Sid the Kid

The Calder race may have been long ago, but the battle between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby lives on…actually, today’s NHL thrives on it. Well…maybe they thrive a little more on the Crosby side, since the entire NHL has jumped on the Sid the Kid bandwagon. The league has done nothing but relentlessly promote Crosby, almost to the exclusion of all the other players in the league. Think about it, how many more Crosby commercials do you see compared to anyone else in the league?
The NHL has a lot invested in Sid the Kid. So much invested in fact, that if the Penguins do not make the playoffs this year, it will be an outstanding disappointment. Sid the Kid could not secure a Stanley Cup last year, and this year Sidney the Savior can not even manage to get into the playoffs. Currently in 10th place, the Penguins would not make the playoffs if the season ended today. The NHL may have something to say about that. Everyone has noticed the terrible refereeing as of late, but in a recent game against the Washington Capitals, referee’s Don Koharski and Paul Devorski made at least eighteen BLATANT miscalls—all to the benefit of the Pens; a topic that was hotly discussed on the 1500AM post-game show for at least an hour. Maybe the league is not lending Sidney and his floundering Penguins a helping hand, but if that is the case, they should check up on the ref situation.
The refereeing may be giving Crosby freedom, but many of the leagues players are not cutting him any slack. Take Ovie for example. Also during the Capitals game, Sidney was caught in a verbal exchange at the Capitals bench, in which Ovechkin dismissed him with the wave of a hand. Sid the immature Kid kept it up all night, just as he has for the better part of the season; completely turning off many NHL fans.
In doing research for this article, I interviewed both non-hockey fans, and hockey fans. The responses can be summed up as follows:
#1) The non-NHL viewers knew of Sidney because of the NHL’s constant promotions; they knew much less about Alexander Ovechkin. “I think that if I lived on the west coast, not in Canada, but in California or something, then I probably would have no idea about Ovechkin,” said Max Schechter. “I don’t follow hockey, but most of the hockey promotions I have seen have been about Crosby.”
#2) The NHL fans are discouraged with Crosby’s antics. (That view may be entirely due to the fact that I live in Ovie territory). Hockey is becoming a top sport in North America, and many look to it for a source of entertainment. But honestly, his whining is a complete turnoff to non-pens fans because it takes away from the great player that he really is. “He’s a crybaby,” said Carl Endres, when asked about his opinion of Sidney.
How is this good promotion of the NHL? When one of the top player’s in the league makes a show of complaining on the ice every game? Also, how is the promotion of ONE player good for the NHL? They should be profiling many players, in order to show the amount of talent that the league has.
Furthermore, it boggles my mind that since the league has become all for promoting the entertainment side of hockey, that they do not promote Ovechkin more. Crosby seems to skate his way through everything, holding himself at a distance from others (including his teammates), and not showing us, the fans, any of the passion that a player like Ovechkin presents. Obviously Sidney does not care for enthusiastic goal celebrations (so why he has started doing them, I have no idea), but that is what it takes to sell the game these days.

Green Day

Mike Green made a spot for himself in the NHL history books by becoming the first defenseman to score goals in eight consecutive games. Green passed up Mike O’Connell of Boston (7 goal game streak) in 1984. Green now not only has control of this record, but he is currently also the highest scoring defenseman in the league, with 22 goals.
His record breaking goal was on a Washington power play, and came with 5:33 left in the second period. Green needs only one more power play goal in order to tie Scott Steven’s franchise record.
Green has really come into his own the past two seasons, both on and off of the ice. Leading the league in goals by a defenseman, Green’s plus 27 is tied for second in the league and his 50 is the highest among NHL blue liners.
On the ice, Green has become one of the most exciting young players in the game, reminiscent of stars like Paul Coffey. His speed and scoring attribute to his hardworking style of play. His speed allows him to cut down on odd number opportunities. And if he continues to put up such grand numbers, he will certainly earn himself a Norris nomination.

Fatal Wrist Injury?

A long list of injuries add to the resume of Chris Clark. A known scorer, hard player and gritty offender, Clark is now out for the season. The captain has been watching from the sidelines for a good majority of the past two seasons. Now the captain will finish out a third season off the ice; he prepared for a mid-season wrist surgery last week. His newest injury will keep him out at least until the playoffs.
While injuries are beneficial to no one, they are particularly unhelpful to Clark and his Capitals. As of late, new young talent has flooded the roster, gently filling Clark's place. As the team develops without their captain, it makes it harder for him to jump back into the line-up. His rusting skills have to catch up with the fresh, practised talent, which is difficult, given the amount of time he spends on injured reserve. I must say it is saddening to see Bruce Boudreau list him as a healthy scratch, simply because his play is stagnant.
So therefore, the question becomes what should be done with him? There is no question about Clark's commitment (if he could be playing, he would) or skill (he made it to the NHL didn't he?), the question is does he still belong in Washington.
Loyalty to Clark as a Capital makes me want to keep him, but common sense says no. What good is a player who is never in the line-up? Great captain or no, Clark is not doing his team any favors on the sidelines. With such a full roster both in Washington and Hershey, it is hard to find a spot for an injury plagued player.
What the Capitals will do remains in question. It is clear that Clark's captaincy is not, and never was, an issue. The team loves and respects him, as do management and the fans. I don't believe that the team would ever consider taking the "C" away from him, even though they have a ready captain in Ovechkin. But if he can do no more to aide his team, then the Capitals may look for a trade to help advance them in their Stanley Cup chase.