Sidney Crosby: Is it all too much, too soon?

Question

Let's start off that I'm a die-hard Pittsburgh Penguins fan. I've loved the team for many, many years. The reason behind this question is this: are the Penguins putting too much on the shoulders of a 19-year-old kid? Before his 20th birthday, Sidney Crosby has...

1. Been named his team's captain, following the footsteps of his landlord, who happens to be an NHL icon.

2. Won the three most important awards a NHL player can win in a given season.

3. Played injured in the playoffs, and still exceeded expectations.

4. Signed a contract extension that will pay him more money than he could have ever imagined for himself.

5. Appeared on several magazine covers and talk shows.

That being said, I think Crosby is being force-fed to the masses as the NHL's savior. Can he handle the enormous pressure awaiting him?

I just do not want the guy to become another Eric Lindros or a younger Vincent Lecavalier. Weigh in on this one, fellow hockey fans!

Great answers from everyone, except the one about Crosby sucking (c'mon now...you win a Hart trophy, how can you suck...).

As far as the two players I mentioned, not the best examples in the world, but it was one in the morning, and that was what I had in my head. A more pointed example would have been Bob Carpenter, the supposed "savior" of American hockey. Carpenter was supposed to be everything that Mike Modano, Pat Lafontaine, and Chris Drury turned out to be in their careers. Sports Illustrated featured him in a cover story many years ago, touting him as the next great American player, but due to struggles early on, he never quite lived up to expectations (it should be noted however that Carpenter did become a standout defensive player for the New Jersey Devils during their 1995 march towards the Stanley Cup).

That being said, I just think that Crosby has been a tad overhyped. Let the guy grow before heaping him with all the accolades.

sushi_squad- I didn't say Lindros was a total bust. I didn't like Lindros early in his career (it was a Philadelphia/Pittsburgh thing), but later on, I felt sorry for him. While he has well over a point-per-game average throughout his career, he will always fall short for everything he wasn't, as opposed to what he did. Yep, shunning Quebec was a stupid move (Mario did the same thing to the Penguins back in 1984, but family intervened, and we all know how that turned out in the end...he is an icon, owns the team, and gets to oogle Ron Burkle's newest eye candy, Kate Hudson). To me, Lindros is the Canadian version of Bob Carpenter, a player who was ridiculously built up by the media, fell from grace, and was shunned by the very hype machines that fluffed them in the first place.

Answer 1

Good question. For the straight answer to your question, no this is not too much too soon. The kid is that talented and appears to have his head square enough on his shoulders to handle the pressure.

1. I think it may have been a little early for to be named captain. This may be the only thing that came a little bit too early. He has shown his age and a bit of immaturity during his first two seasons. With that said, him becoming the leader of the Pens appears to have been inevitable. He also has an excellent support structure around him, there might not be a mentor for someone in his position than Mario Lemieux. Mario went through this in his early years and is the perfect person to teach this kid.

2. He earned those awards this season regardless of what the people who root blindly for their home team and hate anyone who has success not wearing their team's jersey think.

3. The fact that he played injured is a good example of the toughness the kid possesses.

4. Although he signed the contract extension and it is more money than he could ever imagine or need, he did have the foresight to accept approximately $7.5M less than he could have demanded. This is a sign of him maturing and quickly. His contract is still huge, but he took a salary hit for the best interest of the team. I am curious whether the NHLPA tried to discourage him from signing, as it could either drive other contracts down or put him in a future position where he is underpaid.

5. The media exposure is deserved and is a result of all the other things you have pointed out. We have not had a player take the NHL by storm like this in quite some time.

Sidney is being pushed by the NHL right now. He is the hottest commodity they have had in a long time. His media savvy is beyond his years, he is a good looking kid (as is shown on here almost daily by the puck bunnies!) and he is currently one of the most skilled players in the game all before he is old enough to buy a drink. Unlike Lindros, Crosby is getting good career advice and support. I think he also has a better head on his shoulders

He cannot be the games savior all by himself though. One player is simply not enough. Having players like Ovechkin to build rivalries will also help. However, the league management is off-setting the good things he is doing for the league at a faster rate than one or two other players are capable of repairing. The kid is definitely not a flash in the pan. Obviously no-one can foresee how injuries will effect him over the years which is one of the issues Lindros ran into. It is still going to be several years before we see what he can become. If he stays healthy, he is capable of having a career comparable to some of the great players in the history of the game.

Answer 2

I guess we'll have to wait n' see...

all this can either make him excel...

or get him crumbling down and crawl into a corner...


RE:
How is Lindros a total bust btw...
sure he didn't compare to Gretzky and Lemieux, which was unfair to begin with... along his way he did make 6 allstar game appearances, capture the 1995 Hart and Pearson, was a 40 goal scorer 4 times and made the 93 all-rookie team... every year from 92-93 til 98-99 he consistently got 70+ points and 100+ PIM's a season.. pretty decent career to me..! How many other first overall picks you can say accomplished that..?

Comparing the 2 so far...

Lindros - 6 ft 4 in, 240lbs
1992-93 --- GP 61 - G 41 - A 34 - PTS 75 - PIM 147
1993-94 --- GP 65 - G 44 - A 53 - PTS 97 - PIM 103

Crosby - 5 ft 11 in, 200lbs
2005–06 --- GP 81 - G 39 - A 63 - PTS 102 - PIM 110
2006–07 --- GP 79 - G 36 - A 84 - PTS 120 - PIM 60

I don't even know why I'm defending the guy..! I hate Lindros...

Answer 3

You make good points but saying Crosby is in the level of guys like Briere and Marleau is going a little far Goal scoring is not everything. Crosby makes every player around him better. The Kevin Steven's effect as I call it Look at the stats of several players Despite moving to clearly worse teams Mark Recchi and John LeClair didn't drop at all in productions Colby Armstrong and Eric Christensen both on Crosby's line several times both have endured drops in production since being traded to Atlanta Crosby also is one of the most talented playmakers in the league and assists though underated are just as important. A goal's a goal. Just his presence keeps his numbers down and production down. How many teams have someone shadow Crosby. How many more options are avaliable for a pass because the defense is keyed on Crosby He's regressed some as a scorer perhaps also because of the reasons I said, defenses keying more on him I also blame the additon of Malkin who's more of a true goal scorer. Malkin's nearly as talented and allows for more assists. Notice Crosby's assists went up by 20 in Malkin's 1st yr. The additon of Malkin also decreased his role as "the guy". Crosby can also take over a game on any given night something few other players can boast. Bottom line is he the next Gretzky. No. Is he a great player, No doubt

Answer 4

Even Gretzky didn't get the exposure Crosby is getting this early, and he was a better player at this age. That, however, is simply how the media works in the 21st Century compared to the early 1980s.

Crosby seems to be handling it well. He hasn't yet pulled a bone head move. If that ever happens, we can only hope its something small that doesn't affect anything...as opposed to Dany Heatley's indiscretion, for example.

So long as he finds a good way to relieve his pressures...he should be good. There are a lot of temptations (just look at Theo Fluery) that will follow his money and fame, so he needs something else to keep him out of those. Admittedly, Pittsburgh is not as "accessible" a city as say NYC or Los Angeles, though...and that may help.

Answer 5

Gretzky did it. Lemieux did it. Why not Crosby?

I don't think Lindros and Lecavalier are good counter-examples. Different kinds of players. Different kinds of people. Lindros' problem was not having too much happen too soon. It was his bad attitude and his inability to keep his head up when he was skating. And Lecavalier was no Crosby, but look at where he is at today!

Don't worry too much about Crosby. You've got a keeper there. The only problem is that the mega-contract he just signed will make it difficult to get other big stars to compliment him. If the cap keeps getting bigger, though, that might not matter too much.

Answer 6

OK, I'm a Flyers fan that has always enjoyed the rivalries they have with ANY team. While I love poking fun at Sidney for his whining ways in his rookie year I can suspend my derision to answer this analytically.

Apparently, Sid has more than on ice talent, he is a complete package. That's why everyone wanted him. Leadership skills can't be taught. He has them in spades.

That said, I am one of those who feel that a player should be much older to be an effective captain.

Overall, I understand the Pens strategy here. It's quite simple actually. They are building a future based around him and they have good reason to think that he can follow in Mario Lemeiux's footsteps as well as write his own history.

Trust me, there can not be another Eric Lindros. He is the bust of busts.

Answer 7

I'm from Pittsburgh and I have been a Pens fan since 72. Don't get me wrong, Crosby is good but he is not as great as what the NHL and his PR machine want him to be.He is not a goal scorer, nor will he ever be ,so to compare him to Gretz or Mario is crazy. Malkin had almost as goals last year( his Rookie year too). Crosby just has lots of assists. Malkin will have more goals than Crosby this year.

Answer 8

It may be a little to much, escpecially being captain. If he's going to be captain he better change his attitude and quickly. He's still a little immature and a bit of a brat still. And guys like Mark Recchi are suppose to be led by this guy? If he continues to act the way he does at times on the ice guys like Recchi will not take up for him. One thing about the NHL is you have to earn veteran players respect not only with your play but how you carry yourself. Crosby has shown he can play and perhaps be one of the best ever on the ice. Now he has to show he can be the best off the ice as well. Basically "Sid the Kid" needs to become "Sid the Man" pretty quickly.

Answer 9

You're right. While Crosby may very well be capable of carrying the load placed upon him, the manufactured nature of the hype actually detracts from his accomplishments.

The league should allow for a more organic marketing and 'discovery' process to run its course. This way, both Crosby and hockey fans would have a chance to catch their breath for a millisecond every now and again.

Answer 10

I honestly think he deserves everything hes getting, hes one of the best hockey players out there and for being only 19, look at what hes achieved already