He has a very good release but I would put these guys in front of him. In no order Ovechkin Semin Kovalchuk Stamkos Perry Gaborik Neal Spezza Vanek Malkin.
But Crosby is a guy who can score in any fashion, he can also make his linemates score in any fashion as well.
He definitely has the one-shot scoring ability of the Gaborik/Kovalchuk/Stamkos/Marleau/Kessels of the game, but it tends to go unnoticed because his playmaking is so freaking amazing.
Personally, I think he has a better backhand than he does wrist shot, which says a lot about just how good his backhand is
He may not be as good as a Kovalchuk or a Semin, but he's definitely in the top tier of snipers, I would put guys like Vanek and Spezza on the same level as him, not above him as another posted suggested.
So first people on here are putting Crosby as one of the "best danglers in the league" and now crosby is "definitely in the top tier of snipers"
oh man....LOL
Uh, not sure what's so ridiculous. He is a really good dangler. I don't think I could name 10 players I'd consider better in that category. He's not a sniper first, but he is a pretty good one. Not the absolute best, but in my opinion he's at least top 20. Which, let me check my count here....well, out of over 600 players, I'd say top 20 is really good.
Uh, not sure what's so ridiculous. He is a really good dangler. I don't think I could name 10 players I'd consider better in that category. He's not a sniper first, but he is a pretty good one. Not the absolute best, but in my opinion he's at least top 20. Which, let me check my count here....well, out of over 600 players, I'd say top 20 is really good.
"Elite" and "Really good" are two different things.
He definitely has the one-shot scoring ability of the Gaborik/Kovalchuk/Stamkos/Marleau/Kessels of the game, but it tends to go unnoticed because his playmaking is so freaking amazing.
Personally, I think he has a better backhand than he does wrist shot, which says a lot about just how good his backhand is
Crosby & Datsyuk are the best overall players of the league no doubt. Neither are the best snipers, but both are prolific goal scorers. In the pure sniper category I would go with Stamkos, but would pick either Crosby or Datsyuk first if I were building a championship team.
Crosby isn't much of a sniper in the traditional, Brett Hull sense. His real skills when it comes to goals is his hands are extremely quick, so he can gather a loose puck in a scramble and fire it before defenders can react, and he's got exceptional hand-eye coordination, perhaps the best I've seen.
I will add, his backhand is ridiculous, especially earlier in his career when he was using the straight stick.
It depends on what you mean by "sniper". He doesn't have the heaviest wrist shot, and he doesn't pick goalies clean that often from the outside. What he does have is a wicked quick release and incredible timing/elusiveness around the net with elite hands. He's very much in the same mold of a Tavares/Parise/Skinner type goal scorer, who rely on timing, elusiveness, and quick hands to score.
When I think of top snipers I think of guys who primarily rely on an accurate, powerful shot to beat goalies. So guys that score most of their goals from the outside, high slot, or off of a one-timer:
And from the back-end, there are a few guys who can really pick corners:
J Shultz
M Green
Karlsson
Guys like Vanek, Perry, Nash are great goal scorers, but like Crosby, they rely less on their shot and more on their abilities around the net. Its not that they can't snipe, its just not something they primarily rely on. Guys like Kane, Sedin, Eberle, Perron, and Datsyuk all have wicked wristers off the top of the circle but they just don't rely on their shot as much.
I'd say his backhand is one of the best in the league, so there's that. But as far as picking spots goes, he makes shooting 5-hole look way too easy. He has a very good release that the goalie isn't always able to anticipate and makes it look like he could shoot a beachball in between the goalie's legs.
I'd say his backhand is one of the best in the league, so there's that. But as far as picking spots goes, he makes shooting 5-hole look way too easy. He has a very good release that the goalie isn't always able to anticipate and makes it look like he could shoot a beachball in between the goalie's legs.
This is a good start to the thread, certainly. With snipers, people are looking for that over-powering bullet to the roof. Like Alexander Semin, who owns the league's best wrist shot probably, just eats goalies alive with it. Crosby's game doesn't involve him launching 50-foot wrist shots.
He has a great release, a great snap shot and he can put it anywhere in a hurry. It's anticipation and read & react as to where he's putting it. It's not designed to be over-powering, it's designed to go in. Some people will say that's not a sniper in the traditional sense, which is fine, it might not be. But he's an astute goal scorer. Not so much a sniper as he is a world-class finisher.
