issue. Maybe he didn’t feel well. Maybe he was busy. These things happen.
A quick walk around the corner adjacent to the locker room told the story. Crosby was on his hands and knees, skates still on, having a conversation with a boy in a wheelchair that probably spanned 30 minutes. This is a common sight. Crosby always goes out of his way to not only greet people who deal with health struggles, but to actually listen to them and spend time with them. I see it all the time, but you never stop appreciating it. It’s not for show. It’s totally genuine, Jarome Iginla meetings be damned.
or
In Calgary, the team bus sits on the arena floor level, and there is a steep hill beside it. On top of the hill, some young Flames fans wanted to get a glimpse of Crosby and had composed a sign that was wishing him luck in the upcoming 2014 Olympics.
One by one, the Penguins filed onto their team bus. Upon seeing the sign, Crosby did a U-turn from the bus and raced up the hill to sign autographs for his young fans. I wish I’d have had the good sense to take a picture of the scene, because the respective looks on their faces was priceless. I’ve seen Crosby sign autographs for literally thousands of people, but that one always sticks out. Most people who encounter Crosby will only meet him once in their lives. He knows that. He’s too humble to ever talk about such things, but he knows it means a lot to people, and I’ve always sensed that he wants that one meeting to be a good one, every time.
or
The Penguins took the ice at 11:30, were in their locker room at noon, and were gone for the team hotel by 12:30. But not Crosby. As the clock went from noon to 1, he just quietly stood outside of the Penguins’ locker room. I finally had to ask why.
“I think it’s important to make the new guys feel welcome,” he explained.
Finally, a little after 1 p.m., while the rest of the Penguins were enjoying a nap, Crosby was there to shake the hands of his two new teammates.
It’s funny. Crosby played perhaps the worst game of his life that evening, finishing as a minus-5 in a 5-3 loss. Maybe there is something to be said for maintaining a routine. But there’s something to be said for being a good captain, too. It was highlighted that day.
or
When the speech was over, Crosby met with a few reporters for interviews and said hello to a few people in the area. He was then supposed to jump back in the truck and head back to his parents’ house to spend a day celebrating with family. After an hour, everyone was starting to wonder where Crosby was. Troy and Trina weren’t sure.
A look around the corner provided the answer. Crosby had met two members of the Canadian military and was deeply engrossed in his conversation about their travels, which seemed far more interesting and poignant to him than speaking about hockey.
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I’ve written so many times now about how that’s the culmination of everything I wanted to do as a photographer — cover the Penguins, see a championship, be a part of the moments without being a part of them. That single moment should be the story I like to tell when I meet subscribers or those who just take an interest in what I do.
It’s not.
The story I love to tell most often when I’m discussing View from Ice Level is the last one I wrote during the 2018-19 season. It was a season as far from that championship run as I’ve photographed — a sweep by the Islanders — but the topic of that View is etched into my mind as Crosby’s name is into Lord Stanley’s Cup three times now.
“They just got swept, right?” I’ll say. “They just got swept, and this is a team that shattered what’s possible by going back-to-back in a salary cap era.”
That’s when I’ll tell the same story linked above. The one about how I watched Crosby bend to the ice following the final horn, pick up the puck and skate it to the Penguins final officiating crew of the season. His team looking on, waiting to line up for the season-ending handshakes.
In the locker room following the loss, I waited out the group surrounding Crosby in the Penguins locker room, approached him and asked about the puck.
“He told me how the Islanders would want the puck for winning the series and how he was making sure they’d get it,” I tell the willing ears.
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Agree with this. Well said.
And again, not trying to sway anyone's Crosby opinions - even his on ice haters have acknowledged Crosby off ice.
but his sledge hockey video makes me tear up every time i watch it. I truly believe this would be Crosby without the cameras.
Also, his videos with the hockey team from Kenya also pulls at the heart strings when you see the unbridled awe and joy in those Kenyan players faces to see that it was actually Sidney Crosby playing with and against them.
Below is the sledge hockey video. And this wasn't just Crosby. It was Giroux, Hartnell, MacKinnon, Couture
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