Who would Crosby pick?

[Brodie562]

With the rookie maximum it is clear that Crosby will choose his team (in case of him becoming a UFA) with his heart. So the Montreal Canadiens are the obvious choice for a lot of us but he may as well go with teams that will win championships and assure him of having big numbers soon so Ottawa, Florida and Atlanta become very attractive. I won't to predict where he will end up. What I'll do is play Bob Gainey and give my arguments WHY Crosby should choose my team, the Montreal Canadiens. As a fan of that team I cannot be really objective so...

1. Rookie maximum is the same every in the league, so he won't get more money elsewhere.

2. Montreal is a hockey crazy city. He will be a god in the province of Quebec and every will be wearing #87's jersey at Bell Centre. He would be the biggest star in the province and get tone of money to endorse products. More than everywhere else because in Quebec hockey is the first sports we love.

3. The chance to help his boyhood team to build a new dynasty. Well, not only the chance of "helping" us out, but the chance of being the next Richard, Béliveau, Roy, Lafleur etc. We have good players in our system and we're a team on the rise that actually makes the playoffs right now unlike Atlanta and Florida.

4. Having Bob Gainey as a GM, a guy that will help him to learn how the win and how to handle the pressure.

5. Playing in a market that he already KNOWS. No adaptation, no new journalist (he already have all Quebec's guys on his back). Plus, in Quebec he is already loved and admired.

6. Having the chance of being pretty close to home (10 hours or so) and having the chance for the team that draft his father.

7. Paying alot of taxes

Id think he like to play in a city where he could live a normal life. Would you as an 18 year old KID want to play in a city where you wouldnt be able to go out without signing an autograph? Id pick a city where the team is strong (Talent and market) and where hockey isnt the #1 sport. San Jose, LA, Dallas, New Jersey, Philadelphia, basically any team except for the Canadian teams.

 

[K9]

Id think he like to play in a city where he could live a normal life. Would you as an 18 year old KID want to play in a city where you wouldnt be able to go out without signing an autograph? Id pick a city where the team is strong (Talent and market) and where hockey isnt the #1 sport. San Jose, LA, Dallas, New Jersey, Philadelphia, basically any team except for the Canadian teams.

If I played hockey, I wouldn't play for a team where hockey isn't all that's talked about. Growing up in Montreal, it seems normal that hockey is literally everything and anything, so no southern markets for me.

Ever lived in Jersey? If I talked to Crosby for 20 minutes, I could talk him out of going to play for New Jersey, guaranteed.

Philadelphia, now that is a very interesting choice, however, you kind of contradict yourself. Hockey is huge in Philly. Sure Eagles are followed more, but when it the football ends, Philadelphia is a hockey town. Philly would be my second choice if I played in the league, with both the New York teams second, Montreal being my first obviously.

 

[Brodie562]

If I played hockey, I wouldn't play for a team where hockey isn't all that's talked about. Growing up in Montreal, it seems normal that hockey is literally everything and anything, so no southern markets for me.

Ever lived in Jersey? If I talked to Crosby for 20 minutes, I could talk him out of going to play for New Jersey, guaranteed.

Philadelphia, now that is a very interesting choice, however, you kind of contradict yourself. Hockey is huge in Philly. Sure Eagles are followed more, but when it the football ends, Philadelphia is a hockey town. Philly would be my second choice if I played in the league, with both the New York teams second, Montreal being my first obviously.

Just because the media doesnt pay any attention to Hockey doesnt may there isnt interest (fanbase). I could only speak for LA, but there is hardly any coverage (about 70 something games a year, and thats it. FSN is all about the Lakers) and we still have a strong fanbase.

What would you tell Sidney about New Jersey? that he wouldnt fit in with great players like Brodeur, Gomez, Elias, Niedermayer, etc. As for Philly I dont live there but i would think that the Sixers are 2nd after the Eagles.

 

[K9]

Just because the media doesnt pay any attention to Hockey doesnt may there isnt interest (fanbase). I could only speak for LA, but there is hardly any coverage (about 70 something games a year, and thats it. FSN is all about the Lakers) and we still have a strong fanbase.

What would you tell Sidney about New Jersey? that he wouldnt fit in with great players like Brodeur, Gomez, Elias, Niedermayer, etc. As for Philly I dont live there but i would think that the Sixers are 2nd after the Eagles.

As a hockey player, hockey isn't absolutely everything when considering which team to play for. New Jersey has a fantastic team with some great players that I am sure Crosby would enjoy playing for, but apart from a good team, New Jersey has nothing to offer. I think unless you live in a suburb where it is easy for you to get to New York or Philadelphia, New Jersey might just be the most boring state in the country. I lived there for 2 years, and I can say I didn't like it at all. Philadelphia I loved, and New York I loved, but I hated New Jersey. There was really nothing to do. I just think if I told Crosby about my 2 years there and how much I didn't like it, there is a good chance he would think twice about playing there.

I lived in a suburd that was more "Philadelphia" than New York, kind of hard to explain, since we were about an hour and a half away from each, but I guess the people were more loyal to Philadelphia, and from my experience, the Flyers were much more important than the Sixers.

 

[GKJ]

Probably the Rangers, as they could pay him the most.

without a doubt.


Detroit or Colorado would loom around too.

 

[pei fan]

Well you can stop your crazy speculating.There will be no free agency.Go
to thread 2005 Draft Answer.

 

[thrashers=cup05]

Or he could go to Atlanta and center Heatley and Kovalchuk and take passes from Coburn and cherry pick at the red line and wait for saucers from Lehtonen

I like that idea.

 

[Drake1588]

Well, there will almost certainly be a draft at some point (not necessarily June) so I'd take issue with the central premise of this thread, but allowing that he were in fact to become a free agent, I do think he would play for the Canadiens.

He's going to make bank anywhere once his three-year, entry-level contract expires, and he has stated on more than one occasion that Montreal is his favorite club, and that it would be his first choice had he his druthers. I tend to believe him, and discount the argument that substantially more money is available elsewhere when compared to what Gillette would be prepared to pay to retain his services.

That said, it doesn't really matter in reality. He's most likely going to be a Penguin or a Hawk or a Capital or a Ranger or a Blue Jacket or any of the numerous other teams, probably five or six in all, that are likely to be in the running should there be a partial season played or if they use last season's rankings to hold a draft without playing any games.

 

[Reilly311]

He'd go to pittsburgh to play with Mario Lemieux.

 

[espo*]

With the rookie maximum it is clear that Crosby will choose his team (in case of him becoming a UFA) with his heart. So the Montreal Canadiens are the obvious choice for a lot of us but he may as well go with teams that will win championships and assure him of having big numbers soon so Ottawa, Florida and Atlanta become very attractive. I won't to predict where he will end up. What I'll do is play Bob Gainey and give my arguments WHY Crosby should choose my team, the Montreal Canadiens. As a fan of that team I cannot be really objective so...

1. Rookie maximum is the same every in the league, so he won't get more money elsewhere.

2. Montreal is a hockey crazy city. He will be a god in the province of Quebec and every will be wearing #87's jersey at Bell Centre. He would be the biggest star in the province and get tone of money to endorse products. More than everywhere else because in Quebec hockey is the first sports we love.

3. The chance to help his boyhood team to build a new dynasty. Well, not only the chance of "helping" us out, but the chance of being the next Richard, Béliveau, Roy, Lafleur etc. We have good players in our system and we're a team on the rise that actually makes the playoffs right now unlike Atlanta and Florida.

4. Having Bob Gainey as a GM, a guy that will help him to learn how the win and how to handle the pressure.

5. Playing in a market that he already KNOWS. No adaptation, no new journalist (he already have all Quebec's guys on his back). Plus, in Quebec he is already loved and admired.

6. Having the chance of being pretty close to home (10 hours or so) and having the chance for the team that draft his father.

7. Paying alot of taxes

I'm with ya all the way on this one...Montreal is where he should go,of course i'm i habs fan so i'm not being unbiased.God i'd love to get him with the habs.

 

[hockeyfan33]

Crosby had 3 weeks to find out what the Kings organization and Los Angeles is all about. If he wants to play here, give the Kings a call, a contract is waiting for you!!


He already knows most of our top young players, management and the city. Where else to play then somewhere where you are comfortable. LA is the perfect place for an 18 year old millionare.

 

[Hab Fan]

Let's say there is no draft, and Crosby is legally allowed to declare himself an unrestricted free agent.

Where do you think he goes, and why?

Canadian team for sure, or American?

He would package himself with Johnson to Montreal!

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

Crosby had 3 weeks to find out what the Kings organization and Los Angeles is all about. If he wants to play here, give the Kings a call, a contract is waiting for you!!


He already knows most of our top young players, management and the city. Where else to play then somewhere where you are comfortable. LA is the perfect place for an 18 year old millionare.

lmao.... or lame.... anyways.

Crosby is a habs fan, you know... don't you?

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

He would package himself with Johnson to Montreal!

can we add Bourret, Latendresse, Bourdon and Paquet??? LOL, that alone will prevent the NHL from letting those guys go UFA.

 

[acr*]

If that's the case, he should spend more time practicing his diving skills

 

[Debrincat93]

Id love to see him here in detroit. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Grigorenko, Hudler, Crosby, that would be a amazing forward unit for years......

 

[Ponik]

Montreal

 

[CoupeStanley]

IMO, they're would be a strong chance that he go to the Habs. They are his favourite team and whoever said they don't have the money are Leafs fans.

The Habs has always been one of the highest revenue team in the NHL, they hit a bad slump where they were so bad and they didnt seem to try to improve, the ads were lower, boxes were lower, tv deals were lower, canadian dollars was at his lowest.

There's no way in hell they dont have the money for the guys that gonna put them over the top again.

 

[nomorekids]

IMO, they're would be a strong chance that he go to the Habs. They are his favourite team and whoever said they don't have the money are Leafs fans.

The Habs has always been one of the highest revenue team in the NHL, they hit a bad slump where they were so bad and they didnt seem to try to improve, the ads were lower, boxes were lower, tv deals were lower, canadian dollars was at his lowest.

There's no way in hell they dont have the money for the guys that gonna put them over the top again.

and yet it won't matter, because he's not going to be a UFA that just anyone can signed.

Nice while it lasted though, huh?

 

[CoupeStanley]

and yet it won't matter, because he's not going to be a UFA that just anyone can signed.

Nice while it lasted though, huh?

Well. I answered to the thread. What else was I suppose to do ?

The question wasnt "do you think crosby gonna be ufa ?"

 

[Rocket#9]

and yet it won't matter, because he's not going to be a UFA that just anyone can signed

Nice while it lasted though, huh?

Maybe you should read the very first post of this thread. This is all assuming is becomes a UFA, whether it's realistic or not

This is like someone coming in a 50's Canadiens vs 80's Oilers thread and telling us it's impossible. We all know that already, thank you. We're just having fun

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

and yet it won't matter, because he's not going to be a UFA that just anyone can signed.

Nice while it lasted though, huh?

ok.... Were you seriously thinking that we really thought he was gonna be a UFA?

 

[nomorekids]

ok.... Were you seriously thinking that we really thought he was gonna be a UFA?

read some of the posts. some people did.

 

[NYRangers]

He'd pick the Devils. The meadowlands has a nice view of the swamp.

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

read some of the posts. some people did.

oh well some did after all. No one really thought it was going to happen for sure, but there's a small possibility that it might happen. RDS talked with Pat Brisson and he said that it was a real possibility. IMO, it's not gonna happen but I'm aware that it's possible with all the CBA mess that they're in. However, the possibility is so slim that it's almost foolish to think it's gonna happen.