The Newer, Officialer Sidney Crosby Sporadic Post Thread! [ALL Crosby talk Goes Here]

[Dr_Chimera*]

Up to now, the average of goals scored is 6,7 in QMJHL and 6,3 in OHL.

''Defense-free as ever''? In Quebec, it went from 10,8 goals per game in 1973-74 to 6,7 this year, a 40% decrease. That is not what we could define as '' down a bit ''. In Ontario, it went from 9,0 in 1977-78 ( Gretzky's passage) to 6,3 this year, a 41% decrease.

Talking about the players skills, most observers agree that the quality of the players in Quebec's league is higher than it was in the past since Europeans, Americans and players from Atlantic provinces take the spots that were taken by less skilled Quebecers in the 1970's, 1980's and part of the 1990's. Europeans also contributed to increase the level in WHL and OHL.

You can argue that - I wouldn't say that the Q was ever a podium CHL league.

I can tell you one thing - we'll never see a Ray Bourque-type come out of this league again.

 

[Dr_Chimera*]

Europeans also contributed to increase the level in WHL and OHL.

The Europeans you see in the QMJHL - especially the QMJHL - are the leftovers (with maybe a couple of exceptions). Meaning you're seeing the players that are probably not good enough to play in the pros in their respective countries or are just not very well liked.
These are the Michal Sersen types. They're not bad, but they're not terribly good either.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Sounds pretty Lindros-sy

Nope, trying to keep his brain intact.

 

[L3DZ3P]

Sounds pretty Lindros-sy

This is not his decision.

 

[FTK]

The Europeans you see in the QMJHL - especially the QMJHL - are the leftovers (with maybe a couple of exceptions). Meaning you're seeing the players that are probably not good enough to play in the pros in their respective countries or are just not very well liked.
These are the Michal Sersen types. They're not bad, but they're not terribly good either.

Hemsky is terribly good.

 

[The Big P]

You can argue that - I wouldn't say that the Q was ever a podium CHL league.

I can tell you one thing - we'll never see a Ray Bourque-type come out of this league again.

I don't see how you can say that a superstar defenseman can never come out of the Q again. When someone has supreme physical tools and talent he will become a superstar no matter what league he comes from. Just look at Crosby, he's come out of a province with weak depth and is still a top prospect, and Tootoo came from a town without a real devellopment program.

 

[Wetcoaster]

tsn.ca

a column by alex j. wahling.

The Rimouski Oceanic have announced he will sit for the next two road games in Lewiston and Drummondville and issued a press release to that effect on Sunday.

You have neanderthals without the hockey skills that Crosby has in his little finger taking runs at him. Even Gretzky has stated this kid's talents are great and that he could even break some of his records. Crosby is the future of hockey and it would be a travesty if some cementhead ends his career before it really gets started.

The rest of the QMJHL is living off Crosby as the OHL did with Lindros. He guarantees a sellout when he comes to town so the other owners best sit up and take notice unless they want to get hit in the only place they would understand - their wallets. He is an invaluable asset and he better be protected.

The Montreal Gazette is reporting that Crosby is considering going to Europe to play next year. He can join all the NHL'ers who will be playing there next year in the event of a lockout and test his skills against better competition as well as making some money as a pro. "The lack of protection for Sidney means he may perhaps consider this option," Océanic general manager Doris Labonte told RDS.ca. "If I were his parents, I would react the same way."

Another option might be playing in the new WHA if it gets off the ground as a number of underagers did (such as Gretzky) in the days of the old WHA.

 

[oldhabfan]

No one ever touched Gretzky ..Hah..i saw a game between the Soo and Ottawa 67s when Wayne and Bobby Smith were gunning for the OHL scoring title ..the 67s were all over Wayner , it was brutal ..he never whined , his coach never whined ..no all he did was score about 5 points that night , thats how great players handle it , but then again todays players are a bunch of over priced primma donnas .If your SO great Sydney ..then prove it and tell your coach and team to SHUT UP!!!!!!


PLUS all the above players i mentioned in the previous post played in eras when brawls were common and goon hockey was much more accepted than todays pu$$y hockey .Lafleur would often drop the gloves as did Mario in the old Q .Orr fought all through junior and the NHL .

 

[oldhabfan]

His name is SIDNEY, not Sydney...Now. for sitting out...It was the owner of the team that decided to maybe sit Sid out for a few games. It had nothing to do with Sid, His parents nor his agent....Sid wants to play hockey, period....that's what he does best....He does not want to miss any games....Any other stories are all bull.....

 

[gb701]

His name is SIDNEY, not Sydney...Now. for sitting out...It was the owner of the team that decided to maybe sit Sid out for a few games. It had nothing to do with Sid, His parents nor his agent....Sid wants to play hockey, period....that's what he does best....He does not want to miss any games....Any other stories are all bull.....

It actually doesn't matter a bit who is calling the shots here - having spent the last decade priming the hype pump and working every angle possible to increase the kid's market presence, this sort of story is making EVERYONE in the Q, the team, and the Crosby camp look stupid. In a phrase - suck it up, princess!

As the softest league in the CHL, if the Q isn't looking after their "star" there is something seriously wrong. If there really is a problem, then the refs should look after it. If there isn't (and I frankly doubt there is), then all the Crosby whiners should stop talking about it.

As the team manipulating the situation by pulling a "star", the Oceanic just look ...bush. I cannot recall a situation like this before in any level of hockey and if that reflects on the coaching, the management and the mentoring Crosby is getting, he should get the hell out of the Q before it ruins him.

And as for the Crosby camp, let me just say that neither the kid nor his dad have ever taken kindly to anything that resembled physical play. Sid can play through it, but he doesn't do so with any sort of discipline yet and has been fed the notion that he should be above all of that (hence the cheap shot to the back of the head mentioned earlier in the thread). Time to grow up if he is going to acheive anything like the potential most think he has.

This is just pathetic, all round. Superstar???? Not yet - not by a long shot.

 

[stardog]

Can you reccommend anything in particular; Maybe some exercises you've come up with that would, say, enable him to better take blows to the head without getting a concussion?

Yeah...It's an excercise called retiring....seriously, what does that have to do with what Jacob said? It is a fact that he is going to be physically punished much more in the NHL than he is in the Q.

This happens to every star in every league. Crosby IS going to have to deal with it, right or wrong, just like every single star in hockey has had to deal with it for years.

I totally agree with what he said.

 

[stardog]

It's very hard to understand for those who are not seeing him play very often. When this guy will have a serious injury, it will be too late to say "oops, we should have done something before".

The hockey is trying to find a way to score more goals : just let the talented players play. Cover him like you want, but sticks and gloves in the face, cross-checks, etc are not what is going to rescue the game...

It isn't hard to understand at all. Even for those of us who have seen him play very few times. It is quite easy, because it isn't limited to Sydney Crosby in the QMJHL. Like I said above, it is a position that every star in every league is in.
The leagues DO need to do something about this, but not JUST because, or about, Crosby.

 

[stardog]

But a high stick shouldn't be called just because it was against Crosby. It should be called because it's a high stick. My opinion - there should be no preferential treatment. Crosby shouldn't be "protected" by the refs more than any other player. It should all be equal. That's the way it is in my fantasy world, anyway.

THANK YOU!....My thoughts exactly...

 

[stardog]

you didnt saw the whole game so you are talin about what you are not knowing... good decision by Rimouski... the league should do something...

Good decision? No way, no how. Poor decision by them, poor example they are setting, and a poor indicator of the lack of brains by a hockey team.

You are sending a BIG message. You are sending the message that a player is more important than the team. That wins aren't as important as an agenda. You are sending a message to a SIXTEEN year old kid, that if things do not go your way, it is ok to give up and NOT fight through it. You are sending a message to the other players on the team that Crosby is more important than they are. You are teaching the team that it is acceptable to whine, give up and pout when instead they should fight through it.
Basically you are teaching them whining is the answer to this problem rather than heart, grit,determination and passion.
Most important though, you are seperating Crosby from his team by giving him different standards. Star players get hacked and whacked. Crosby is no exception, yet you are making him the exception. You are making the individual more important than the team, which last i checked, this IS a team sport.
I see absolutley NO positives from this. It will hurt the teams image, reputation, and possibly thier standings.
You are making Crosby look like a primadonna and a baby who cant fight through what other kids fight through. This is an incredible act of immaturity, stupidity, and spoiledness on the part of the orginization.
Send a messgae another way, but dont put the team in jeopardy, or Crosby's image in jeopardy.

An incredibly stupid thing to do. Imagine if the Bruins did this with Thorton, or the Thrash with Kovalchuk. They would be a laughing stock, and so would the players involved.

I have no respect for this decision or the people who made it.
Show some heart and quit acting like a spoiled 3 year old who doesn't get thier way.
A BAD decision....I can't fathom how anyone could think it is a good one.

 

[paul99]

The Europeans you see in the QMJHL - especially the QMJHL - are the leftovers (with maybe a couple of exceptions). Meaning you're seeing the players that are probably not good enough to play in the pros in their respective countries or are just not very well liked.
These are the Michal Sersen types. They're not bad, but they're not terribly good either.

You originaly stated that ''The Q is still as defense-free as ever ' and ''scoring is only down a bit, because there is less skill than before to boot.'' I simply observed that the number of goals scored per game is about the same in Quebec and Ontario. I also noted that most observers agree that the level of the game is much higher now than it was use to be in the past because of the input of players coming from outside Quebec province.

This season, over 100 players involved in the QMJHL, just shy a third of all players, originate from Europe, USA and Atlantic provinces. There were no Europeans in Quebec 20 years ago and much much less players coming from the Maritimes and from USA. You may disagree but I think these 100 players contribute to increase the level of the game in QMJHL. I'm inclined to think that Dixon, Pohl, Hennessy, Skhotov, Hrdl, Stewart, Kutny, Crosby and the likes, all players not from Quebec province, make the level of the game higher than it was use to. And D men like Wagner, Gavalier, Ramhold and Sersen are not necessarily future NHL all of famers but they are arguably among the best D men right now in the Quebec league.

By the way, of the 57 QMJHL players drafted by NHL teams, 22 are either from Europe, USA or Atlantic provinces. That means a little bit than 20% of the ''foreign'' players, excluding the ones born in Ontario and werstern provinces, are drafted players. Less than 10% Quebec born players are drafted. I would tend to say this fact also highlightes the important contribution of the ''foreigners'' in the Quebec league.

 

[stardog]

This is the thread that finally made me stop lurking and register.

This issue is more than a Crosby issue though I suspect it is worse when he’s on the ice. But the roughness is a quite a problem throughout the Q. I have written the QMJHL on this before. I believe it is to the point where young players are having their careers affected and that’s a shame. It’s not just about good ole hard-hitting North American hockey, it’s out of control in the Q and most games get out of control now. You can see this for yourself; go to http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index.php and browse through the games and take a look at the penalties. There are a staggering amount of misconducts and game misconducts in most games. The Q needs to get a handle on this and not just in the Rimouski games; barring that I think Crosby should play in Europe next year.

Imagine if Crosby goes to Europe to play next year because he doesn't like the cheap shots (and he has a point as there is no call for those). Instead of showing heart, he runs to another league. What do NHL vets, his NHL team mates, the guys who he will play against in the future etc think of him then? They are going to be all over him when he gets to the NHL, more so than they would in the first place.

His heart and character, right or wrong, will be called into question. IF Crosby sits for those two games, and IF he plays in Europe next year, then players will look down on him as a Ryan Leaf type of guy.

Furthermore, regardless of if he has whined to the media isn't relevant. If he does sit, then his actions speak louder than his words (unless of course he begs to play and they dont let him-if that is the case then I am wrong) and without uttering even a syllable, he shows that he is in agreement with the management.

He really needs to consider all of the ramifications of his long term future. Because as it stands right now, the perception (once again, right or wrong) does not reflect positivley on his character.

 

[Sam I Am]

Is the title of this thread not the biggest oxymoron you've ever heard.

It's the goal of a limetime yet two people have done it.

It's the goal of each of their lifetimes...not yours.

BTW, I still haven't managed to make it any mpeg work. Any suggestions?

 

[Beatnik]

You can argue that - I wouldn't say that the Q was ever a podium CHL league.

I can tell you one thing - we'll never see a Ray Bourque-type come out of this league again.

Good to know that you can see into the future.

who is the next Orr in the OHL?

The Europeans you see in the QMJHL - especially the QMJHL - are the leftovers (with maybe a couple of exceptions). Meaning you're seeing the players that are probably not good enough to play in the pros in their respective countries or are just not very well liked.
These are the Michal Sersen types. They're not bad, but they're not terribly good either.

Lets compare:
name me 3 euro from the OHL better than Shkotov, Ramholt, Zakharov
and 3 who'll be drafted before Pohl, Karsums ans Sersen

 

[bb_fan]

No one ever touched Gretzky ..Hah..i saw a game between the Soo and Ottawa 67s when Wayne and Bobby Smith were gunning for the OHL scoring title ..the 67s were all over Wayner , it was brutal ..he never whined , his coach never whined ..no all he did was score about 5 points that night , thats how great players handle it , but then again todays players are a bunch of over priced primma donnas .If your SO great Sydney ..then prove it and tell your coach and team to SHUT UP!!!!!!


PLUS all the above players i mentioned in the previous post played in eras when brawls were common and goon hockey was much more accepted than todays pu$$y hockey .Lafleur would often drop the gloves as did Mario in the old Q .Orr fought all through junior and the NHL .

over priced primadonnas, while i dont disagree with most of that, tell Lindros (both of them), Stevens (and all the people he ruined), Roenick (what, number 9 for him) and how many others that when it comes to cheap shots and concussions, just shut up and accept it???

And the only thing i will say about the days when Gretzky or even Orr were in jr. leagues, concusions were not considered all that serious, finish the game, take a few days off, and your back.

Ever since Lafontaine people have really started to pay attention to a scrambled noggin (that and the fact that players are bigger in all leagues now, including jr's, then they were then).

And Lemiux was big enough to fight for himself, as was Orr.

at what, 16-17 years old this kid has to worry about his future already, for health reasons???? something is definitly wrong there.

 

[bb_fan]

Imagine if Crosby goes to Europe to play next year because he doesn't like the cheap shots (and he has a point as there is no call for those). Instead of showing heart, he runs to another league. What do NHL vets, his NHL team mates, the guys who he will play against in the future etc think of him then? They are going to be all over him when he gets to the NHL, more so than they would in the first place.

His heart and character, right or wrong, will be called into question. IF Crosby sits for those two games, and IF he plays in Europe next year, then players will look down on him as a Ryan Leaf type of guy.

Furthermore, regardless of if he has whined to the media isn't relevant. If he does sit, then his actions speak louder than his words (unless of course he begs to play and they dont let him-if that is the case then I am wrong) and without uttering even a syllable, he shows that he is in agreement with the management.

He really needs to consider all of the ramifications of his long term future. Because as it stands right now, the perception (once again, right or wrong) does not reflect positivley on his character.

how does this not reflect positivley on his character??? Becuase his coach is going to sit him for two games becuase the refs arent doing there jobs to prevent/call the cheap stuff???? funny, but this kinda sounds like todays NHL.

Your first paragraph to me is way off base.

how is it not showing heart and character becuase he has no need to or desire to get his body abused above and beyond what a hockey player should expect???

he's a friggin jr hockey player, he's what 17 years old, he has a carrer of cheap shots ahead of him in the NHL, what does he have to prove to anybody in a jr. league other than than he has the skill to play in the NHL???

I'm sorry, but when u have a potential star player who is concerned about his health and well being from cheap shots, not regualr expected hits that everyone deals with, but the cheap stuff, the only thing that shows me is that he has a brain and someting is wrong with hockey, at all levels.

By opting to play in europe, or his coach choosing to sit hin a game or too, i think they are showing that thay have considered the ramifications of his long term future, and the fact that if he doenst protect himslef and watch out for himself, he will not have a long term future.

 

[balddog66]

In Lemieux's defense, he never had anyone to play with in Laval his first...I'm quite sure Crosby has some decent players surrounding him.

 

[LaLaLaprise]

In Lemieux's defense, he never had anyone to play with in Laval his first...I'm quite sure Crosby has some decent players surrounding him.

Yeah but its not like Crosby has amazing line mates either.

People will say Roussin, but without Sidney, Roussin would be a ppg not 1.5ppg.

 

[Cariboux]

He will be playing

 

[Cariboux]

It isn't hard to understand at all. Even for those of us who have seen him play very few times. It is quite easy, because it isn't limited to Sydney Crosby in the QMJHL. Like I said above, it is a position that every star in every league is in.
The leagues DO need to do something about this, but not JUST because, or about, Crosby.

Totally agree with you. It's not just Crosby's case but all talented players. I got nothing againsts bodychecks, great covers and a bit of "fixing". It's the cheap shots against great players that I'm against. The NHL is already blame because they need more goals, imagine is they can't have the better junior players juste because they got their careers ends because a jealous give them cheap shots

 

[stardog]

how does this not reflect positivley on his character??? Becuase his coach is going to sit him for two games becuase the refs arent doing there jobs to prevent/call the cheap stuff???? funny, but this kinda sounds like todays NHL.

Funny, but you are correct. And how many coaches pull thier superstar players against division opponents in today's NHL because they don't like the way they are man handled?
How many susperstars (or even regular guys) ALLOW themselves to be taken out of said games because they dont like cheap shots?

Your first paragraph to me is way off base.

how is it not showing heart and character becuase he has no need to or desire to get his body abused above and beyond what a hockey player should expect???

he's a friggin jr hockey player, he's what 17 years old, he has a carrer of cheap shots ahead of him in the NHL, what does he have to prove to anybody in a jr. league other than than he has the skill to play in the NHL???

How old he is, and what league he plays in is irrelevant. He doesnt HAVE to prove anything. What he should WANT to prove is that he can handle the cheap shots in the same manner that other players (in his own league and age bracket, or not) can handle.

I'm sorry, but when u have a potential star player who is concerned about his health and well being from cheap shots, not regualr expected hits that everyone deals with, but the cheap stuff, the only thing that shows me is that he has a brain and someting is wrong with hockey, at all levels.
[/QUOTE}
Again...right or wrong, Every superstar goes through this. Crosby is no exception, but the rule.
I am not arguing that he should like getting cheap shots, or that they should be acceptable, I am saying that Crosby is no different than many players before him in this regard. Yet how they are dealing with it is MUCH different.

By opting to play in europe, or his coach choosing to sit hin a game or too, i think they are showing that thay have considered the ramifications of his long term future, and the fact that if he doenst protect himslef and watch out for himself, he will not have a long term future.

You are acting as if I am for him getting thrashed. I am not.
I also never said he lacked heart. I said it was a perception. Whether or not it is true isn't the point. The point is that players will not take kindly seeing a team "protect" thier player by not playing him.