Victor Hedman hit on Sidney Crosby

The face of the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby was injured on Wednesday January 5th by this hit from behind by Lightning defenseman/tree trunk Victor Hedman, while it's not a "dirty hit" it was definitely a boarding penalty. Crosby has been diagnosed with a concussion and could miss a week.

David Steckel’s blind side headshot on Sidney Crosby

I don't know what to make out of this hit, it doesn't appear to be intentional at all, I would say that it's a freak accident. I see any reason for the league to review this hit because, there was no penalty on the call and it doesn't appear to be anything but an accidental collision. Crosby did return for the third period.

Alexander Ovechkin and Brandon Dubinsky fight

If you haven't seen this fight it's worth a look, I am not sure the Washington Captials want their top star Alexander Ovechkin fighting on a regular basis. I guess in this case I really don't have a problem with this fight because it is between two "star" players, it's not like Brandon Dubinsky is a Goon, Dubinsky has (14g-13a-27pts) in 32 games and Ovechkin is a well a super star (12g-24a-36pts) in 32 games.

In watching the video it would appear that Ovechkin is a better fighter than Sidney Crosby. Here is a look at the Sidney Crosby - Matt Niskanen fight in case you haven't seen that fight.

Since We're Griping... (RW77)

About Sticks, I might as well start in on the new NHL All Star Format:

The new format is to be a lot like a pickup game where we vote in the players and two captains are "selected" and they choose teams from the list of eligible players voted in... at least that's how I understand it.

Why is this a good thing? It's not... unless you are a fan of Alexander Ovechkin and/or Sidney Crosby. Why? Comon people, do you HONESTLY think that they AREN'T going to be Captains? It's nothing more than a brilliant marketing ploy for the NHL to further um...fellate... Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin, or as I like to say it: Jesus Crosby and Alexander Ovech-Christ. The brilliant part of it is that the NHL can fully claim to NOT have selected the Captains at all! They can "Say" that "we" did it ourselves!

I guess things were like that in the NBA when Jordan was around, and we all know that Bettman is praying for Crosby's fandom to be as epic as Jordan's, but meh.

I think the system is dumb. How it should work is, instead of captains, the COACHES of both teams get a list of the players voted in and they have a draft to select the teams. From there, the 3 forwards, 2 D, and 1 goaltender on each team that garnered the most votes from the fans will be the starting lineup. True, in a traditional hockey sense, this leaves the possibility that there won't be a Center on the ice for the faceoff and any permutation of handed-ness mistakes as well, but that's the breaks. The coach can leave them on for a shift and then mix and match the line makeups to make it work. It's not like this game counts for much anyways. Oh, and who are the coaches? I like MLB's system: The Head Coach of each of the teams that went to the Stanley Cup Finals the season before are the Head Coaches at the All Star Game. OR.... Have the Stanley Cup winning Head Coach vs. the Coach of the Year from last year (if they are different people). The Assistant coaches can be selected however the league sees fit.

Hmmm, I wonder if Crosby and Ovechkin will drop the gloves over who gets to draft Stamkos or Thomas?

In any case, this is just another one of Bettman's inane moves to further try to bring Crosby and Ovechkin fans more time hyperventilating over their dream players. And yeah, it's not fair to either of them.

For the record, I think Crosby and Ovechkin are great players, but their hype is so far beyond what is realistic it's very hard to take for say... 30 seconds or longer at one sitting. Try John Madden talking about Brett Favre annoying.

HERE is a great comparison done by Down Goes Brown blog. It's an awesome blog that follows (for the most part) the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it is downright hilarious and I'll continue to plug it as much as I can.

Les Habitants win game 7 against Gary Bettman's Penguins

If you didn't watch the game last night here are the highlights. I wonder if Gary Bettman’s sphincter tightened today with the thought of his favorite team being eliminated last night by the Montreal Canadians.

While I get it, Sidney “Cindy” Crosby is the current face of the NHL and I understand that the NHL wants to squeeze all the money it can out of Crosby’s likeness most of us are tired of his crybaby antics and whining. Forgive us if we enjoy the Penguins demise today. Yeah, I know! My team is in the middle of a historic choke job but I am going to enjoy the moment.

This why Sidney Crosby isn't liked by a lot of fans.

This is the reason I think a lot of people refer to Sidney Crosby as Cindy Crosby. The man is an amazing talent but he is also an incredible whiner as well. Grow up Sidney and maybe more fans will embrace you... I have to admit that I am enjoying watching the Penguins get everyone's best effort this spring as well.

Hart Trophy Finalists and Redwing's prediction

The Hart Trophy was announced. For those who aren't familiar with the the names of the Trophies what they're awarded for, the Hart is for NHL MVP.

The three nominees are: Alexander Ovechkin (WAS), Sidney Crosby (PIT), and Henrik Sedin (VAN).

I think I'm going to take my biased opinion and relate to you all my thoughts on this topic by breaking down the three candidates.

Alexander Ovechkin:

This guy does it all. He hits (sometimes illegally and cheaply), he skates, he creates, and he scores. In fact, he's a far better overall scorer than any of the other candidates. He did a great job of driving his team to the playoffs and inspired his teammates towards greatness, even if he wasn't always the best player on the ice.

Why He'll Win:

He finished the regular season 3rd in goals scored (50; behind Crosby and Stampkos), 6th in assists, 3rd in points, 2nd to teammate Schultz in +/-, and 4th in Game winning goals. He also scored at a 1.51 ppg pace throughout the season (ok, he played 9-10 fewer games than Sedin and Crosby...)

Why He Won't Win:

Somewhat inconsistent. Doesn't have the clean reputation that Sedin and Crosby enjoy. Surrounded by a ton of talent but he couldn't help the team past the first round.

Henrik Sedin

This flying Swede is a smooth skating point machine. He finds himself not on the same platform as Crosby and Ovechkin for several reasons, but most notably his lack of ability to be a prolific goal scorer.

Why He Will Win:

83 assists. Most points in the league. Scored at a point per game pace identical to Crosby's despite scoring about 22 fewer goals. Leader throughout, including the playoffs. Consistent point producer.

Why He Won't Win:

Lack of goal scoring. 4 power play goals. Perhaps the perception that assists are easier to achieve than goals on a high scoring team. Other than points and assists, he's not statistically altogether superior to the other two candidates.

Sidney Crosby

This NHL Front Office PR machine appointed "GOD" of hockey is simply legendary... Ok, enough of the hype talking. Crosby is one of the top players playing today and probably one of the top players since Messier and Yzerman retired. He put up impressive numbers this year and is a consummate captain despite having the reputation of living in Daddy Lemieux's basement (I don't think he still lives there and probably hasn't since his rookie year).

Why He'll Win:

Unlike Sedin and Ovechkin, Crosby has more than just the Penguin fanbase rooting for him. Crosby has the NHL Front Office, led by Gary Bettman, the PR machine, and the Hockey Sports Media rooting heavily for him. This guy's media following as epic. In fact, those I've talked to who lived through Gretzky (Oiler and Kings years), Orr, Howe, Mekita, etc. eras can't remember there being the type and extent of hype being awarded to any of the "greats" that has been garnered to Crosby. You can argue about supposed "need" and the waning interest in hockey, but it's sometimes hard to withstand. That being said, he's got a clean reputation, a great scoring line, and has led their team farther in the playoffs than Ovechkin. He's fresh off a great performance last year that got him the Cup and he's leading the NHL in points in the playoffs.

Why He'll Lose:

He can't hit worth a darn. I can't think of anything else. He's far behind Sedin and Ovechkin in +/-. I can't put any more in without fabricating stuff.

Truth be told, I can't see anyone but Crosby winning the award. Does he deserve it? Yeah, as much as it grates my gears, he does. I'd rather it go to Sedin, though. I think Sedin did everything without the hype. He ended the season with 3 more points than Crosby and Ovechkin and no one really cared.

Kinda like how Stamkos finished the year with Crosby tied for the most goals but he was mentioned as a mere afterthought.

I'm not a Crosby hater. I hate what Crosby means to the NHL front office and to Gary Bettman. Hockey is so much better across the league than just what Crosby brings, even if it is that good.

I think Crosby has enough hype. I think the media has given Crosby more than enough attention and laurels. He's a great player, but I'd rather see the league pushed forward as great than one player. Right now, I can only hope that nothing bad happens to Crosby.

Imagine this: Crosby goes through a career ending catastrophe of some kind (god forbid, seriously, I hope note). What would the NHL do? Bettman might go on suicide watch.

I know I'd love to have Crosby on my team. I know anyone would. I just wish that the NHL did as much to promote the sport itself rather than just name recognition of one or two players.

All Crosby all of the time.

Do you think the NHL networks have a fixation with Sidney Crosby? You bet they do. We all know that Sidney Crosby is a great hockey player, the new face of the NHL, there is no question about it.

My follow up question is; does anyone remember who the top point getting in the NHL was this season? I will give you a hint it wasn't Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin... I wonder how many people know the top pointer getter in the NHL was Henrik Sedin with (29 goals - 83 assists - 112 points)

Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Redwing77

Ok, a quick blurb on my dislike of the hype surrounding "the Legend" and "Alexander the Great."

Yes, the main stuff has been documented beyond the need for this post, so I'll skip it. But check this out:

Today I watched the NHL Network and they were doing a program on Wayne Gretzky. Yes, Wayne Gretzky. Watching his goal clips, he wasn't as much of a showboater as Alexander Ovechkin. He was just a super solid, ultra consistent, point machine that always used to exploit weaknesses in opponents' games to perfection. Oh yeah, and even by his admission, the fact that goaltender equipment was "half the size" they are today (his quote not mine) might mean something.

Now, I'm not going to slight Gretzky, but I will say this: When Gretzky was on the ice, there was always seemingly the impression that the fans and media was watching greatness. There wasn't any need to say it... It..Just..Was. With Crosby and Ovechkin...is that they case?

Nope. The NHL CONSTANTLY needs to TELL US that we're watching greatness. So, what do you think is truly great? Watching it and knowing or having it told to you?

Let's key this on another note: I could tell you that Adrian Peterson is the best running back in the game. Then I could show you footage of Walter Payton or Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith. Would I have to say ANYTHING about those three to let you know how great they were? If the answer is "Yes" then congrats, you defeated my point. If the answer is "No" even if there is a "But" after it, then my point is made. Thank you very much.

Sidney Crosby is a good hockey player. Alexander Ovechkin is a good hockey player (and would be greater if he stopped with the cheap hits). But Crosby is FAR from "the Legend" status and neither can be called "the greatest." Hey, Gretzky had 200+ points in a season 3 times, maybe more. THAT's legend status. 50 goals in 39 games. LEGEND STATUS. Sorry, Crosby isn't there yet.

And I promise this is the first and last post about this topic (unless of course cheap shots come out or Crosby or Ovechkin do something simply "legendary")