Is McDavid as popular as Crosby was at the same age?

[TheSituation]

So you like everybody you've met in your life so far? Jesus Christ. I think I'm entitled to determine for myself, who I do like and don't like, based on their personalities, and their actions.

As for actual evidence to support my assertions... Here's my introduction to P.K. Subban, the man:



Count the number of times he talks about himself in an overtly flattering manner. Me! Me! Me! I don't think I've ever heard an athlete go on and on about himself as much as he did. And as much as I think it's wonderful that somebody would donate $10M to a hospital, this interview really went a long way in showing a large part of the motivation behind it. Legacy. It's about his "brand" and his "legacy". It's self-serving ****. Not "team first" type stuff.

I also felt like it put his franchise in a compromising position, quite frankly. It reeked of a power-move. And look at where everybody is today. The Habs are in the cellar, and I look at this moment as a keystone in their descent.

You aren't Canadian, are you?

This is why hockey will never grow. Opinions like this. He was being interviewed and you're mad that he used the word "me"???? I'd rather have guys with charisma like this than wooden doors like Crosby.

 

[FinnishSniper]

This is why hockey will never grow. Opinions like this. He was being interviewed and you're mad that he used the word "me"???? I'd rather have guys with charisma like this than wooden doors like Crosby.

Yeah exactly. I'm so sick and tired of these guys being so overwhelmed when someone speaks how they really think. Then in other sports we are seeing superstars like Ronaldo and other football and NBA players also making these cocky comments. Thats why I love PK because he doesn't seem to care and he just is who he is: a genuine guy. If this guy really has a problem with that then it's his loss.

That's why I used to loved watching Laine's pre draft interviews because he really was genuine and he still is somewhat that. Who the f*** honestly cares to even watch Crosby's, McDavid's and Matthews' interviews. These guys just say the same thing over and over again and are so boring to watch being interviewed. They're so fake infront of the press it's unbelievable. Show some charisma.

 

[Sam Spade]

Yeah exactly. I'm so sick and tired of these guys being so overwhelmed when someone speaks how they really think. Then in other sports we are seeing superstars like Ronaldo and other football and NBA players also making these cocky comments. Thats why I love PK because he doesn't seem to care and he just is who he is: a genuine guy. If this guy really has a problem with that then it's his loss.

That's why I used to loved watching Laine's pre draft interviews because he really was genuine and he still is somewhat that. Who the **** honestly cares to even watch Crosby's, McDavid's and Matthews' interviews. These guys just say the same thing over and over again and are so boring to watch being interviewed. They're so fake in front of the press it's unbelievable. Show some charisma.

Good post. It is this way because as soon as someone recognizes they are next level talent their parents or "handlers" get them publicist trained asap. I've seen interviews with 15 year old Crosby and McDavid were they both appear to be 30 year olds with their cliche' answers. It makes you wonder if they have ever had an original thought of their own.

On the flip side, I understand why people here appreciate that side, as they don't care about anything the players say and just want them to perform on the ice.

This is still my favorite Crosby moment of all time, I think it is the most genuine moment he has ever had with the press:



It was the first time I've ever liked him.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

well, it's hard to remember exactly what Crosby was back then since we're all biased by him becoming a still-active league legend in the years since.

I'd say that Crosby was a bit of a bigger deal, and that it was not only driven by Crosby himself but by that healthy rivalry between him and Ovechkin. That rivalry is referenced in modern day, but it's really not what it was like back then.

We even see the media and fans trying to find a rival for McDavid but there is just no young player who is close enough for there to be a real rivalry.

One other factor is that the league has grown quite a bit in popularity. I assume that the cap today being 70-80 million vs 50-60 million reflects a growth in league revenue. I'd assume that league revenue is proportional to the amount of paying fans and fans watching hockey programs, and so more people would be aware of McDavid now than Crosby then.

If you were an adult when Crosby came into the league it's very easy to remember exactly what it was like. There's really no comparison at the moment, Crosby/Ovechkin were far more popular in the US. But there was a very deliberate marketing campaign for both. And the rivalry between him and Ovechkin (at least portrayed in the media) was immediate since they were both rookies at the same time.

 

[zar]

I would say Crosby was more hyped... like others have already said... the NHL spent significantly more money marketing the game at that time... they had to.

Crosby was more controversial and more outspoken. Crosby delivered more “news worthy” interviews more fluidly.

Crosby had a directly comparable adversary, which we have not yet seen for McDavid.

Crosby landed on an Eastern US team in a much bigger market.

Crosby had more success early in the playoffs than McDavid.

As an Oilers fan, I could truly care less about McDavid’s popularity, but I continue to be disappointed in the NHL’s ability to market the game more effectively. Since we mostly agree McDavid playing in the West is a challenge... why not schedule exciting young players to play in the major markets on the weekends or other “game nights” (I think NBC has the Wednesday Game of the Week) in an effort to get more US TV coverage? Pulling out of the Olympics was as much about egos as it was about money. The Olympics is one of the biggest opportunities the NHL has to grow the NHL popularity world wide... they still find a way to screw that up. It’s like Costco offering you shelf space and you declining the opportunity.

Anyways, Crosby was, is and probably always will be more “popular” than McDavid... unless McDavid dominates the league consistently and has playoff success.

 

[RickP]

For starters, he put the Habs organization in an extremely uncomfortable position. They responded by moving him. They went to ****, after that trade.

Obviously, it's not ALL on him. It takes two to tango, but there's no way ownership was gonna let him put them over a barrel like that. Bergevin's also done a pretty good job himself, I will add.

PK's antics in the SCF played a pretty big role in them not winning the cup, in my opinion. That Listerine idiocy had the opposite effect of what that team needed, at that time. As a Pens fan, I can tell you I absolutely did not think we could beat the Preds, after witnessing what they were truly capable of... and the gum flapping he did, gave Sid and the Pens just enough gas to hold on and weather the storm long enough to win on lucky breaks.

The Pens played a very bad game after the Listerine joke. Not saying it's related, but claiming the Listerine thing played a big role in the Pens win is quite a reach. Rinne was very bad in Pittsburgh, before and after the Listerine thing. He was also outstanding in Nashville, before and after the Listerine thing.

Plus, many of Subban's teammates played along with it, they were the ones who put the Listerine bottles in his locker the next day. So I doubt it was a distraction in the Preds locker room.

 

[valet]

if he played in a big US city more people would know who he is, as others have said. crosby had the luxury of coming up under lemieux in an age where people actually watched sportscenter. now that ESPN basically sucks at sportscenter there's vrtually no hope for any hockey player to have their name reach the non hockey fan fan masses

 

[Panthaz89]

Doesn't really get as much coverage because he plays on the Oilers which aren't televised as often but plenty of people in Buffalo definitely know about him considering the draft coverage since they were worst team.

 

[Tweed]

This is why hockey will never grow. Opinions like this. He was being interviewed and you're mad that he used the word "me"???? I'd rather have guys with charisma like this than wooden doors like Crosby.

I never said I was mad. In fact, I don't give 2 f***s about Subban, the Habs, his foyer at the hospital, or what you American hockey fans think about Canadian Hockey Culture. I said he shouldn't be the model for types of personalities we want as the core of our playerbase in the league... because he puts his own interests before his teams' interests. I'm not sure why you folks are struggling with the difference between what you think my issue is, and what my issue is. Again, it's gotta be a cultural/mentality disconnect. It must be nice to live in me-first hotdog land.

 

[Tweed]

The Pens played a very bad game after the Listerine joke. Not saying it's related, but claiming the Listerine thing played a big role in the Pens win is quite a reach. Rinne was very bad in Pittsburgh, before and after the Listerine thing. He was also outstanding in Nashville, before and after the Listerine thing.

Plus, many of Subban's teammates played along with it, they were the ones who put the Listerine bottles in his locker the next day. So I doubt it was a distraction in the Preds locker room.

The listerine "joke", went on for days, not just prelim to a single game, so I disagree. And apparently so does team PR who kept him away from the media immediately afterwards. Word was his teammates were none to happy about him running his mouth, getting Sid fired up. Let's just call it was it was... dumb and selfish.

 

[Three On Zero]

Crosby was and still is a staple among Canadian families, outside of Alberta McDavid doesn't have the same popularity.

You couldn't watch an hour of TV without seeing Crosby which helped sell his brand, McDavid.... not so much

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

I would say Crosby was more hyped... like others have already said... the NHL spent significantly more money marketing the game at that time... they had to.

Crosby was more controversial and more outspoken. Crosby delivered more “news worthy” interviews more fluidly.

Crosby had a directly comparable adversary, which we have not yet seen for McDavid.

Crosby landed on an Eastern US team in a much bigger market.

Crosby had more success early in the playoffs than McDavid.

As an Oilers fan, I could truly care less about McDavid’s popularity, but I continue to be disappointed in the NHL’s ability to market the game more effectively. Since we mostly agree McDavid playing in the West is a challenge... why not schedule exciting young players to play in the major markets on the weekends or other “game nights” (I think NBC has the Wednesday Game of the Week) in an effort to get more US TV coverage? Pulling out of the Olympics was as much about egos as it was about money. The Olympics is one of the biggest opportunities the NHL has to grow the NHL popularity world wide... they still find a way to screw that up. It’s like Costco offering you shelf space and you declining the opportunity.

Anyways, Crosby was, is and probably always will be more “popular” than McDavid... unless McDavid dominates the league consistently and has playoff success.

It isn’t so much as being in the West. I have seen a bunch of games that started at 10 after the earlier game is on.

The problem arises because Edmonton is in the Mountain time zone, at least that is what we call it here in the US. That is 2 hours behind the eastern time zone. So when Edmonton goes to start all of their home games, as well as Colorado, Calgary and whoever else falls in that timezone, it is 9 on the eastern coast and all of those games would still be going on. So basically, for any nationally televised game, when they usually have two, a seven and ten o’clock start, every homegame and all other in their time zone for Edmonton, can’t even be thought of as late start because it’s not possible for the major networks.

I live in Pittsburgh. I could probably count on one hand how many time I got to watch Edmonton, Calgary and Colorado on TV, outside of the playoffs.

The I understand that that should be taking every advantage of getting McDavid in front of a screen but it isn’t an Edmonton, Calgary or Colorado problem, it’s a time issue that can’t be circumvented.

 

[Sam Spade]

I never said I was mad. In fact, I don't give 2 ****s about Subban, the Habs, his foyer at the hospital, or what you American hockey fans think about Canadian Hockey Culture. I said he shouldn't be the model for types of personalities we want as the core of our playerbase in the league... because he puts his own interests before his teams' interests. I'm not sure why you folks are struggling with the difference between what you think my issue is, and what my issue is. Again, it's gotta be a cultural/mentality disconnect. It must be nice to live in me-first hotdog land.

What? Prove it. And again, what?!?

p.s. If you mean he donates ten million dollars to a hospital (and raises much more), or starts a program in Nashville were he buys two tickets to a game so a police officer and an underprivileged kid can go to a Preds game together 41 times a season (Blueline Buddies) as "putting his own interests before his teams" then I hope he continues to do that his entire career.

Him playing ice hockey changes nothing in the big picture of this world his other pursuits can and will change lives. P.K. Subban should absolutely be " the model" for every person in this world, not just hockey players.

 

[RickP]

The listerine "joke", went on for days, not just prelim to a single game, so I disagree. And apparently so does team PR who kept him away from the media immediately afterwards. Word was his teammates were none to happy about him running his mouth, getting Sid fired up. Let's just call it was it was... dumb and selfish.

This is all hearsay coming from some media people who don't like Subban. Subban talked after every single game. He just wasn't available to talk on game day before game 6, which was more than a week after the Listerine thing.

And the Listerine thing lasted a few days because Subban's teammates got involved in the joke, like I said, and put a bunch of Listerine bottles in his locker. The media made a story out of that and of course Subban took the opportunity to make more jokes about it. There's no doubt Subban likes the attention. But it wasn't directed at Crosby. Subban was making fun about his own bad breath. It may be dumb. But it was completely irrelevant to what happened on the ice after that.

 

[Tweed]

What? Prove it. And again, what?!?

p.s. If you mean he donates ten million dollars to a hospital (and raises much more), or starts a program in Nashville were he buys two tickets to a game so a police officer and an underprivileged kid can go to a Preds game together 41 times a season (Blueline Buddies) as "putting his own interests before his teams" then I hope he continues to do that his entire career.

Him playing ice hockey changes nothing in the big picture of this world his other pursuits can and will change lives. P.K. Subban should absolutely be " the model" for every person in this world, not just hockey players.

PS. I'm suggesting that helping the less fortunate, is the problem with PK? That's reeeeeeally what you took away from everything I've said here?!? You reeeeeally need me to clarify that for you.

Secondly, he wasn't making fun of his own bad breath. At least get the context right, if you're not going to get the timeline right. He was making light of a conversation between two players that obviously can't be repeated to the media. But instead of saying "I'm not going to discuss that sort of thing at this time. My focus is on helping my team compete for a Cup here."... he chose to be a clown about it. NOTHING about that decision, helped his team. It was an unnecessary distraction, at the most inappropriate of times. We're not talking about a pre-season scuffle, get real.

And as far as I'm concerned, I hope he continues to use mouthwash and give his money away, so long as it continues to accomplish the same on-ice results when he's facing my team... because the only thing I care about when I'm watching hockey, is winning.

Anyway, c'mon man, I've read a ton of your posts in the past decade, you're not a stupid person. Don't act like one, and try to pretend you don't understand exactly what I'm saying (plus the thousands of others that feel the same way). Y'all are acting like I'm the first person to posit this theory, and none of any of what the rumour mill says about him and his relationship with his teammates, could possibly hold any truth.

 

[Sam Spade]

PS. I'm suggesting that helping the less fortunate, is the problem with PK? That's reeeeeeally what you took away from everything I've said here?!? You reeeeeally need me to clarify that for you.

Anyway, c'mon man, I've read a ton of your posts in the past decade, you're not a stupid person. Don't act like one, and try to pretend you don't understand exactly what I'm saying (plus the thousands of others that feel the same way). Y'all are acting like I'm the first person to posit this theory, and none of any of what the rumour mill says about him and his relationship with his teammates, could possibly hold any truth.

You are smart poster as well so no beef at all here. Of course you did not say Subban helping people was an issue but you did say he puts himself before the team, my question to you would simply be "how so"?

 

[McFlash97]

I remember when I was in high school, a lot of girls who had no clue about hockey or watched it would talk about that “Crosby cutie”

Not sure if that’s the case for McDavid.

Does it matter, 97s girlfriend blows Crosbys out of the water...

 

[Tweed]

This is all hearsay coming from some media people who don't like Subban. Subban talked after every single game. He just wasn't available to talk on game day before game 6, which was more than a week after the Listerine thing.

And the Listerine thing lasted a few days because Subban's teammates got involved in the joke, like I said, and put a bunch of Listerine bottles in his locker. The media made a story out of that and of course Subban took the opportunity to make more jokes about it. There's no doubt Subban likes the attention. But it wasn't directed at Crosby. Subban was making fun about his own bad breath. It may be dumb. But it was completely irrelevant to what happened on the ice after that.

No he didn't, and no it's not hearsay, the guy was either pulled from his stall postgame, or he was dodging the media. It didn't "last a few days" because his teammates were filling his stocking with mouthwash... it last a few days because he kept cracking the same joke, and because we all kept talking about it. His disappearing act; the media didn't "make a story out of it"... it was a story. Where the f*** was he? That's a legit question. It's his job to be there to answer to the media.

I never said anything about it being directed at Crosby, so who cares. I'm not sure why you're mentioning that. Do you think I'm sour because Sid was on the receiving end of the idiocy? Please. He benefitted from it. Besides, Sid's a big boy and he can handle himself, and he did... elegantly... and in Sidney Crosby fashion.



Anyway, Subban was unavailable for 3 days, and there was heavy talk of the team not being happy about the distraction. It was a distraction because he was spewing the same stupid joke for a day or two after the initial wisecrack. The rest of us ran with it, and discussed how dumb it was. It wasn't a "silly moment" type thing... it became a soap opera.

I'm just gonna say this again... as a dude that's watched every second of every game that the Pens have played in the last 20 years... it wasn't completely irrelevant. It affected my team. Trust me. I saw it. Sid dialled things up after that, and that's the opposite of what you want if you're his opposition. It wasn't smart, and I'm completely grateful for it. So if you're a Preds expert and you're telling me that it didn't affect the Preds' game one iota, then I'll defer to your expertise and trust that you know what you're talking about. But beyond that, there's no way that you can say "When you do something that makes your opponents better, it doesn't hurt your own team at the same time." There's a reason coaches talk to players about not giving the opposition whiteboard material. There's no way you haven't heard that.

What you watched and saw, is different than what I watched and saw. I'm okay with leaving it at that. I'm pretty comfortable with my perception. We don't need to go in off-topic circles about the minutia of some stupid incident that happened 2 years ago, like I'm pinning my whole "PK Subban's a Douchebag Theory" on that one instance. I'm not the only one who thinks what I think about the guy.

 

[Tweed]

You are smart poster as well so no beef at all here. Of course you did not say Subban helping people was an issue but you did say he puts himself before the team, my question to you would simply be "how so"?

By drawing attention to himself, instead of deflecting it so that he and his team can focus on what matters most... winning.

 

[McFlash97]

I don't think so. I also don't think McDavid's accomplishments to date have much relevance to the question.

Reasons why I don't think McDavid is as popular as Crosby was:

1. McDavid entered the league with Crosby in his prime and as the best player in the world and of his generation. While I think McDavid is better at this point, I'd say Crosby is still the face of the NHL.

2. Crosby came into the league at the perfect time for the NHL. Just coming out of a lockout that wiped a whole season, here was this superstar that the league could market the heck out of. And he lived up to the hype.

3. While I've never generally agreed with the sentiment, I think the exposure of McDavid is lessened playing in Edmonton. For me, it reminds me of Mike Trout and the Angels. Best player in MLB, will go down as one of the league's greats, but I don't think he gets as much recognition as he warrants.

McDavid is infinitely more marketable then Crosby, social media included, doesn't have a personality of a doormat, and plays for an organization that boasts Gretzky, a billion dollar development going on and is a human highlight real. Once he makes some deep playoff runs , wins a few more awards, wins an Olympic gold, that might shut constant McDavid isnt this or that down on HF.

 

[6ix]

Does it matter, 97s girlfriend blows Crosbys out of the water...

Well when we’re talking about popularity... yes it does matter. Also everyone in the GTA knows McDavid has no personality. He’s just a normal dude who just so happens to be one of the best HOCKEY players the NHL has seen since Crosby.

 

[3074326]

McDavid is infinitely more marketable then Crosby, social media included, doesn't have a personality of a doormat, and plays for an organization that boasts Gretzky, a billion dollar development going on and is a human highlight real. Once he makes some deep playoff runs , wins a few more awards, wins an Olympic gold, that might shut constant McDavid isnt this or that down on HF.

You act like McDavid has a stronger "personality" than Crosby (which is debatable), forget that Pittsburgh's history is rich with Mario Lemieux (among many others), and is also a human highlight real. I don't know what the billion dollar development thing is. Crosby has already made deep playoff runs and won all the awards, scored the golden goal.

Nobody is infinitely more marketable than Crosby. From one homer to another.

 

[RickP]

No he didn't, and no it's not hearsay, the guy was either pulled from his stall postgame, or he was dodging the media. It didn't "last a few days" because his teammates were filling his stocking with mouthwash... it last a few days because he kept cracking the same joke, and because we all kept talking about it. His disappearing act; the media didn't "make a story out of it"... it was a story. Where the **** was he? That's a legit question. It's his job to be there to answer to the media.

I never said anything about it being directed at Crosby, so who cares. I'm not sure why you're mentioning that. Do you think I'm sour because Sid was on the receiving end of the idiocy? Please. He benefitted from it. Besides, Sid's a big boy and he can handle himself, and he did... elegantly... and in Sidney Crosby fashion.



Anyway, Subban was unavailable for 3 days, and there was heavy talk of the team not being happy about the distraction. It was a distraction because he was spewing the same stupid joke for a day or two after the initial wisecrack. The rest of us ran with it, and discussed how dumb it was. It wasn't a "silly moment" type thing... it became a soap opera.

I'm just gonna say this again... as a dude that's watched every second of every game that the Pens have played in the last 20 years... it wasn't completely irrelevant. It affected my team. Trust me. I saw it. Sid dialled things up after that, and that's the opposite of what you want if you're his opposition. It wasn't smart, and I'm completely grateful for it. So if you're a Preds expert and you're telling me that it didn't affect the Preds' game one iota, then I'll defer to your expertise and trust that you know what you're talking about. But beyond that, there's no way that you can say "When you do something that makes your opponents better, it doesn't hurt your own team at the same time." There's a reason coaches talk to players about not giving the opposition whiteboard material. There's no way you haven't heard that.

What you watched and saw, is different than what I watched and saw. I'm okay with leaving it at that. I'm pretty comfortable with my perception. We don't need to go in off-topic circles about the minutia of some stupid incident that happened 2 years ago, like I'm pinning my whole "PK Subban's a *****ebag Theory" on that one instance. I'm not the only one who thinks what I think about the guy.

Yeah, arguing about the on-ice impact of the Listerine thing is a bit pointless, it's all speculation/opinion after all. I said what I had to say, we just have different point of views.

But about the whole disappearing act in the media, Subban talked after every single game. Some people in the media made a big deal out of the fact he wasn't available before game 6. But he talked after game 5, and nothing else had happened after that. Who knows why he wasn't available before game 6. Sure, people are entitled to think the team decided to keep him away from the media because of the whole Listerine thing from the prior week. But again, this is all speculation. What we know is Subban talked after every game and the Preds even picked him to talk to the national media right after game 6. If the Preds thought he hadn't acted right throughout the series, I think they would have picked someone else to talk to the national media, but that's just my opinion.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Its all about exposure and Crosby has been rammed down USA throats from day 1 by NBC.
This season McDavid will get coverage by NBC on national coverage.
If we use the Mcguire meter to measure the creep factor during those games compared to Penguins games we will get the true answer.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Smirking reading about the no personality comments here. Rich caucasian boy in a upper middle class sport has no personality.

Is anyone surprised?

You want off ice personality, intriguing backgrounds, stories, grow the game so it's not played by rich people only.

But those days are done and Hockey describing and being a reflection of Canadian society is also done.

Unfortunately.