How many years has Sidney Crosby been the best player?

[SpinningEdge]

In his last 8 seasons he has ONE 90+ point season.

He’s a very good player. A franchise player. However, he has ONE regular season award (Rocket in a down year where 44 goals won) in the last four seasons.

I don’t think he cares though. He knows he can be the best in the world when he wants to be - just like other all-time greats later in their career. Younger guys like Matthews, McDavid, Mackinnon, Kucherov, etc are about establishing themselves right now. Winning is important - and I truly believe when you’re a proven elite guy that winning over getting points/etc mean more. Why? Crosby... ovi... guys like that have nothing left to prove. Individual stuff is second to team success. Just like in a year or two McDavid will only care about winning only.

If Crosby wanted to win the scoring race, he probably could. If ovi wanted to for sure score 60 goals, he probably could. However, that stuff isn’t as important to them at this point on their careers. It’s about being ready in April - and winning mostly.

Heck, I’ve seen Crosby on pulled goalie situations just clear it. I’ve also seen Pitt up where he’s just grinding away to Jett’s help win and not care about points at times.Just last week ovi had a open net goal but passed it to Backsttom for an assist instead. It’s jusf where they are in their careers.

 

[TheGuiminator]

From 2005 to 2009 :
Aside of the 06-07 season, it wasn’t clear who was the best in the world, it was back and fourth between Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin.

From 2010 to 2014 : Was the best in the world.

From 2015 to 2017 : Was among the best, but was being portrayed as the best especially in the media and by most of the HF but it wasn’t that obvious when you look at his stats. His two Stanley Cup runs during that period outweighed his «disappointing » season stats, but keep in mind that he wasn’t dominating his peers like he did in his peak

Now : He’s 3rd behind Mackinnon & McDavid, but the gap is close. Right now he’s playing his best hockey since 13-14 IMO

 

[Midnight Judges]

Crosby has been the best player in the NHL precisely twice - both times when he won the Hart (2007 and 2014).

In every other season there were players who were clearly superior.

 

[wetcoast]

I think he's been the best player since his sophomore year until up to this/last year when Connor took over. There's no question guys like have Ovechkin, Malkin … etc, have had better years (obviously in the injury years and even in some of the healthy years), but despite that, he still was always the best player in the world to me. If that makes sense.

Pretty much this.

Sure guys can have a better night, week, month and even a season but in 2-3 year stretches Crosby has been the most impactful player in the league from year 2 in the league.

And he was already pretty close in his rookie year as well.

 

[Gold Standard]

since the day he entered the league. that's how long.

 

[FinProspects]

In his last 8 seasons he has ONE 90+ point season.

.

It seemed that the majority of the Crosby-haters were quitened (is that a word) after his b2b Smythes. But its always fun to see a flash from the past, with a posts like that. I'm sure you know this already, but just to be sure: That's a very, very interesting AND ignorant way of putting things for sure

Sid's career will always be with some questions marks on how dominant he has been, thats because of injuries in his peak years. But most likely everyone who have actually watched him play, and not just cherrypick random stats like above, would agree him being the best player in the planet for good amount of the time in the last 10 years.

How I see it:
06-07 Sid
07-08 Ovie
08-09 Malkin
09-10 Ovie
10-11 Sid
11-12 Malkin
12-15 Sid
15-16 Kane
16-18 McDavid

So I'd give him 5 seasons being the best,BUT..

in 07-10, he was basically the 1b/1c with Geno, especially if you consider the playoff being a factor of any kind.
15-17 he was either the second best behind Kane and 1b with Connor.

There's no other player who has been year in year out being that good consistently. Is he missing the absolutely and utterly dominant peak, like the all time greats have had? Sure, but thats only because of injuries. If you think about 10-13, that's three peak seasons ruined due injuries. And I think we can all agree that Sid was producing that time well above any other player in the world. The fact that he has 1 Lindsay to show of those three seasons is a pity, but thats life.

So to answer the question: Looking at single seasons individually, he has been the best for 5 years. Ovie, Malkin, Connor have 2, Kane has 1. Looking at the last 11 years in overall level, he has been the best player.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I like how when Ovechkin wins the Hart with 128 first place votes to Crosby's 0 (and second place had 2), Crosby fans come away thinking "They're 1a and 1b. Crosby was right there with Ovi!"

The echo chamber north of the border is hilarious.

 

[FinProspects]

Crosby has been the best player in the NHL precisely twice - both times when he won the Hart (2007 and 2014).

In every other season there were players who were clearly superior.

Can you remind me who was clearly superior on 12-13? Or doesnt the lockout season count?

 

[Midnight Judges]

How I see it:
06-07 Sid
07-08 Ovie
08-09 Malkin

So Ovechkin crushes Malkin 115 to 12 for the Hart, and you think Ovechkin scoring 1.5 PPGs and 11 goals and 14 playoff games at + 11 is such a detriment that Malkin passes him?

That just isn't reasonable.

Ovechkin was the best player in the world during that stretch and it's not particularly close. If any of you can look at these stats and come away thinking anything else, something is wrong with your brain:

NHL.com - Stats

 

[Midnight Judges]

Can you remind me who was clearly superior on 12-13? Or doesnt the lockout season count?

Ovechkin was. He had more than twice as many goals as Crosby and carried his team to the playoffs.

 

[Todd from Leduc]

2005-2014, then McDavid happened

 

[FinProspects]

I like how when Ovechkin wins the Hart with 128 first place votes to Crosby's 0 (and second place had 2), Crosby fans come away thinking "They're 1a and 1b. Crosby was right there with Ovi!"

The echo chamber north of the border is hilarious.

The point being here: Sid has always been, if not at the top, than very, very close to it. We have Ovie and Malkin (who are the only comparables here) who have had medicore seasons for their standard. Sid just hasnt had those. His worst season has probably been in 15-16 where he was only tad above ppg in reg season. That season had to a lot with coaching, with Johnston he was well under ppg, and with Sullivan he scored with over 100p pace.

 

[daver]

In his last 8 seasons he has ONE 90+ point season.

He’s a very good player. A franchise player. However, he has ONE regular season award (Rocket in a down year where 44 goals won) in the last four seasons..

Wow, how on earth did you decide that 8 seasons was the cutoff? That must have been a tough decision to make.

And I am sure equally hard was choosing 4 seasons as the cutoff for regular season awards.

 

[FinProspects]

Ovechkin was. He had more than twice as many goals as Crosby and carried his team to the playoffs.

I'm afraid you are quite alone with that opinion.

 

[GlitchMarner]

since the day he entered the league. that's how long.

He was the best player in '05-06?

 

[Turin]

Ovechkin was. He had more than twice as many goals as Crosby and carried his team to the playoffs.

How are you not embarrassed to post this shit?

 

[Midnight Judges]

The point being here: Sid has always been, if not at the top, than very, very close to it. We have Ovie and Malkin (who are the only comparables here) who have had medicore seasons for their standard. Sid just hasnt had those. His worst season has probably been in 15-16 where he was only tad above ppg in reg season. That season had to a lot with coaching, with Johnston he was well under ppg, and with Sullivan he scored with over 100p pace.

That is totally false. Sid has seasons of 37 points, 66 points, and 72 points, in addition to not being a top 20 player last season. Sid was nowhere near the top last year. A complete non factor in Hart voting.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I'm afraid you are quite alone with that opinion.

Alone with the Hart voters lol.

 

[Midnight Judges]

That season had to a lot with coaching, with Johnston he was well under ppg, and with Sullivan he scored with over 100p pace.

Sid has been firmly an 80 something point player under Sullivan.

 

[GlitchMarner]

He had a good run from 2010-2016. Was also the best in '07 and in the discussion from '08-'10 (by the end of the '09 playoffs Ovechkin was better, if not Malkin as well, in my opinion). He was still at least on par with McDavid in '17 but not after that.

 

[BackToTheBasics]

The only years where he was clearly the best player were 2007, 2013, and 2014. One could make an argument for 2017 as well but McDavid was right there.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Funny how you just used OV's playoffs last year to boost his case for best player right now but Crosby's 16/17 are not used?

And what about 08/09 and 09/10 when Crosby outscored OV in both seasons when you add in the playoffs?

It doesn't matter that he outscored Ovechkin in the playoffs in 2009 because Ovechkin was clearly better that season and he was more productive in the playoffs on a per game basis as well (I've pointed this out to you in the past and you didn't reply).

The only argument is, "he won the Cup; therefore, he was better." That's flawed.

And if you're going to say that, then 2018 Ovechkin > Crosby because they were close in the season (closer than in 2009) and Ovechkin outscored him in the playoffs and won the Cup.

 

[daver]

He had a good run from 2010-2016. Was also the best in '07 and in the discussion from '08-'10 (by the end of the '09 playoffs Ovechkin was better, if not Malkin as well, in my opinion). He was still at least on par with McDavid in '17 but not after that.

In '08 he was .01 PPG behind OV, granted OV gets a a bigger edge with his goal totals that year, then leads the playoffs in scoring. This was after creating a clear gap after the 06/07 season. Malkin was very good but Crosby was still better.

In '09, all three are on the same level after than year. Crosby is clearly more effective 2-way player than OV while matching his offensive production.

 

[GlitchMarner]

In '08 he was .01 PPG behind OV, granted OV gets a a bigger edge with his goal totals that year, then leads the playoffs in scoring. This was after creating a clear gap after the 06/07 season. Malkin was very good but Crosby was still better.

In '09, all three are on the same level after than year. Crosby is clearly more effective 2-way player than OV while matching his offensive production.

Yeah, check the advanced stats and Selke voting for '09.

 

[FinProspects]

Alone with the Hart voters lol.

I'm still pushing for the _clearly_ word there. How is 1090 vs 1058 hart votes clearly superior? IIRC it was the most close Hart voting in history.