Why did the teenaged Crosby get more hate than McDavid is getting now?

[Bomber0104]

Because he was a whiny little **** head. And still is pretty whiny.

This.

Combine it with Crosby's face, complexion, and lack of facial hair and you get a guy who is pretty easy to hate on, from men and women alike.

Basically he looks like he should be a particle physicist, not a hockey player.

 

[Rebuilt]

Crosby is a great guy and cares deeply about his leadership. However, he whines and complains. Its a fact. Toews whines and complains too and he rarely smiles.

I have never heard of anyone 'hating' Nick Lidstrom. He simply was a class act on and off the ice. Some guys are just easy to get along with .

Ryan Kesler is one of the premier all purpose forwards in the game but he gets more hate than just about any player with his skill set. Why? He dives, he chirps, he does cheap hits (but not injury level) . Basically puts a target on his back for opposing fans to loathe. He doesnt care either.

Off the ice he is a great family man with 3 kids and has been married since he was 20 years old.

So in the end it is about personality that drives all the 'hate' . People who dont want to like you can find excuses to hate you if you give it to them.

 

[mja]

So you think the reasoning of dozens if not hundreds of posters here is "stupid"? Seems a bit flamey.

No, it's just stupid. That a number of people happen to use that line of 'reasoning' has no bearing on its validity.

 

[Sidney BrOSSby*]

If he starts asking for things.. like free passes.. then there could be hate.

Does anyone think he's "selling" the sport to much?

What if he's on HNIC and the Flames aren't.. or maybe the Leafs don't get it..



Hmmmmm...

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Crosby has always been a baby.

 

[4thline4life]

In all honesty I think the Crosby fanboys and fangirls make him far less likeable than he'd otherwise be. The propensity for them to use the word "hater" and accuse his critics of being jealous makes them sound like Justin Bieber fans. Couple that with a fairly bland and unengaging persona (no idea about his personality, I'm just talking about his public image) and the constant jock sniffing from sections of the Canadian media and it's easy to see how neutral fans could be put off by Brand Crosby even if it's unfair insofar as those things are beyond his control.
What's more, anytime he has been deemed to have fallen short of admittedly lofty expectations there are some very tedious White knights lined up to make excuses and rationalisations. Honestly if his fans weren't so determined to argue his case for him I'd find it much easier to acknowledge his obvious talent.
McDavid just doesn't have the same polarising effect, he seems more likeable and hasn't been shoved down our throats as "The Face Of The NHL". That may change, but I never get the sense that fans and media are as besotted by him as they were with Crosby.
Just IMO ofcourse.

great analogy. in fact, i bet many Crosby fanboys are also Beiber fanboys.

 

[BigBen]

McDavid hasn't whined about anything yet, when and if that day comes, he'll get the same treatment. The kid doesn't seem like that though.

 

[#66]

Because he ran his mouth as a teen, but backed it up.

People nowadays are just delusional. He doesn't whine and hasn't for YEARS. He runs his mouth when people challenge him, but trolls consider it whining. However, when someone else does it, they're being a bad ass or in Toews case, "A STRONG LEADER"

He gets a bad reputation for something he did as a child.

I don't remember him being that way in juniors. Wonder who told him to be like that.

Can you imagine the legends of the 70's and 80's if they had the media and cameras around them every second of their life? A lot of legends would go down in flames for being dirty, whiney and downright jerks.

 

[rfournier103]

I am going to admit that I did not pay too much attention to Crosby when he was in Juniors. I'm more of a fan of the pro game, and since there was no realistic chance of him going to the Bruins in the draft, he wasn't on my radar. I didn't have time to concern myself with a teenage kid that would never suit up for my team. Therefore I cannot speak to his actions and perception by fans during his Junior days.

As a pro...

I think much (not all, mind you) of the hate lands on him because of the team he plays for. I hate the Canadiens so much that I should probably seek counseling; but my number 2 most hated team is the Pittsburgh Penguins. And a lot of other NHL fans hate the Pens, too. Ask around.

They just have a history of not being likable.

For example, tanking in 1984 to get Mario. There are people that still have that in their craw.

Then there's more recent drafting...

~2003 Marc-Andre Fleury # 1 overall.
~2004 Evgeni Malkin # 2 overall.
~2005 Sidney Crosby # 1 overall.
~2006 Jordan Staal # 2 overall.

Granted, Staal was drafted AFTER Crosby, but Sid still takes the heat anyway. Maybe the Pens really WERE that bad, but there's a lot of feeling that they tanked. A lot. By the time Crosby was drafted, Pittsburgh had two top two picks, and drafted great players with them. Enough was enough. Bad enough they got Fleury and Malkin; but Crosby??? I guarantee that if Crosby landed in Columbus the hate wouldn't even be CLOSE to what he gets now.

ALSO... If you wanted to throw in Ryan Whitney drafted # 5 overall in 2002; you then have FIVE straight seasons with a top five pick. To recap - that's TWO number 1s (overall); TWO number 2s (overall); and a number 5 (overall).


I'll give them this much. They hit on all five. Kudos.

But Crosby to many embodies the tanking and manipulating and suspicions of skullduggery on the part of the Penguins. He's a white whale of sorts to many who hate the Penguins. The focus of their hatred.

Throw in whining, diving, and a cheap shot here and there; and you have a recipe for a very hated player.

QUESTION: Did the 2010 Olympics make anyone here feel differently about Crosby?

 

[Lebowski]

He had a right to. I couldn't believe how much cross checking, etc Oshawa was getting away with on him. They had to drape 2-3 guys on him every time he was in close.

You think it was any different for Crosby?

 

[Raspewtin]

Crosby wasn't really hated before coming into the league.

His first 3 years in the league however, made him a lot of enemies.

 

[Ozz]

For example, tanking in 1984 to get Mario. There are people that still have that in their craw.

Then there's more recent drafting...

~2003 Marc-Andre Fleury # 1 overall.
~2004 Evgeni Malkin # 2 overall.
~2005 Sidney Crosby # 1 overall.
~2006 Jordan Staal # 2 overall.

Granted, Staal was drafted AFTER Crosby, but Sid still takes the heat anyway. Maybe the Pens really WERE that bad, but there's a lot of feeling that they tanked. A lot. By the time Crosby was drafted, Pittsburgh had two top two picks, and drafted great players with them. Enough was enough. Bad enough they got Fleury and Malkin; but Crosby??? I guarantee that if Crosby landed in Columbus the hate wouldn't even be CLOSE to what he gets now.

ALSO... If you wanted to throw in Ryan Whitney drafted # 5 overall in 2002; you then have FIVE straight seasons with a top five pick. To recap - that's TWO number 1s (overall); TWO number 2s (overall); and a number 5 (overall).


I'll give them this much. They hit on all five. Kudos.

There's a lot of luck involved with all of that, still. Conspiracy theory aside, Crosby could have ended up most anywhere.

In MAF's draft year, the Pens traded up to get him first overall. No sense using this against them.

Had Malkin been at the level of most other #2 picks, not much would be said about him either.

If Staal didn't end up on the Penguins team to see the success he did, no one would care that he was a high pick. When's the last time anyone even mentioned him around here (or anywhere?) without wondering what happened to him? Toews was picked right after Staal was and no one blasts the Hawks for having a high pick. He just worked out well, as did Kane. The picks themselves could have been anybody.

The Oilers don't seem to get anywhere near the same hate, and they've had more "handed to them" than any team depending on which side of the fence you're on about that. Since they've yet to see any sort of success, everyone just laughs at them instead.

Give a guy a few million bucks to crash and burn, and everyone laughs. Give it to someone else who is wise with finances and more or less sets himself up for life, and everyone cries foul.

 

[rfournier103]

The Oilers don't seem to get anywhere near the same hate, and they've had more "handed to them" than any team depending on which side of the fence you're on about that. Since they've yet to see any sort of success, everyone just laughs at them instead.

Give a guy a few million bucks to crash and burn, and everyone laughs. Give it to someone else who is wise with finances and more or less sets himself up for life, and everyone cries foul.

I agree 100% with everything written above.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

If Tampa is successful as a team he will get that treatment

Crosby and Malkin, both often considered as the 2 best players in the league, almost missed the playoffs this year.

You can't have 1 star player and expect to be good, you need to build around them. The fact that Stamkos has only made the playoffs 3 times in his career is the Lightning's fault, not his. He's the 2nd player to score 60 goals in the NHL in the last 19 years, along with Ovechkin (Lemieux last did it in 1996). Definitely one of the greatest goal scorers in this era.

Back on topic: McDavid is not a baby like Crosby was during his junior days and early NHL career. That's why he doesn't get hate.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

I don't remember him being that way in juniors. Wonder who told him to be like that.

Can you imagine the legends of the 70's and 80's if they had the media and cameras around them every second of their life? A lot of legends would go down in flames for being dirty, whiney and downright jerks.

PC world.

Billy Smith is seen as the ultimate competitor, not shaking hands after a series is over. Chalked up as a legend for that.

Russia does it and are facing punishments.

 

[BHD]

Crosby is a great guy and cares deeply about his leadership. However, he whines and complains. Its a fact. Toews whines and complains too and he rarely smiles.

I have never heard of anyone 'hating' Nick Lidstrom. He simply was a class act on and off the ice. Some guys are just easy to get along with .

Ryan Kesler is one of the premier all purpose forwards in the game but he gets more hate than just about any player with his skill set. Why? He dives, he chirps, he does cheap hits (but not injury level) . Basically puts a target on his back for opposing fans to loathe. He doesnt care either.

Off the ice he is a great family man with 3 kids and has been married since he was 20 years old.

So in the end it is about personality that drives all the 'hate' . People who dont want to like you can find excuses to hate you if you give it to them.

Yet he is widely regarded as the consummate captain...

Any 'whining' Crosby does now is no different than what the majority of players do.

 

[RoyalGremlin]

In his rookie year, every time the camera was on him (which was a lot) he was always dropping f bombs and chirping. I didn't really care, I've never hated him but it did get a bit annoying when he was on TV everywhere. It's McDavid's turn now so eventually he'll get his haters, but I don't see how because he's such a good kid. The kind of kid I'd let my daughter date, although I can't imagine any father not wanting that lol.

 

[stubbadub]

I blame Don Cherry and his hatred for everyone outside of the OHL. Senile Don has been the biggest problem within the NHL in the past 25 years, whether it be his often times prejudice and racial comments, unwillingness to pronounce players' names, or his overt contribution to the concussion problems with "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em". Guy is a clown, and deserves a lot of credit for Crosby's aforementioned hate before entering the league and once a part of it.

 

[junglefinn]

Most of the players whines. The difference is that there are probably more than two cameras in every arena that focus just on Crosby. Everything he does in the game is recorded and then we see replays of some chirping and talking to refs everytime the game is having a break.
"Look dad, Crosby is talking to refs again. He whines a lot". Of course they are going to show Crosby replays over every other player even those players are doing the exact same thing all the time.

It's funny when Crosby poked Vorachek's glove away everyone was talking how classless and immature he is.
Giroux and Perry for example do almost same things on the ice and "it's funny and they are probably nice guys to hang out with". Okay sure Perry get's a lot of hate also, but most people things he's just someone you dont want to play against, but probably a great guy off the ice.
Same people says Crosby is just overall "piece of ****" with the same actions.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Because Crosby was hyped to no end as the "face of the new NHL" and whined and dove a lot as an 18 year old.

Ovechkin came in at the same time with much less fanfare, and outperformed Crosby.

Also, watch this:

Ovechkin was older than Crosby in his first year.

 

[Siludin]

I see this thread was made on 4/20.

 

[cassius]

Lebron didn't have many fans either, despite being hands down the best NBA player since Jordan.

Just like how Sid has been the best player since Mario.. and McDavid will be the best player since Sid

People are always gonna hate the best players if they aren't on their team

 

[Jacob]

I remember Crosby getting hate prior to being drafted for two reasons, both from Don Cherry. He called the lacrosse-style goal a hot dog move and there was some criticism when he took a knee-on-knee hit in the QMJHL and his dad threatened to take him out of the league if they wouldn't protect him.

 

[CanadianPantherFan]

Crosby whines, his attitude on ice, jumps guys and drop his gloves. Respect factor is not there with him and I don't respect him.

McDavid seems to be more of a fan favourite across. I question his ceiling though. I'm in the minority no doubt but just a gut feeling I have I guess.

 

[Classicnamesup]

Remember when Crosby punched a guy in the groin (who was already in a fight) from behind?