Quote:
Originally Posted by sticktrick
Sorry man, you have a good point about athletes representing the sport, but the point seems to have gone off topic. Crosby's name is the label of hockey for this day in age...ever since he entered the league. Just like it was for Gretzky in the previous era. You don't even have to watch that much television or hockey and one will know who is being advertised as the biggest advocate and ambassador for the sport. The commercials alone give it away.
Usain Bolt? You may as well thrown in the American Swimmer's name that broke all the records a few years back. He's so significant that I can't even remember right now. His name will pop up again when the Summer Olympics come back in swing again.
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While you are right about Crosby, he's certainly the face of hockey, you should also note that Bolt is one of the biggest and greatest athletes of this generation, at the same level as the other men mentioned. He wasn't just "thrown in" like you think Michael Phelps (that swimmer nobody remembers) should've been.
But, to avoid this turning into a debate about Usain Bolt:
I think it boils down to this. Crosby is the greatest player playing right now. He arguably will be until he retires, which, as long as injuries don't eventually derail his career, should be a long long time from now. There are things he does that aren't quite as good as other players, but every element of his game would be ranked amongst the top ten in the league. That's more than Gretzky could say. Gretzky could put up points like a machine, but Crosby does everything. He's not better than Gretzky, but he's a more complete player, and he's the most complete player at the highest skill level this league has ever seen.
Last season he put up 56 points in 36 games, that's 1.56 PPG, which, prorated over 82 games, would've been 128 points.
This season he has already put up 17 points in 8 games, 2.13 PPG, which if he keeps pace would be good for 175 points.
Will he keep it up? Maybe not. But he is the ONLY player in the league that without threat of injury, has the immeasurable talent and consistency to put up numbers like that.
I still think Ovechkin is the best scoring threat in the game, he's a dangerous player. Toews is the best defensive-minded centreman the game has seen in a while. Crosby? He's the best player. When he's around, plays develop. The guy plays with average linemates and still puts up incredible numbers. He is most certainly the Gretzky of this generation. Is he Gretzky? No. But he's the closest thing we've got. He's the best player of this generation by far and he's the face of hockey in general. That counts enough for me.