Random Thought

June 1, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

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It’s been a while since I did one of these but there was something on my mind while watching the French Open just now on NBC regarding the Stanley Cup Final. So let’s get to it.

-Could the media lay off how many minutes Sidney Crosby plays? He played over 22 last night yet there you had Pierre McGuire stirring it up during an NBC Sports Break about how the 2006-07 Hart winner could’ve played more. Gee wiz. Michel Therrien played his three best star forwards as much as possible and still is catching flak. That’s the Canadian press for ya. Never satisfied even when one of their teams isn’t even vying for the Stanley Cup.

I get that Sid the Kid is a great superstar who carries the weight of the league around with him but enough’s enough. Evgeni Malkin got 23:24 of ice-time and Marian Hossa saw 24:02. That’s plenty for the Pens’ dynamic trio who have been stifled by an excellent Detroit team defense. There’s a reason they’ve only scored four total goals and it’s got little to do with how much time Crosby and ‘mates are getting but rather how well schooled the Red Wings are. Led by captain Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, they really do a solid job keeping and moving the puck. Of course it helps to have one of the game’s greatest defensemen and two amazing players up front in dynamic duo Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who receive little accolades despite how special they are. They control the tempo and are so multidimensional that Mike Babcock can put them out there in any situation.

The performance by Zetterberg while down two men with the game and probably the series hanging in the balance late in the third was astronomical. Nobody ever says much about how great a player the Swede is. He might not total as many points as the other Hart candidates or have the cult following of a Crosby but for my money, Zetterberg’s one of the best overall players in the game.

Last Fall, an older buddy of mine who sits in Section 411 at Ranger games and knows the game inside out pointed out that he felt Zetterberg was better than Crosby. Perhaps not in stature but here’s a question for all those Sid backers. How come he doesn’t play shorthanded? If he really was the best player, he’d be out there killing penalties. Zetterberg does it and quite well. So does Jarome Iginla. Datsyuk’s a pretty dangerous skater and is out on the PK too.

Why don’t Zetterberg and Datsyuk get as much attention from the media? Neither has the rockstar persona of an Alexander Ovechkin or the look of a Crosby yet they star for an Original Six franchise who plays in a big market and is on the cusp of capturing its fourth Cup in 11 years. Isn’t about time they got their due?