[JR27]

Love or hate him, he's what we in the advertising world call "Over saturating the market". You can't not know his name. Which is a good thing for the NHL. HOWEVER, now that the NHL has a bonefide marketable transcendent superstar, maybe it's time to clue the rest of the non hockey world onto the other talents in the game. The NHL All Star game ain't it, either. And while I think the first few years of NHL players in the Olympics was cool, I don't think the Olympics is it.

IMHO, a good place to start would be working with hockey sponsors to get more ad placement out there. And not just to the hockey community and during hockey games, but out there in general. I know it would be a hard sell to talk whomever is the official truck/cell phone/dental insurance/blah blah blah into paying for a hockey commercial during an NFL game, but that's what it might take. People who don't know/watch hockey aren't just going to start watching because they heard the one or two hockey fans in the office talking at the water cooler.

But getting back to reality, until the NHL gets back on ESPN and maybe even more network TV coverage on the weekend, the other names in the league will probably never get outside of their respective market to the non NHL world.

(If I'm NBC, I start pimping the first NHL broadcast during the last few weeks of the NFL season and try to appeal to football fans with something along the lines that hitting, speed, and big time talent doesn't end when the super bowl is over.)

[J0e Th0rnton]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf

Ya im a bit sick of him. Everyone is treating him like he will be the next gretzky. and while he still is an amazing player I just cant see him putting up Gretzky like points. IMO I think he will probably max out in the mid-140s. Personally im more of an ovechkin fan. He may not get as many points but he plays hard and can actually hit.

In Crosby's defense, it is impossible in the current state of the NHL to ever put up Lemieux/Gretzky numbers. Its just not possible.

In either case, I tend to agree with getting annoyed at every commercial being Sid the kid. I want some Luongo, Thornton, Iginla, Lecavalier, Ovechkin, etc
I like watching him play, but the amount of commercials with him involved is sheer overkill.

[the_bruin_bear_4]

I love Crosby. I don't think anyone has such a High Work Ethic-Talent Ratio than him.
He IS the face of the NHL for the time being.
Other players get some Recognition... that Cereal add with Thornton and St. Louis.. or those RBK adds when Everybody says a little something somethin about what they pledge. But in my opinion, when i player like croz makes something happen every single play, and You can tell it's not just talent, he's working as hard as he can out there... he deserves the majority of the spotlight

[Dark Reign]

Sure, Im sick of the marketing blitz, but I blame that on the NHL, not Crosby.

Crosby is friggin awesome. I thought he'd bust, or come up waaaaay short with all his pre-draft hype. Man, I was dead wrong. He is the real deal.

Stop comparing him to Gretzky/Lemeiux/whomever. No one, ever, no matter how good will ever touch those records for a multitude of reasons. No offense, but the NHL didnt play much defense in the 80s. Goalie pads were half the size they are now and the butterfly style wasnt popular.

Does that take away from Gretz and Mario? Dunno, bet they dont care either. Bottom line, Crosby is awesome. And seeing as the advertisements are for North America where the predominate language is English, he will continue to be the cover boy. Name one of the 4 major sports where the coverboy speaks broken/accented English? Exactly....

[underslept]

Sidney Crosby is very good, but he definitely lacks in several areas. too many people think this "kid" can do everything...yet surprisingly he can't!

he can score (we all know that) and he can pass (not quite as obvious but still noticeable)

he cannot hit or really be physical, he does not lead very well or at least by traditional means, and he does not control his emotions very well either

so the NHL over-saturating the market with their "best" player...

i believe they really mean one of their "best" point scorers

too many other good point scorers have the entire package and get nowhere near the recognition Sidney Crosby gets.

Ovechkin does most of what Crosby does as far as scoring but can also hit (very well, i might add) and lead his team without crying to the officials every time it doesn't go his way

i guess promoting players like and chiefly Crosby is part of the attempt to weed out the rough stuff...which i don't understand your concept of hockey if you want that to occur and support that movement...

[PensRule]

Originally Posted by underslept

Sidney Crosby is very good, but he definitely lacks in several areas. too many people think this "kid" can do everything...yet surprisingly he can't!

he can score (we all know that) and he can pass (not quite as obvious but still noticeable)

he cannot hit or really be physical, he does not lead very well or at least by traditional means, and he does not control his emotions very well either

so the NHL over-saturating the market with their "best" player...

i believe they really mean one of their "best" point scorers

too many other good point scorers have the entire package and get nowhere near the recognition Sidney Crosby gets.

Ovechkin does most of what Crosby does as far as scoring but can also hit (very well, i might add) and lead his team without crying to the officials every time it doesn't go his way

i guess promoting players like and chiefly Crosby is part of the attempt to weed out the rough stuff...which i don't understand your concept of hockey if you want that to occur and support that movement...

It is not obvious he is a great passer That is all the kid does and probably his best attribute outside of his work-ethic. Just because your not a fan dont downgrade Crosby. Ovechkin is a different type of player who is more physical on the forecheck and is a better pure goal scorer but Crosby is the best playmaker in the game and the most exciting player IMO. Also he does get back in his own end and play D. I dont understand the "he cant be physical" comment either. This kid does not skate around defenders but attacks the D straight ahead and puts them on their toes. He will continually skate into a defender using his legs to power around the net or just shrug off the D and is not affraid to mix it up in front. Not a vocal leader yet but does let his actions do the talking and did go after several players for taking runs at teamates(most notable was when Malkin was boarded and last year when Cheechoo slashed one of our players.) Crosby crying goes back to his rookie year.

I do agree that the league should promote more players.

Dont hate the playa hate the GAME

[Canuck]

Originally Posted by underslept

Sidney Crosby is very good, but he definitely lacks in several areas. too many people think this "kid" can do everything...yet surprisingly he can't!

he cannot hit or really be physical, he does not lead very well or at least by traditional means, and he does not control his emotions very well either

He lacks in several areas?? you only stated 3 areas that you believe he lacks talent in, that aint a whole lot. He cannot hit? Let me tell you if this kid wanted to or had to be really physical to get the puck he could run some guys right through the boards. His frame of 5'11 200 pounds could shake some guys up. Doesnt lead very well? Well first of all he is the youngest captain to ever captain a team in the NHL and I think hes doing a decent job so far, so do alot of other people. Sometimes he doesnt control his emotions very well on calls that he firmly believes that he or one of his teammates didnt do anything wrong. I do believe that this kid can be the full packaged NHL hockey player if he sets his mind to it.

[nittanypucker]

I dont know. I think Crosby is trying to be a leader in his own way by leading through example. I hear that he works out very hard, he practices hard and I know he plays hard. The guy is obviously a good player. Great vision, creativity, can shoot and pass. He even tries to play physical...though it isn't his strong point. But, you have to give it to him, he doesn't shy away. I'm sure most people would be thrilled to have him on their team. As for the commercials though, there is an entire league of talented players. I want to see more of Kovalchuk in commercials, more of Phaneuf's hits and other players who can light it up.

[Bless_D_Mess]

I think that there are three separate issues.

Issue number one is Crosby being a constant whiner always looking to get his way. In this case he is like most team TV announcers or a defense lawyer with a guilty client. Always slanting the facts in his direction. I dislike him for that but he's not the only one.

Number two is him receiving special treatment on the ice by officials. This is unforgivable. If Jagr looks cross-eyed at another player he gets a penalty. If the NHL orders referees to go easy on Crosby the league should lose it's charter.

The last area is the promotion. I hate it when the NHL promotes one player to the detriment of the league. I hate virtually all NHL coverage anyway. It is all devoted to increasing the numbers of hockey fans while ignoring and/or dumping on the true fan. Remember the glowing puck? Remember NBC's 'shift clock' clogging up the screen counting one player's shift? The annoying sideline bimbos that interview player's parents during the game? Miking a player or coach during the game to hear babbling? What insanity!

Promoting Crosby over the rest of the league is just an outgrowth of the above.

[nossagog]

Originally Posted by Bless_D_Mess

Issue number one is Crosby being a constant whiner always looking to get his way. In this case he is like most team TV announcers or a defense lawyer with a guilty client. Always slanting the facts in his direction. I dislike him for that but he's not the only one.

Alright, I'll give everyone this one. Crosby yaps too much, but is it that much more than the leaders of other teams. I challange people to watch the leaders of their teams and be critical of them if they talk to the officials.

Originally Posted by Bless_D_Mess

Number two is him receiving special treatment on the ice by officials. This is unforgivable. If Jagr looks cross-eyed at another player he gets a penalty. If the NHL orders referees to go easy on Crosby the league should lose it's charter.

This I just don't get. Anyone that watches the penguins games day in and day out will tell you that Crosby gets no special treatment. On he contrary, he gets hammered every night, with not alot of calls. Why do people think that most people couldn't belieive that the pens didn't get him protection in his first two years. You site Jagr, so far this year Jagr has 16 pim, Crosby 18, what's your point here???

Originally Posted by Bless_D_Mess

The last area is the promotion. I hate it when the NHL promotes one player to the detriment of the league. I hate virtually all NHL coverage anyway. It is all devoted to increasing the numbers of hockey fans while ignoring and/or dumping on the true fan. Remember the glowing puck? Remember NBC's 'shift clock' clogging up the screen counting one player's shift? The annoying sideline bimbos that interview player's parents during the game? Miking a player or coach during the game to hear babbling? What insanity!

And I agree with this. But this is not Crosby's fault. The league decided to put their eggs in Crosby's basket.