The NHL has the same problem with Crosby, that they had around Mario. You just can't build around a ***** in a sport like hockey.
They tried and tried and tried to group Mario with the Messier and the Gretzky in the early 90's as the people who were growing the sport. And yes, Mario grew the sport in the Ohio and Pennsylvania area (whoopdy doo). But when you look at the major media markets, putting hockey on the front line, Mario just wasn't in the same league.
The league wants Crosby to be their go-to guy. But it's not happening, and deep down, they know it.
Crosby is very much like his mentor. I absolutely detested Maryo. And Crosby is going to reach the same heights. Maryo used to think that there should be a special set of rules, just for him. Not even a game of two-hand touch sufficed. It was all no touch. Remember teh Graves fiasco in teh playoffs?
Crosby is no better and he learned from his master. Maryo whined about the Islander game, but has fielded one of the dirtier teams in the league. The Pens are a team that begged for handouts at teh time of the arena. THen obtained top-5 picks for what, 5 years? Maryo is neither Gretsky or Messier. Not even close. A great player, but far from a great. I cannot even start to talk about them, without frothing at the mouth.
Crosby is very much like his mentor. I absolutely detested Maryo. And Crosby is going to reach the same heights. Maryo used to think that there should be a special set of rules, just for him. Not even a game of two-hand touch sufficed. It was all no touch. Remember teh Graves fiasco in teh playoffs?
Crosby is no better and he learned from his master. Maryo whined about the Islander game, but has fielded one of the dirtier teams in the league. The Pens are a team that begged for handouts at teh time of the arena. THen obtained top-5 picks for what, 5 years? Maryo is neither Gretsky or Messier. Not even close. A great player, but far from a great. I cannot even start to talk about them, without frothing at the mouth.
That's just one of the thing that set Gretzky apart from Maryo. Gretzky always praised the game. Even at the end of his career when the trap and clutching and grabbing was taking a toll on him, Gretzky always maintained the games was better than it was.
Man that main board thread is brutal. One non-pens fan makes a comment, and is immediately bombarded by 10+ replies from posters with avatars of grown men with their shirts off.
I was going to ask, as I haven't been around here very long: what's with the Pens vigilant keyboard brigade? Any thread that mentions anything negative about the Pens gets hammered, even basic facts seem to be challenged.
That's just one of the thing that set Gretzky apart from Maryo. Gretzky always praised the game. Even at the end of his career when the trap and clutching and grabbing was taking a toll on him, Gretzky always maintained the games was better than it was.
agreed but we will have some trolls come. There's a reason why Wayne is the best NHL player ever, and it isn't just points
I was going to ask, as I haven't been around here very long: what's with the Pens vigilant keyboard brigade? Any thread that mentions anything negative about the Pens gets hammered, even basic facts seem to be challenged.
Gotta protect Crosby somehow! What better way than for Bettman to police the internet.
I was going to ask, as I haven't been around here very long: what's with the Pens vigilant keyboard brigade? Any thread that mentions anything negative about the Pens gets hammered, even basic facts seem to be challenged.
What do you expect from a fanbase who has men with their shirts off for their playoff avatars?
Man that main board thread is brutal. One non-pens fan makes a comment, and is immediately bombarded by 10+ replies from posters with avatars of grown men with their shirts off.
Pretty obvious why Pittsburgh gets the treatment, and it has to do with the number 66. I'm not gonna rip the guy, he's probably the 2nd best player the sport's ever had, but for some reason, the NHL has kowtowed to this guy for the better part of 3 decades.
BTW, this is old hat, I know, but it deserves mention. The 2005 draft was fixed (by Bettman) and Crosby was handed to the Pens to help rebuild fan interest to keep the team in Pittsburgh. No one could ever convince me it wasn't. And, of course, Bettman is going to protect his pet project!
Crosby is very much like his mentor. I absolutely detested Maryo. And Crosby is going to reach the same heights. Maryo used to think that there should be a special set of rules, just for him. Not even a game of two-hand touch sufficed. It was all no touch. Remember teh Graves fiasco in teh playoffs?
Crosby is no better and he learned from his master. Maryo whined about the Islander game, but has fielded one of the dirtier teams in the league. The Pens are a team that begged for handouts at teh time of the arena. THen obtained top-5 picks for what, 5 years? Maryo is neither Gretsky or Messier. Not even close. A great player, but far from a great. I cannot even start to talk about them, without frothing at the mouth.
Oh, man, you just beat me to it. Well put. What would one expect from the man that erected the monument to himself? Cracksby will do the same, I am sure.
Admittedly I dont watch a lot of interviews anymore so I dunno how engaging guys like Hall, Landeskog, Eberle, Weber, Couture, etc etc may be.
Lundqvist - too good looking
Ovechkin - not playing at the level he can
Giroux - Maybe if he can keep up his current level
Stamkos - Seems fairly marketable not exactly a great interview but not terrible
Toews- Mr Serious
Kane - Down year, cabby incident
Perry - if people thinks Crosby is a whiner then they'll love Perry
Iginla - Very marketable but plays on a Canadian team and probably past his peak
Parise - Definite possibility if he gets back to PPG form
Seguin - Possibility, still too early to tell
E.Staal - only in the 2nd half of the season , his team isn't very good
Hall - plays for a Canadian team, pretty meh interviews (though the league would prefer to market guys who don't say anything controversial)
Landeskog - decent potential down the road if he can provide enough offence, comes across as very likeable and his English is perfect.
Eberle - same probably as Hall but I think he's a better interview
Weber - would help if he played in the East, I think it's easier to market Forwards than Dmen to the casual fan.
Couture - not enough offence
Sorry, but you don't need to market a players personality. You market their talent. You market their looks. You market their stats. Everything else is secondary.
The NHL protects Crosby because he's exactly what they've been looking for since the mid 90's.
Sorry, but you don't need to market a players personality. You market their talent. You market their looks. You market their stats. Everything else is secondary.
The NHL protects Crosby because he's exactly what they've been looking for since the mid 90's.
A whiny little baby who needed to be hidden in the third period of the
Last Pens/Flyers game? Sound perfect to me!
A whiny little baby who needed to be hidden in the third period of the
Last Pens/Flyers game? Sound perfect to me!
Wouldn't you hide your two best players in the 3rd period of the last game of the regular season when you're winning comfortably? Did Giroux need to be hidden by Laviolette for the whole game?
Wouldn't you hide your two best players in the 3rd period of the last game of the regular season when you're winning comfortably? Did Giroux need to be hidden by Laviolette for the whole game?
Wasn't expecting him to be scratched either. Also, why did he have to have an "upper body" injury? Why not just say he's a healthy scratch?
Anyway, Crosby is a consistent whiner, diver. Both him and Malkin get away with slewfoots, cheap shots, and the like. Letang also has it easy in front of the refs.
Flyers are going to be shorthanded, 7-5, for the entire series.
I don't know--if I had to pick the best player in the game it would be Crosby. That doesn't mean I like him or his behavior on the ice. Comparitively speaking though he is not quite the ******** that Mario Lemieux was--who couldn't do an interview unless the said interviewer was fawning all over him. There still is some hope for Crosby--though contrary to his claim the other day I don't think of him as all that mature--at least not yet.
Sorry, but you don't need to market a players personality. You market their talent. You market their looks. You market their stats. Everything else is secondary.
The NHL protects Crosby because he's exactly what they've been looking for since the mid 90's.
In sports marketing there are two types of stars.
The guys who become popular because the fans gravitate towards them and the guys who are pushed on people.
The former outsells the latter every time. Crosby will never be the marketable player the NHL wants him to be. No matter how much the NHL tries to force the issue, it's just not happening. It's not working now, just like it didn't work with Mario.
Wasn't expecting him to be scratched either. Also, why did he have to have an "upper body" injury? Why not just say he's a healthy scratch?
Anyway, Crosby is a consistent whiner, diver. Both him and Malkin get away with slewfoots, cheap shots, and the like. Letang also has it easy in front of the refs.
Flyers are going to be shorthanded, 7-5, for the entire series.
He couldn't be a healthy scratch due to the number of callups that Philly already had. Thanks for the productive discussion.
Lundqvist - too good looking
Ovechkin - not playing at the level he can
Giroux - Maybe if he can keep up his current level
Stamkos - Seems fairly marketable not exactly a great interview but not terrible
Toews- Mr Serious
Kane - Down year, cabby incident
Perry - if people thinks Crosby is a whiner then they'll love Perry
Iginla - Very marketable but plays on a Canadian team and probably past his peak
Parise - Definite possibility if he gets back to PPG form
Seguin - Possibility, still too early to tell
E.Staal - only in the 2nd half of the season , his team isn't very good
Hall - plays for a Canadian team, pretty meh interviews (though the league would prefer to market guys who don't say anything controversial)
Landeskog - decent potential down the road if he can provide enough offence, comes across as very likeable and his English is perfect.
Eberle - same probably as Hall but I think he's a better interview
Weber - would help if he played in the East, I think it's easier to market Forwards than Dmen to the casual fan.
Couture - not enough offence
Lundqvist - no good, plays for Rangers, the club that has no respect for current NHL management. Same goes for Callahan and Richards. All three would be great speakers.
Ovechkin - Openly Russian supremacist. Was intentionally suspended by NHL not to become an attraction at ASG in Crosby absence. Enough of Montreal ASG already!
Giroux - no good, does not project power required due to subtle statue. Plays for the team where owner is involved in politics. Enough of French stars already!
Toews - good candidate, but may not like the BS required for being a marketed piece.
Kane - will be considered later, for now is too infantile(applied to both Kanes)
Weber - plays for the team no one knows in the place no one cares. Let them make a noise in playoffs or him leave.
Stamkos - will be considered. Must say a few kind words about Crosby and Bettman. Greek last name may be a deterrent.
Hall, Eberle - see Giroux i.e. not a Power Forwards, hence do not look like athletes worth marketing effort. May be later.
Datsuk - way too mature to be interested. Not a talker.
Malkin - terrible when speaks. Has to take a foreign object out of his mouth.
Sequin, Parise, Perry - all will be used as a secondary promoters for the reasons explained above (see Hall, Eberle).
I love how Pens fans try to counter the fact that their team dives consistently by bringing up other dives. I wonder what Crysby would do if someone did to him what Staal did to Prust- and I wonder what the NHL would do to whoever did it.
Please don't get into it with fans of other teams on this board. If you see someone trolling, report the post. Don't respond to it and start a pissing match.
