Van said:
Why is he a bad example? He shows the possibility of the worst that can happen to a kid who is getting the hype that Crosby is getting.
You have to face the facts...
As of now, there is no guarantee Crosby will be an NHL player at 18. Everybody said Jason Spezza would be, but last I checked, the Windsor Spitfires play in the OHL. He wasn't an NHL regular until he turned 20.
There is no guarantee that he will ever be an NHL star, nevermind make the Olympic team full of veteran NHL stars at 18 years of age.
Playing among men is a hell of a lot different than playing among boys. Sidney Crosby will be playing among boys until he is at least 18....he won't play at the Olympics full of men from the NHL.
Even if he will be an NHL star, making the transition at 18 will be tough enough. Hopefully, it will go over smooth for him, but it will be a dramatic change of play for him.
Even guys from overseas have not become stars right away, and they play amongst men.
He's 16 right now. To talk about the NHL is still far off, the Olympics are way far off.
As far as comparisons to busts go, talented players sometimes don't have what it takes. There are plenty of guys besides Daigle that this has happened to. Crosby is only 16 right now and I'm sure is taking it game by game and day by day. He still has another half a year to play this year, and a whole other year before he is drafted after that.
Can we keep things in the present?
In regards to switching up the lines, Canada hasn't had much trouble beating teams yet. They aren't trying to outscore the other team in a run and gun game, either. It's not broke, and the strategy mixes with the lines and that is also not broke.
No changes need to be made. Crosby will have next year to be a top line player at this tournament. This year other players with more experience are playing the top two lines. But Crosby is playing well in the role he's currently in, and playing well with his linemates.
No need to change things up, because everything is working. Everything seems to be going how team Canada wants. (And that is a gold medal, not a star performance from Crosby or anyone else).