I’m sure by now you have read enough articles about Sidney Crosby to write your own book. At the risk of redundancy, I must also chime in. What I have always said I will not do is reiterate, hopefully, what everyone else is already saying – “Sidney’s out for X amount of time”, or “Sidney spoke to the media and is unsure of a timeline for his return”. That has been done to death, and frankly, I see it as a journalists spewing out “junk” just because they know people will read it anyway. To this day, “Sidney Crosby” continues to be this site’s top-ranked search term from Google despite us not writing about him in ages. Go figure.
As my Red Wings were set to play the Penguins the other night, I was disappointed to hear about Sid’s new bout of “concussion-like symptoms”. Not from a selfish standpoint, but rather a genuine concern I have that he will never again be the same player. I just don’t think he will be the same player again, similar to the inevitable fates of LaFontaine and Lindros. Unlike either of those guys, Crosby has yet to enter what experts feel is a player’s “prime”. At the risk of going off on a tangent and losing you, I must say that I am sure I am not alone in thinking the “prime” age must be lowered from 28 to around 25. Back to Sid.
Crosby’s game is a physical one. He is not Gretzky, who made a living dancing around players much like a ballerina. Okay, bad analogy, I get it. I just mean that Crosby is the guy that will dig in corners, fight in front of the net, block shots, take a dive (sorry, had to throw that in there), and attempt to pound another guy into oblivion, albeit rarely. If he is constantly looking over his shoulders, how can he possibly do that? If the next hit might always be seen as the one that permanently sidelines him, how can he not play more cautiously. I don’t see how it is possible, no matter if he feels 100% or not.
I think we are at a crossroads here. Who amongst us are ready to admit that we have likely seen Crosby’s best days, and who is still holding out with the assumption that everything will be hunky-dory? I, for one, represent the former, sadly. I like Crosby. I am not a Penguins fan, but I am a hockey fan and can appreciate seeing the best sports has to offer. I liked watching Jordan, Gretzky, Lemieux, Tiger, Shaq, Maradona, Montana, Rice, etc. Not because I liked their teams; in fact I didn’t like any of them. Rather, I liked watching the best the game has to offer. I just don’t know if I can expect to see that from Crosby, and with each “precautionary measure” the Penguins report, I feel less inclined to put stock in a full Crosby recovery.
Sorry, but this is a sad realization I have come to.
…and that is the last word.
