The Poster Fraud

It was a few years earlier that a historic NHL lockout cost the entire 2004-05 season leaving plenty of doubt as to whether the game could recover.
At the time, I was a foreman juror on a pretty serious case that summer determining the fate of an accused in a hot room with other jurors. While we listened to all the facts presented and took in key testimony, the NHL was finally back and the Draft Lottery was being held. One of the most calculated moves in sports history.

Was it just pure fate that the rights to draft Sidney Crosby went to the troubled Pittsburgh Penguins who once tanked in order to get Mario Lemieux becoming the land of Pengwhines? Debatable.

Back then, Sid The Kid was supposed to come in on his magic cape and save the sport taking it to a new level thanks to more fan friendly rules with an emphasis on obstruction and on eliminating ties altogether as if they were the plague. If only league brass had known then how many regular season contests would use a silly skill competition to determine extra points.

Some teams have taken advantage over the years including this year’s Rangers who own the shootout going 8-1 in it. Without it, they’re essentially an underachieving .500 team having given up six more goals than they’ve scored.

There also were the 2005-06 Edmonton Oilers who won so many shootouts, it enabled them to make the postseason and go on a stunning run to the Final before falling to Carolina in seven hard fought games.

Even the Devils have fared pretty well in the skill competition with injured record chaser Martin Brodeur dominating and even admitting that he’s benefited from it.

Such is the life of the New NHL- a league which has double standards when it comes to select players. Just ask Sean Avery. If we didn’t know any better, his harmless words meant he was some mass murderer who you better hide your kids from.

Got to love that Gary Bettman logic. The same kind that allows the Chosen One who isn’t even the best player on his own team and poster fraud Crosby to get off Scott free after he was third man in resorting to punching Thrasher defenseman Boris Valabik in the midsection repeatedly with his glove on and even going below the belt with him defenseless and only getting a roughing minor.

Not even a slap on the wrist from the same league which would’ve had its collective panties in a bunch God forbid if someone did that to their beloved superstar.

I’ve heard of protecting your stars but does anyone remember what happened with that Alex Ovechkin/Daniel Briere incident a couple of years back? This is what you get.

Funny but I also never realized it was legal to tip home a goal with your stick above crossbar height and have it rewarded as an overtime winner victimizing who else but the Sabres at HSBC Arena. All cause the game was seen by a national audience on Versus.

So, it stood up. Who cared if the Sabres could’ve needed the valuable extra point later on when they’re fighting tooth and nail for the final spot in the East?

You know what might be a nice concept. For the same star who gets the calls and has the league catering to his every need to grow a pair and take off the helmet and gloves and drop ‘em.

No way Ovechkin, who willed his team back from four down versus the Rangers ducks the opposition resorting to unnecessary cheapshots.

This doesn’t make Crosby a bad player. At last check, his 47 points (14-34-47) rank second to teammate Evgeni Malkin’s 58 (15-43-58) with last season’s Hart winner Ovechkin third with 46 (22-24-46). He does many things well including fighting through checks skating hard and never giving up on plays to setup teammates like he did picking Brendan Witt’s pocket and finding an open Malkin during a third period comeback win over the Islanders.

It would be a lot easier to respect him if he didn’t always have the refs’ ear and showed more respect for opponents unlike the recent ugliness involving Valabik eight days ago in Atlanta.

You don’t see Mike Richards playing the game that way. The Flyer captain is accountable and will drop the gloves to defend a teammate’s honor. He’s also a complete player who is one of the league’s most dangerous shorthanded players tied for the league lead along with teammates Jeff Carter and certain Comeback Player of The Year Simon Gagne with all three having four.

Crosby hardly plays a man down due to the effectiveness of Malkin and Jordan Staal. So, he doesn’t need to and can get some minutes off which can help his team late in games.

Still, you want to know when it became okay for the league to sellout its own fans putting Crosby ahead of everyone else while applying the double standard to other offenders when it came to league discipline.

This remains the most frustrating aspect of this new NHL which is now in its fourth season. Should they protect their stars? Absolutely. But at what point does it go too far? That’s all we’re asking.

As for how that case turned out, we ruled Not Guilty on every count due to insufficient evidence and poor testimony. And at the conclusion, the relieved defendant and their lawyer came over and thanked us for ruling in their favor.

Just once, I’d like to see the NHL hold one of their best to those same standards.

I rest my case.

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