Sidney Crosby?

[pwr]

what's the deal with this kid? Have heard a little about him lately. Anyone really know if this kid is really the next big thing? saw an article on him in the Sporting News the other week calling him the next Gretzky. thoughts???

[Spuds]

Crosby became the first 16-year-old player to score 50 goals in 30 years.

First 16 year old to win the scoring title in the QMJHL.

Gretzky seems to think he will break some of his records.

I have not had a chance to see him play but, he sure sounds like the next coming.

[GameMisconduct]

He played for Canada in the World Jrs. Championship. The kid looks like he has so much more puck control than anybody else on the ice.

[1957 & Waiting]

The kid is super talented, but i hate when people compare these kids to the next Gretzky, Lemieux, etc because they never live up to the hype. I mean dont they have enough pressure already, like they need to be saddled with that. The kid could turn pro and average 80 points a year and be labeled a bust for not living up to the hype.

*steps off soapbox*

[LeftClickHere]

Crosby who's from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, plays for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) which is part of the highest level of amateur hockey in Canada. http://www.oceanic.qc.ca/

Currently representing Canada in the World Junior tournament that he also played in last year as a 16 year old (most players in the tourney are 19). http://www.sidneycrosbyauthentic.com/

He's the most highly touted amatuer Canadian player since Eric Lindros. He's a lock to go #1 in next years draft (if there is one). Gretzky when asked a couple of years ago if anyone could ever touch any of his records he said Crosby could.

[pwr]

i don't think anyone touches Gretzky's records assuming the game starts again unless they decrease the size of goalie pads and contract to 20 teams.

[1957 & Waiting]

i don't think anyone touches Gretzky's records assuming the game starts again unless they decrease the size of goalie pads and contract to 20 teams.
I agree, but i dont think it because lack of talent but really to much talent. Goalies are so much better than they were in Waynes hayday. And the players are a lot better. When ESPN Classic has games one it's amazing how bad some of those D-man were.

[GameMisconduct]

Another rule change should be Olympic sized rinks. The NHL rinks seem too small for athletes now. Bigger athletes and the trap have really turned that smaller rink into a watered down version of hockey to a lot of friends of mine. Hockey is a great sport, let athletes do their thing in space.

[1957 & Waiting]

Another rule change should be Olympic sized rinks. The NHL rinks seem too small for athletes now. Bigger athletes and the trap have really turned that smaller rink into a watered down version of hockey to a lot of friends of mine. Hockey is a great sport, let athletes do their thing in space.
It would cost a ton of money though, i think most of the NHL arena's are less than 10 years old or so. Plus less face it, more ice = less seats = less ticket revenue and ticket revenue is what pays for the NHL. So it's a little late to go down that road.

[LeftClickHere]

IMO They don't need larger ice, but just to allow 2 line passes. The wjhc has been played on regular sized iced and allowed 2 line passes and its really opened up the game alot. I'm a traditionalist but I'd like to see the NHL give this a try.

[GameMisconduct]

Why not just get rid of the lines and use center ice to dictate which zone the puck is in?

[1957 & Waiting]

Why not just get rid of the lines and use center ice to dictate which zone the puck is in?
Probably because the NHL is always one step behind. I love the NHL, but they had have a vision on how to help the on ice product. The refs wont call the rulebook and players know this and take advantage of the hooking, holding & interference. Year after year they come out this a plan to all the penalties yet after a month it all goes back to normal. Hockey is a hard sport to follow for someone who doesn't know about it, now try to explain them why something is penalty in the 1st month of the season isn;t one for the rest of the year. Or why once the 3rd period rolls around the refs swallow their whistles.

[Pagal4321]

Crosby is one of the most highly touted Candian prospect ever, IMO. Everyday on TSN or Sportsnet or The Score(all canadian sports stations) they have a special report on him. To me it's getting old, but I can see why they are focusing so much attention on him. He is elligable for the 2005 draft, if there is one.....but now depending on certain circumstances he could even become a free agent if the draft doesn't happen.

[GameMisconduct]

Anybody see this report on ESPN.com?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press
TORONTO -- Hockey Canada believes the missing Sidney Crosby jersey has been found.






Montreal police have a Team Canada sweater that matches the one the hockey phenom wore during Canada's 6-1 gold medal win over Russia last week at the world junior championship in North Dakota.



Police found the jersey and called Hockey Canada officials on Monday night to determine whether it was the real thing.



Denis Hainault, men's high performance director for Hockey Canada, provided the police with details that would help identify the shirt, which has features not available on store-bought versions. They were there but Hainault won't say for sure the sweater has been found until Hockey Canada can authenticate it.



Crosby put the red jersey in his hockey bag when the team left North Dakota by bus for Winnipeg from where the players flew home. When Crosby discovered it was missing, he started crying.



"It's tough. You play in the best series and win, and it's a symbol for sure," he said last Friday. "It's something you want to keep, something you want to have."



Air Canada launched an investigation into the missing sweater and Hockey Canada decided to pull the white jersey he wore off an online charity auction and give it back to the 17-year-old junior star.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[LeftClickHere]

I never saw that article on espn.com and it surprises me that it was there given espns lack of hockey coverage. That story has been all over the news home here though. Good too see that Sidney has his jersey back so Hockey Canada can auction his other one off for charity now.

[Sportsmensa]

It would cost a ton of money though, i think most of the NHL arena's are less than 10 years old or so. Plus less face it, more ice = less seats = less ticket revenue and ticket revenue is what pays for the NHL. So it's a little late to go down that road.
Ticket revenue is not gonna save the NHL. TV contracts will and you wont get those until you open the game back up to let the talent of the league shine.
More open ice leads to more scoring and more scoring gets the "passer by" fan. Lets face it, we need the "Nacar,wrestling,just blow things up" fan watching as well to get the big TV contract and without scoring and action they're not watching.


Missing The Game,
SM

[LeftClickHere]

More open ice leads to more scoring




They just need too experiment by taking out the red line. This will open up the game to eliminate the trap without modifying arenas and losing seats.

[LeftClickHere]

Also to add to the Crosby stole jersey story: Apparently the guy who stole it. His teenage daughter wore it to school a day or to after he stole from the Montreal airport. Talk about being stupid. lol

[Sportsmensa]

More open ice leads to more scoring




They just need too experiment by taking out the red line. This will open up the game to eliminate the trap without modifying arenas and losing seats.
I think we can all agree that the 80s were the high times for hockey. While I'm in agreement with removing the red line, thats not enough. The size of the average player has gone up by nearly 3 inches and 20 pounds. Red line or not, there just is less space outhere with the rink size that we have at the moment.

Example Zdeno Chara Ottawa Senators
6'9'' with a giagantic wing span and the longest hockey stick in the league. The length of his stick combine with his wingspan means three strides from the middle of the rink to the left or right and he's in postion to defend.

The facts are that the players are outgrowing the arenas and put the trap with that means scoring will go down more and more.
Sure you should take out the red line but that alone will not get it done.

Drop the Puck!!!!
SM

[LeftClickHere]

Yes I agree that not only the 80's, but right through to the mid 90's were high times for the NHL. I also agree that the players are getting much larger.

However, the reason for lower scoring games is because of teams playing the trap and more clutching and grabbing in the game. Why is this? The NHL has over expanded to the point where there is many players in the game that are not skilled enough. They have to clutch and grab to make it in this league. Yes Chara is huge and players are larger now, but the majority of players are not near his size.

The Swedes are considered to be very skilled players. In the Swedish elite league scoring is not even very high. I agree that larger ice would work if all players were great skaters, stick handlers etc etc etc. But with as many teams/players as there currently are and how the talent has been watered down that won't work. If they did try it without the red line I'd be willing to bet that would stop the trap and create enough space to open up the game.

IMO of course. :)

[mschmidt64]

I agree, the way to fix the NHL game needs radical steps.

I would consider strongly all of the following:

1) Decrease size of goalie pads.

2) Increase size of the net.

3) Increase size of rink

4) Do away with 2 line passes.

5) REALLY crack down on clutching and grabbing.

And yes.... even the dreaded Numero Seis....

6) Contraction. 30 teams is just too many.

[LeftClickHere]

I agree, the way to fix the NHL game needs radical steps.

I would consider strongly all of the following:

1) Decrease size of goalie pads.

2) Increase size of the net.

3) Increase size of rink

4) Do away with 2 line passes.

5) REALLY crack down on clutching and grabbing.

And yes.... even the dreaded Numero Seis....

6) Contraction. 30 teams is just too many.

1. Definitely and not just pads, but all goalie equiptment.

2. No, I don't think its nessecary if the goalies equiptment is regulated.

3. No, can't and shouldn't happen.

4. I'm a traditionalist, but I'd give this rule a try.

5. Definitely!

6. Yes that would be great, but it won't happen.

[LeftClickHere]

Speaking of Crosby there were a few newspaper articles plus tv interviews with him today and they asked him the one question I wanted to hear. If there is no draft and you were a UFA, what team would you want to sign with? His answer was Montreal which didn't really surprise me. I'd love to see him in a Leafs uniform though.

[mschmidt64]

Speaking of Crosby there were a few newspaper articles plus tv interviews with him today and they asked him the one question I wanted to hear. If there is no draft and you were a UFA, what team would you want to sign with? His answer was Montreal which didn't really surprise me. I'd love to see him in a Leafs uniform though.

I'm a Rangers fan. I'd be praying that we make a run at him.

And then he could waste away with our terrible talent development skills.

Just kidding. Even the Rangers couldn't screw that up. If I'm Jim Dolan and and Slats, and he doesn't enter a draft, I do everything I can to get a hold of him.

[LeftClickHere]

I'm a Rangers fan. I'd be praying that we make a run at him.

And then he could waste away with our terrible talent development skills.

Just kidding. Even the Rangers couldn't screw that up. If I'm Jim Dolan and and Slats, and he doesn't enter a draft, I do everything I can to get a hold of him.

lmfao thats funny!

btw you live in NC, but you're a Rangers fan? why's that?

[Vegas]

I agree, the way to fix the NHL game needs radical steps.

I would consider strongly all of the following:

1) Decrease size of goalie pads.

2) Increase size of the net.

3) Increase size of rink

4) Do away with 2 line passes.

5) REALLY crack down on clutching and grabbing.

And yes.... even the dreaded Numero Seis....

6) Contraction. 30 teams is just too many.
The contraction idea is good and bad. It would undo some of the other changes you propose, since there would be a better talent pool of goalies with less teams. If you go back to the old days of 7 teams, basically every night a team had to face a top 7 goalie. There are definitely way too many teams now.

I would rather not see the radical changes, as a lot of records would be watered down like in the NFL. When they allowed OL to block with their hands and changed the illegal contact in the defensive backfield, all of the passing & receiving records got broken quickly. It's really not a fair comparison and the same thing would happen in hockey.

I'd rather see them actually call the obstruction penalties and get rid of the "3rd period rulebook" where they don't call obvious penalties.

[mschmidt64]

lmfao thats funny!

btw you live in NC, but you're a Rangers fan? why's that?
Family's from Northern PA, not more than an hour or so from NYC. Farther to Philly. Used to live near Philly for a long time, too, but the Rangers have been my team.

I'm also a Cowboys fan, but I was branded with that from birth. Not a regional thing at all.

[1957 & Waiting]

It's pretty simple, call the game by the rule book. A penalty in the 1st period of game one of the season should still be a penalty of the 3rd period in games 7 of the cup finals. It doesn't matter. For to long the NHL has allowed the refs to swallow their whistles. Yeah after year the NHL would call for some crack down and it would last until January and they refs would go back to not calling the game by it's rules.