Remember when people called Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby a crybaby?
I’m sure there are some who still do—just like there are people who still go to New Kids on the Block concerts—but you don’t hear Crosby being called a whiner or a crybaby very much anymore.
Yes, calling Crosby a crybaby used to be a popular thing. Maybe he needed to prove himself at the NHL level before gaining respect from opposing teams, players and hockey fans. However, even after a spectacular 102-point rookie season in 2005-2006 and becoming the youngest player to amass 100 and 200 points and to record two consecutive 100-point seasons, more and more hockey fans continued to jump on the Crosby’s-a-crybaby bandwagon.
Crosby has undeniable skill, which understandably threatens opposing teams, their fans and players. It’s true that NHL players must earn and build respect by conducting themselves on the ice accordingly. And this was no different for Crosby.
During his rookie season, opposing players and coaches constantly accused Crosby of diving and complaining to the refs too much. That last accusation is fairly true. Crosby did, and still does, excessively complain to the refs. But what Crosby is doing should instead be seen as arguing his and his team’s case, which is something that most, if not all, team captains tend to do. It comes with the territory and the responsibility.
Remember, Crosby was designated an alternate captain only two months into his rookie season, causing Don Cherry to criticize the young man’s lack of experience.
“An 18-year-old kid says he’s going to give us ideas,” Cherry said during a 2005 segment of Coach’s Corner. “What, from the Quebec League, he’s going to give them ideas? Come on. That’s ridiculous.
“No kid should have as much say as he’s got to say, yapping at the referees, doing the whole thing, ‘Golden Boy’.”
Regarding Crosby’s apparent whining, former Los Angeles Kings goaltender and current hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey rightfully and correctly compared Crosby’s vocal propensity to Wayne Gretzky, who was similarly labelled a whiner early on in his great, storied career.
Following his sophomore season, Crosby, at 19, became the youngest team captain in NHL history. “Sid the Kid” continued arguing with the refs and eventually led the Penguins to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Detroit Red Wings in six games. Nevertheless, Crosby led his team back to the finals against the Red Wings the following season, defeating Detroit in seven games and becoming the youngest player to captain a Stanley Cup winning team in modern NHL history.
Crosby was starting to prove all of his critics wrong. Most people mistakenly underestimated Crosby’s maturity—even as an 18-year-old rookie. But despite all of his early success, Crosby was still considered a whiner; though, most of his harshest critics had gradually quieted by this point.
Almost everything changed for Crosby at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where Crosby, criticized the entire tournament for his so-called lacklustre play, famously scored the “Golden Goal” to help defeat the Americans in overtime and win the gold for Canada.
2010 was the last year I heard anybody refer to Crosby as a crybaby. This could be due to the fact that Crosby had finally proven himself and had become a national hero. Or, maybe Crosby-haters became uncomfortable comparing an NHL superstar suffering from post-concussion syndrome in 2011 and 2012 to a whining baby.
The most likely reason the crybaby analogy has virtually disappeared is Crosby has gained respect and established himself as a legitimate leader, superstar and clutch performer. Young prospects are now being compared to him. With his 833 points in 608 games (1.37 PPG), two Olympic gold medals and Stanley Cup championship, the hockey world can no longer call Crosby a crybaby; we can only call him one of the best.
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