Why I Hate Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is the talk of the NHL these days. It seems everyone either loves him or hates him. Well, I've decided I hate him, but for a different reason than anyone else.

Crosby burst into the league with the highest of expectations last year. Indeed, even the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, had stated that if anyone was to surpass Gretzky's career statistics, it would be Sidney Crosby. And thus far, Crosby has not failed to produce. Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to hit the 200 point mark last week (beating Gretzky's old mark by a few months). He's hit at least 100 points in each of his first two seasons. And unless Martin Brodeur (goaltender for the New Jersey Devils) has something to say about it, Crosby just might earn himself a Hart Memorial Trophy for being the league's Most Valuable Player.

Until Crosby came along, it looked like a forgone conclusion that the Penguins would be leaving Pittsburgh. They've had some combination of money problems, attendance problems, ownership problems, political problems, and arena problems for quite some time now. I think it's no coincidence that the Penguins' 46-year old arena, Mellon Arena, is an anagram for Llemon Arena (It's a stretch, but hey...). The place is a dump. They haven't had the fan support, political wherewithal, or financial clout to do anything about their current location, so it seemed like a move was inevitable.

A move west. Portland seemed like a very real possibility for a move, and that scenario was in my prayers nightly. Now follow me here:

A move to Portland would have forced the Penguins into the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. In turn, the Colorado Avalanche could have been bumped out of the Northwest and into the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Then the Dallas Stars could have moved from the Pacific to the Central Division of the Western Conference, forcing the Detroit Redwings to leave the Central and fill the void in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference left by the departure of the Penguins.

My Dallas Stars (yes, they are MY Dallas Stars since I've starved my children and ignored personal hygiene to be able to afford season tickets and attend games for over ten years) would benefit by not having to play so many of their games against current Pacific Division rivals who are located halfway across the continent. Travel issues and fatigue alone probably add two losses a year to the Stars record. The Stars could, instead, play the bulk of their games against teams located within the same time zone and in a two-hour-or-less flight (Chicago, Columbus, Nashville, and St. Louis). Also, my Dallas Stars would not have to play so many games with the Detroit Redwings, against whom their record is consistently abysmal. That might add another four wins to the Stars' record each year as well.

In my mind, it all worked. Life would be good. Then along came Sidney Crosby.

I truly believe that the greatness of Mario Lemieux was the only thing keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh for a while, and when he retired, it opened the door for the team to leave. But now Sidney Crosby comes along and promises to be the "next Wayne Gretzky," and, voila, a deal gets done with the city of Pittsburgh to build a new arena in the 09-10 season. And I do firmly believe the promise seen in Crosby and his young, superstar teammates sealed the deal. And thus, I must still regularly labor through Stars vs. Sharks games at midnight on a wokday.

I hate Sidney Crosby.