V I N M A N' s V I B e

Want to know why people outside of Pittsburgh dislike Sidney Crosby as a player?

At game’s end last night, as the Detroit Red Wings were lining up to congratulate their goaltender, Crosby was the last Penguin to skate by on his way to the bench. His behaviour and his summary of it speaks volumes: “He (Kirk Maltby) was doing what he always does, giving guys lip service,” Crosby said. “And you know, I two-handed him on top of the foot as we were skating by. He felt it was necessary to keep talking after the game, and I thought I’d whack him, and that was it.”

In case you missed it, you can check out the video here: http://tinyurl.com/mmxsqz

Lest you think this is merely home-boy-blind Red Wing vitriol here, I have to say I really admire Crosby as a person and hope he turns out to be one of the premier players in the history — not just this era — of the NHL. His talent, energy and love of the game are second to none.

But I think he was put in the position of carrying (and being a leader of) a franchise too early in his career. Talent, desire and passion do not miraculously imbue wisdom. And playing for Pittsburgh, he did not have experienced leaders around him every day.

Instead, Crosby had to pick up the mantle of the team and carry it on his speedy shoulders. And he did that admirably. In one of the first games I saw him play, former Detroit defenseman Darren Hatcher was shadowing Crosby as a Philadelphia Flyer. Hatcher, about a foot taller and a foot meaner, was hacking Crosby every chance he got. At every turn, there was Hatcher gooning it up but Crosby knew it was a pivotal experience in his young career on a losing team. For 60 minutes, he gave back as good as he got and at one point dropped his gloves and went toe-to-toe with Hatcher.

Statement he made that night by his actions:“Throw your best goonery at me and I can handle it. I’m Sidney Crosby and I’m not going to give an inch.”

Time goes on and he is crowned the King of the NHL by Bettman et., all. And both Crosby and the Penguins mature in their winning percentage to challenge Detroit for a second year in a row for the Stanley Cup.

Detroit has surprised every opponent in these playoffs by their clean, tough physical play. They took cross-checks to the back of the head regularly against the Ducks who could not rile them. They endured the same against the Black Hawks, who paid with penalties and last night’s start against Pittsburgh was no different.

Crosby’s attempted hit on Zettererg at center ice was a high elbow to the head. Cook charged in from the face off circle after the whistle to deliver the same. I can live with those and so can the Red Wings.

But Crosby’s whack at Maltby — and then escape behind the refs — shows how young men without leaders like Lidstrom, Yzerman, Osgood et., all do not mature enough to do their reputations justice.

Statement he made last night by his actions: “I remain petulant and in need of more flavoring to attain the spice of leadership.”

I’d like to say it’s not Crosby’s fault. That he’s been stuck in a tough situation with a growing team.

So, I will.

But Crosby needs to realize that his shenanigans such as those toward Maltby last night are an indicator of how far he has to go to be in the same league as classy NHLers over the years even if Maltby was handing out lip-service.

I sincerely hope he gets there, just as long as it’s sometime after June.

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Comment: Dude, there’s a typo in that…wil instead of win?

Vinman: Yep, sure is thanks…..takes a lot of wil to win the Stanley Cup

Hockey is not for the meek, and Nick Kronwall’s body check on Marty Havlat last night deserves some more fact-finding than coaches and players offering their opinions. It is important for the NHL to publicly define exactly why this was not an illegal hit for its fans who may only see the result of the check (of which no one is happy).

And they should do it soon before bad blood spills over in the name of righteous retribution.

Let me say I am a peace-loving man. Always have been, always will be. But at times in my lengthy amateur hockey career that spanned from age 6 to 46, there have been times that challenged that precept. It’s a game of incredible speed and reflex, players skating at speeds up to 60 MPH, pucks flying almost double that at times and it is as intense team focus as it gets.

Naturally, one team will (view the hit at http://tinyurl.com/pa6kqy ) interpret intention and rules differently depending upon which bench they sit. But it really boils down to this:

1) Did Kronwall leave his feet?

2) Was the puck near enough to Havlat to be considered he was “playing it?”

3) Was it an intentional hit to the head?

Surely, fans will differ for a long time to come on this one. Personally, I have no problem with the penalty that was assessed, but only because it is difficult for the referees to make perfect calls and they may well have been attempting to keep the game (and the Hawks retaliation toward Kronwall) under control.

The game itself was not marred by this play, it was Original Six NHL hockey at its best. Detroit and Chicago have reestablished a wonderful hockey rivalry that has been missing for decades. As they say, one picture is worth a thousand words.