He might just as well not be.
Crosby might just be in a slump; though admittedly the worst
of his professional career. That slump,
combined with the often overwhelming defensive attention he receives (with
questionable legality), might simply be wearing him down mentally.
It can happen to the best of players. I saw it first hand with Jonathan Toews last
year. He was basically a non-factor
offensively for the first 9 games of the playoffs. Things got so bad that he took three
penalties, mostly undisciplined and unnecessary, in game 4 in Detroit. He did this in what appeared to be a near
must win game for the Hawks. That’s hardly
what you would expect from one of the great leaders in hockey.
Things got so bad that Brent Seabrook had to talk to Toews
on the ice and blast him behind the scenes to wake him up. Such news was shocking in Chicago where
Captain Serious is revered for his devotion to his craft. Guess what, he’s also human.
As is Sidney Crosby; no matter how much Pierre McGuire and
the folks at TSN believe otherwise.
I’ve been watching sports for nearly 35 years and I’ve
rarely seen anything to compete with the over-the-top Crosby love fest that
regularly emanates from the North American (primarily Canadian) media. I’m a die-hard Penguin fan and it nearly
sickens me. It’s a big driver of the anti-Crosby
sentiment that exists in so many other cities, where fans are simply tired of
the Crosby over-exposure. It’s the same
reason so many sports fans hate Notre Dame.
I thought it reached its apex in game 2 against Columbus
when Pierre gave us 20 seconds on the creative genius of Sidney Crosby; after a
routine pass set-up a 65 foot slap shot goal from Matt Niskanen. Turns out I was wrong. The Crosby love fest hit its apex when TSN
started running Zapruder film on Crosby and doing forensic analysis of his
ground speed to try and prove an injury.
I read an article linked to Puck Daddy where the writer was literally
analyzing shift by shift video of Crosby late in the season to discover where
an injury MIGHT have occurred.
In the meantime, the most under-appreciated superstar on the
planet actually was injured and it was never mentioned.
Does anybody even remember that Evgeni Malkin broke his foot
with three weeks left in the regular season?
Did anybody even bother to ask if Malkin was 100% healthy when the
playoffs started? Is it possible, just
possible, that Malkin’s early struggles were a combination of rust from a three
week layoff and perhaps playing at less than 100%?
Not that I would expect it to be mentioned. I mean Malkin had a hat trick against
Columbus and Pierre barely mentioned his name on any of the goals. Instead he credited Crosby on Malkin’s first
goal and Niskanen on his second. Heaven
forbid anybody outside of Pittsburgh or Magnitogorsk acknowledges anything
positive about 71.
Look, it’s very possible Crosby is hurt. I personally think he’s looked off since the Olympics. That includes the actual games by the way as Crosby was relatively mediocre by his standards in Sochi. If Crosby was injured at any time between Slovenia and Columbus however, the Penguins had ample opportunity to rest him given their huge division lead. That they chose to do so only in spots (two individual games), calls that in to question in my mind.
Moreover, if he was hurt, did Crosby miraculously get
healthy last night. Because let’s be
honest, in spite of a zero in the box score, that was far and away his most
inspired performance in months.
None of us have access to the Penguin locker room. So we rely on the Pittsburgh media to give us
that behind the scenes view. Last week
Joe Starkey wrote in the Tribune Review that Crosby looked joyless most of the
second half. He compared his demeanor on
a daily basis to one who just had a root canal.
That’s hardly an encouraging portrayal of the face of the franchise.
We also know that veteran leaders such as Orpik, Scuderi,
and Adams, were notably boisterous down the stretch about the lack or passion
or urgency coming from the squad. I
cannot help but wonder if some of that was pointed directly at 87. Sid has many strengths as a player but
accepting criticism in his own house has never been one of them. Just ask Marc Recchi.
It was all disconcerting stuff to be sure; worrisome enough
that I questioned whether Dan Bylsma had lost the locker room and should be fired
with two weeks left in the season. That’s
a desperation solution at face value; being proposed by someone who generally
detests the tiresome, catch-all, fire the coach mentality that pervades professional
sports.
Let’s be honest, the Pens are not a Stanley Cup favorite
this year. They might be no better than
the 6th best team still playing (though fortunate to be matched against
likely the 8th best). That
said, whatever opportunity they have to make a deep run or to miraculously lift
Lord Stanley’s cup has a stated prerequisite; Crosby must return to the top of
his game.
On Sunday night, he showed definitive signs of that
happening for the first time this post season.
Not surprisingly, the Pens followed his lead. Hockey has this odd follow the captain
culture that does not seem to exist in any other sport. Crosby’s inspired effort seemed to drive his
entire team. The Penguins played their
most complete game of the playoffs. It
was not just the performance but the intensity level, physicality, and
attention to detail for 60 minutes. It
was exactly the kind of effort needed to turn this club in the right direction.
I would add this, it was not quite the anomaly that some are
suggesting. The Pens were similarly
dominant in game 5 against Columbus when they fired 51 shots in regulation and
controlled play start to finish. In my
opinion they’ve played two of their most complete playoff games since the 09
cup run in their last four outings. Throw
in a dominant effort for the first 50 minutes of game 6 (partially mitigated by
an ugly last 10), and this Penguin team appears to be trending the right
direction.
There are many reasons for this, with health being at the
top of the list. Last night was arguably
the first time this season the Pens had their true top 12 forwards in the
line-up. The simple fact that Tanner
Glass was a healthy scratch was a key positive.
There was also a season best performance from the team’s blue liners and
another strong effort from Marc-Andre Fleury.
Let’s face it; we were all justifiably concerned about Fleury after his
game 4 meltdown. Instead he’s lifted his
game to something approximating his 08 and 09 post season levels.
In the short-term, these were critical drivers of last night’s
victory. In the long-term, the Crosby
revival may be remembered as the story of the night. Toews recovered his game last year and lead
Chicago to a championship. Here’s hoping
Crosby follows suit.
