He’s great but he’s not top 5. He’s 3rd best for his own franchise.
Not knowing hockey history isn’t a good thing.
girhen
Crosby will still be top 5 all time in 200 years? I mean, is he Top 5 now, and do we really think no one better will ever step up after?
The best Ancient Greek Olympian probably isn’t the best athlete anymore. The first recorded 100m record was 10.6 seconds. From 1987 until 2009, the record didn’t last more than 3 years until Usain Bolt set his 9.58s record – a full second faster than the very first record.
Forever is a very long time.
And McDavid’s still getting better each year. No duh the stats of a guy in his prime are lower than a guy at common retirement age.
Completeness doesn’t always tell you a picture of overall skill or importance to the game, either. Just because a guy hits and blocks more doesn’t mean he’s better than a scoring machine.
Neb-Nose
No, Crosby is definitely the second best player in Penguins history. But let’s not hold that against him whenever the top guy is Mario Lemieux. That is like criticizing Connor McDavid as not even being the best player in Oilers history without acknowledging that Wayne Gretzky also played for that franchise.
I assume you meant Jagr as number two and while #68 was incredible in his own right, he wasn’t quite as impactful as Crosby has been.
I think the more interesting discussion is Jagr at number three or Malkin? I think that’s a lot closer than many people realize. I think I would go Jagr there, but I can certainly be persuaded to go in the other direction.
Malkin’s career stats are mind-boggling, and he has been one of the best postseason performers in NHL history.
I think Geno is wildly underrated by many in the larger NHL community. The fact that he wasn’t named a top 100 player all-time was a ludicrous oversight, IMHO. He is easily one of the top 50 NHL players of all-time and even that might be unfair to the guy.
Leon Draisaitl reminds me a little bit of Malkin. I honestly think that #29 is the second best player in the world and I don’t think he gets his due because the number one guy happens to be on his team and is so ridiculously dominant.
It’s just that center icemen have such a profound impact on the game that you have to account for that. Even a legendary winger like Jagr or Ovechkin don’t have the same impact on the game as a world class center.
Now, as for Crosby, being top-five all time, I don’t know? Maybe? I think that’s arguable, but McDavid’s career is not over by a long shot and there are still many chapters to be written.
I think instead of getting caught up in some goofy debatable, invariably turn into a semantics argument, we are much better off, just celebrating the fact that all of the guys that we’re talking about are some of the greatest players to ever play the sport, and we’ve all been very fortunate to have seen them in our time.
Detroit_2_Cali
Sid is the second best Penguin all time. Jagr is a close 3rd.
GoogleyCube
The utter disrespect to Lemieux I’m an avid avid hater of the penguins and I hate the way they acquired him, (it makes Chicago tanking this year look like child’s play) but man could that guy play, the only player who would’ve dared challenged Gretzky’s point totals if healthy. As for all time players, I can’t put him above the great one and Lemieux and I’d place any of Howe,Orr,Brodeur, Roy, and Mcdavid above him (once its all said and done).
mildlysceptical22
He was still a whiny, diving, cheap shot little bitch for several years when he came into the league. Mario will always be the best Penguin ever.
Mangoes95
It’s crazy to me how some people still undervalue Crosby’s insane ability to read the game. He’s arguably the smartest player to play the game. Not the best mind you (the top 4 is set in stone) but his pure hockey IQ is second only to Gretzky imo
ElectricalMarket2948
Yikes guy. I’m a huge pens fan. But the reality of overall GOATS. Crosby is after Mcjesus even without cups. Mcdavid does things in a era when the overall athleticism and talent has never been greater. To say otherwise is just peeing into the wind.
MikeyB1719
He’s won everything you can ever imagine? Talk to me when he wins a Norris 🙄
fentown
I’m gonna be a homer and say I’d rather have Datsyuk over Crosby.
NotAMacaw
I’m not the right person to compare Crosby and McDavid or Crosby and Ovechkin or whoever. I’ll never understand the hate he gets though. Yeah he had his whiny moments but so what. A lot of hockey players have showed emotion. He’s a captain – he’s supposed to have his team’s back against the refs in tense moments. One thing I’ll never understand is why he got totally shit on after that blindside headshot in the winter classic years back. He didn’t have the puck, his head up and he was turned away because he was following the play. How does that warrant an elbow to the head? Another instance was when he took a slapper from the point square to the kisser. So many people were calling him a diver. Let’s blast a puck at your face and see you not squirm and wince in pain. Good God, he’s won 3 Cups, a shit load of individual awards, and several championships/golds internationally for a country that eats breathes and shits hockey. He accomplished more before the age of 30 than most people will in their lives. Fuck off with the hate.
yupkime
And he did most if not all of it without superstar wingers on his line.
somefuntoo
So since we’re talking about Penguins players where does Tom Barasso fit in all this
Brunnenmolch
Also Sid is apparently incredibly nice outside the rink and a very good leader for his team. The guy was just appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.
Justus44
“protectors” like that is why I hate him. If you need to put down other great players to make a point about your bias, your bias is shit
macloa
Crosby is a gem. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know his dick from his balls
Conscious-Clue-1606
No.
frankrocksjesus
💯
Andre1001235
Except rookie of the year
angiezieglerstye
Better than McDavid all time?
McDavid still has 10 years to beat this guy’s records and he’s probably gonna do it in the next 3.
McDavid is un fucking real.
mondayschild9
Yeah, top 5 all time cry baby!!!
jwt6577
Gretzky, Howe, Mario, Richard, Messier. That seems to be five already.
Priscins
I hate him because he is the leader of the Penguins, as a player, or a person, I have nothing against the man. Deserves none of the hate other than fuck the penguins
TheTucsonTarmac
Don’t discount the franchise, or the players around him
If he had gone to the Caps, instead of the Pens, he’d still be looking for his 1st Cup
If Ovi had gone to the Pens, instead of the Caps, he’d have 5 cups and would already be past Gretzky’s mark
There is a huge difference in going to a winning team, with a winning attitude, and going to a cellar dwelling loser franchise that has never won anything
Glussell
I love Crosby, I grew up in NS and followed him in Junior and will remember his Golden Goal for as long as I am breathing, but Sid is not top 5, top 10 easily, but come on people.
25 Comments
He’s great but he’s not top 5. He’s 3rd best for his own franchise.
Not knowing hockey history isn’t a good thing.
Crosby will still be top 5 all time in 200 years? I mean, is he Top 5 now, and do we really think no one better will ever step up after?
The best Ancient Greek Olympian probably isn’t the best athlete anymore. The first recorded 100m record was 10.6 seconds. From 1987 until 2009, the record didn’t last more than 3 years until Usain Bolt set his 9.58s record – a full second faster than the very first record.
Forever is a very long time.
And McDavid’s still getting better each year. No duh the stats of a guy in his prime are lower than a guy at common retirement age.
Completeness doesn’t always tell you a picture of overall skill or importance to the game, either. Just because a guy hits and blocks more doesn’t mean he’s better than a scoring machine.
No, Crosby is definitely the second best player in Penguins history. But let’s not hold that against him whenever the top guy is Mario Lemieux. That is like criticizing Connor McDavid as not even being the best player in Oilers history without acknowledging that Wayne Gretzky also played for that franchise.
I assume you meant Jagr as number two and while #68 was incredible in his own right, he wasn’t quite as impactful as Crosby has been.
I think the more interesting discussion is Jagr at number three or Malkin? I think that’s a lot closer than many people realize. I think I would go Jagr there, but I can certainly be persuaded to go in the other direction.
Malkin’s career stats are mind-boggling, and he has been one of the best postseason performers in NHL history.
I think Geno is wildly underrated by many in the larger NHL community. The fact that he wasn’t named a top 100 player all-time was a ludicrous oversight, IMHO. He is easily one of the top 50 NHL players of all-time and even that might be unfair to the guy.
Leon Draisaitl reminds me a little bit of Malkin. I honestly think that #29 is the second best player in the world and I don’t think he gets his due because the number one guy happens to be on his team and is so ridiculously dominant.
It’s just that center icemen have such a profound impact on the game that you have to account for that. Even a legendary winger like Jagr or Ovechkin don’t have the same impact on the game as a world class center.
Now, as for Crosby, being top-five all time, I don’t know? Maybe? I think that’s arguable, but McDavid’s career is not over by a long shot and there are still many chapters to be written.
I think instead of getting caught up in some goofy debatable, invariably turn into a semantics argument, we are much better off, just celebrating the fact that all of the guys that we’re talking about are some of the greatest players to ever play the sport, and we’ve all been very fortunate to have seen them in our time.
Sid is the second best Penguin all time. Jagr is a close 3rd.
The utter disrespect to Lemieux I’m an avid avid hater of the penguins and I hate the way they acquired him, (it makes Chicago tanking this year look like child’s play) but man could that guy play, the only player who would’ve dared challenged Gretzky’s point totals if healthy. As for all time players, I can’t put him above the great one and Lemieux and I’d place any of Howe,Orr,Brodeur, Roy, and Mcdavid above him (once its all said and done).
He was still a whiny, diving, cheap shot little bitch for several years when he came into the league. Mario will always be the best Penguin ever.
It’s crazy to me how some people still undervalue Crosby’s insane ability to read the game. He’s arguably the smartest player to play the game. Not the best mind you (the top 4 is set in stone) but his pure hockey IQ is second only to Gretzky imo
Yikes guy. I’m a huge pens fan. But the reality of overall GOATS. Crosby is after Mcjesus even without cups. Mcdavid does things in a era when the overall athleticism and talent has never been greater. To say otherwise is just peeing into the wind.
He’s won everything you can ever imagine? Talk to me when he wins a Norris 🙄
I’m gonna be a homer and say I’d rather have Datsyuk over Crosby.
I’m not the right person to compare Crosby and McDavid or Crosby and Ovechkin or whoever. I’ll never understand the hate he gets though. Yeah he had his whiny moments but so what. A lot of hockey players have showed emotion. He’s a captain – he’s supposed to have his team’s back against the refs in tense moments.
One thing I’ll never understand is why he got totally shit on after that blindside headshot in the winter classic years back. He didn’t have the puck, his head up and he was turned away because he was following the play. How does that warrant an elbow to the head? Another instance was when he took a slapper from the point square to the kisser. So many people were calling him a diver. Let’s blast a puck at your face and see you not squirm and wince in pain.
Good God, he’s won 3 Cups, a shit load of individual awards, and several championships/golds internationally for a country that eats breathes and shits hockey. He accomplished more before the age of 30 than most people will in their lives.
Fuck off with the hate.
And he did most if not all of it without superstar wingers on his line.
So since we’re talking about Penguins players where does Tom Barasso fit in all this
Also Sid is apparently incredibly nice outside the rink and a very good leader for his team. The guy was just appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.
“protectors” like that is why I hate him. If you need to put down other great players to make a point about your bias, your bias is shit
Crosby is a gem. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know his dick from his balls
No.
💯
Except rookie of the year
Better than McDavid all time?
McDavid still has 10 years to beat this guy’s records and he’s probably gonna do it in the next 3.
McDavid is un fucking real.
Yeah, top 5 all time cry baby!!!
Gretzky, Howe, Mario, Richard, Messier. That seems to be five already.
I hate him because he is the leader of the Penguins, as a player, or a person, I have nothing against the man. Deserves none of the hate other than fuck the penguins
Don’t discount the franchise, or the players around him
If he had gone to the Caps, instead of the Pens, he’d still be looking for his 1st Cup
If Ovi had gone to the Pens, instead of the Caps, he’d have 5 cups and would already be past Gretzky’s mark
There is a huge difference in going to a winning team, with a winning attitude, and going to a cellar dwelling loser franchise that has never won anything
I love Crosby, I grew up in NS and followed him in Junior and will remember his Golden Goal for as long as I am breathing, but Sid is not top 5, top 10 easily, but come on people.