Why Cindy Crysby is the Best Player in the NHL: Part I

I recently read an article in The Triangle, the independent student newspaper at Drexel University, about how Alexander Ovechkin is better than Sidney Crosby. Okay, that's fine for you to think that, I mean, it is one of the great debates in sports today. Well, maybe not all of sports because no one cares about hockey. But it is at least the most heated debate in the NHL. The beef I have with this kid is that he has no real proof that Ovechkin is better. I can tell he just watches Sportscenter's bi-weekly NHL coverage and agrees with whatever Barry Melrose says. I'm not going to go into citing this article because, honestly, it sucks. He contradicts himself throughout and barely makes any strong points. In almost every paragraph he makes a generalization based on his personal bias... I'll go into how Crosby is better than any other player in the NHL, including Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin.

Myth #1: Sidney Crosby has Evgeni Malkin, and that is why he is good. Alexander Ovechkin has no support, and has to do it all himself.

Okay look, Crosby and Malkin have played on the Penguins for 3+ years now, and the only time they are consistently on the ice together is on the power play, which is when you put your best players, regardless of chemistry, on the ice together. DUH!

Penguins' fans have wished that Crosby and Malkin could generate some kind of even-strength chemistry together, but other than a few goals here and there, that has not happened. Probably because they are both centermen. DUH!

Let's look at Crosby's linemates over the years, shall we? Colby Armstrong, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Michel Ouellet, Erik Christensen, Ryan Malone, Max Talbot, Petr Sykora, and now Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. Looks like a load of mediocre Wilkes-Barre players and some washed up old timers to me. Crosby has still put up 402 points in 296 games (as of 10/13/09).

I am not saying Ovechkin has had a better supporting cast, Dainius Zubrus, Chris Clark, Matt Pettinger, Viktor Vozlov, Michael Nylander, etc. I believe it is harder for a centerman to put up points without good linemates because he depends on them to put the puck in the net. A winger, like Ovechkin, can just shoot the puck a shit-load of times and get some goals, especially if you are as skilled as Ovechkin is and shoot it as many times as Ovechkin does.

To be honest, Ovechkin now has more talent wearing the Capitals' sweaters than Pittsburgh suits up with Crosby. Backstrom and Semin are stars in this league. Anybody who denies that is insane. Backstrom just emerged last season, and is already one of the best playmaking centermen in the league. Semin is similar to Malkin, in that he will roam around the ice and will make shots not many others can make (except Malkin is better, but we will not get into that).

It is clear that the Penguins are built around three solid centermen while the Capitals are built around their top line and hopefully they can score more than the other team can, and the only reason the Penguins can do this and still win is because Crosby, Malkin and Staal are good enough centermen that they make mediocre wingers into decent players.

Why Cindy Crysby is the best player in the NHL: Part II. Coming soon!