Crosby named team captain

[Michael9 57]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=209375&hubname=nhl

everyone knew this would happen at one point or another.

[kosydar 0]

"You have a window. And why shouldn't you? You've been here ten minutes."

[x107metallica 0]

well someones breaking stevies record for longest captain down the road...

[RadioGaGa 162]

well someones breaking stevies record for longest captain down the road...

With the CBA and FA the way it is...no one will stay in with one team for 22 yeas again.

[TheSnake22 0]

i would have disagreed until ryan smyth left edmonton... as much as i'd like to think sid will be in pittsburgh forever, you never know anymore...

[TBLfan 25]

if anyone is obligated to be a life longer right now, it's Sidney.

[LoXish 0]

I can't say I think he doesn't deserve it -- he is the life of the team and he has the largest presence of any player in the NHL (be it tangible or otherwise) -- who better on the team? I mean, I could say Gonchar would fit a bit better but him and Roberts are still in the air.

[willy0314 0]

how the hell is a 20 year old kid going to lead a team? IMO mistake....the most talented player on the team doesn't have to be the captain just because he has got the most skill.

Apparently even the Pittsburg front office has fallen in with the crazy Crosby man-love-fest.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

how the hell is a 20 year old kid going to lead a team? IMO mistake....the most talented player on the team doesn't have to be the captain just because he has got the most skill.

Apparently even the Pittsburg front office has fallen in with the crazy Crosby man-love-fest.

I think someone who can live up to hype that surrounded him with all the pressure he was under deserves some recognition. Even if that recognition means that he is the team's captain at 20 years old. He handles the media better than some 10 years vets. He also one of the hardest workers on the team. I'm not a huge fan of Crosby or anything, I don't even watch more than 5 Pittsburgh games a year, but from what I've seen I'm sure he'll be fine.

[godiogo 0]

Anyone have suggestions on who would have been a better choice?

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Anyone have suggestions on who would have been a better choice?

Good point. Roberts and Recchi are too close to retirement, and I don't think Gonchar is captain material.

[Edge 0]

I think it is well deserved. I don't see why he shouldn't be the captain of the team because his age just isn't a valid argument. We all saw his maturity improvement from the rookie year...I don't see why this season shouldn't be an exception.

[Razr 2]

Yzerman was a captain fairly young, look at his nickname now "The Captain". I think Crosby is the best bet for a captain for that team since they are using him and Fleury as the main pieces into building that team into a dynasty. with Staal and Malkin as well that team should be pretty indestructible.

[s Greens 0]

its clearly a great choice considering hes a team leader (on and off the ice) not to mention his performance for the past two seasons. Now he just has to stop whining to the refs. Remember:

"with great power comes great responsibility" :P

[kosydar 0]

I remember about a year ago JR and I were talking about who was a better captain, Stevie or Mess. He brought up the point that as fans we'll never see half of what makes a good captain a good captain, and all that we see is through the media and on the ice. What goes on behind closed doors is what really makes a captain. Sid must be really special when dealing with the team, because everything we all have seen from him makes this seem like a publicity stunt.

[mack 44]

At least he's been sort of groomed to take this over rather than getting it thrust upon him like Lecavalier. I think it's the logical choice but I don't think it's necessarily the best choice.

[DarkStar50 679]

I agree that there is a ton of stuff that happens that fans will never know about with regard to what happens inside the four walls of an NHL locker room. What really makes Alfie, Marleau, Foote, Jokinen, Drake, Smith, Iginla, Koivu, Sundin, Jagr, or Doan captain material? I was just wondering what you mean by "publicity stunt"? Crosby is the last guy to need publicity.

[Chadd 916]

I remember about a year ago JR and I were talking about who was a better captain, Stevie or Mess. He brought up the point that as fans we'll never see half of what makes a good captain a good captain, and all that we see is through the media and on the ice. What goes on behind closed doors is what really makes a captain. Sid must be really special when dealing with the team, because everything we all have seen from him makes this seem like a publicity stunt.

We all knew it was going to happen this year. Go back to all of the comments from last year when they didn't give it to him and I believe just about everyone predicted he would have it this year. I believe he would have had it last year had the Caps not made the announcement about Ovechkin turning down the "C" before the Penguins had made their decision public. Given Sid's comments at the time, you could tell that he wanted/expected to be the captain.

[Gummer12 134]

well someones breaking stevies record for longest captain down the road...

With the CBA and FA the way it is...no one will stay in with one team for 22 yeas again.

Look at DiPietro's 15 Yr contract...It Can be done, playing the odds, you are correct, but it Can be done. And if I were Pitt, I'd look into how NYI got him to commit, and start the process Immediately. But I would have held onto the C for a bargaining chip.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Not necessarily - Gretzky had a long term contract with Edmonton (wasn't it through 1999? Perhaps someone could back me up) and he was moved in 88...contracts can be broken, especially when you can't pay the player, as it was in the Oilers case.

DiPietro won't be on the Isle for 15 yrs.

[Chadd 916]

I don't see Sid signing a career-long contract for about half the individual max value either.

[s Greens 0]

Oilers and Gretzky

acording to this site, gretzky signed a 21 year personal service contract with the oilers.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Thanks for the backup.

[GSHL99 0]

I don't see the surprise here. The Pens are, of course, dedicated to the idea that Crosby is going to be "the face of the Franchise" guy. At least until he's to old to be effective or they no longer want to cover his price tag, but we're a long way from either. So Mario will do whatever it takes to make him feel important, he is after all, whether it's giving him the C or flying in Swedish hookers once a week.

[RadioGaGa 162]

...or flying in Swedish hookers once a week.

After playing in Rimouski...you'd think he'd have a soft spot (no pun intended) for ladies from Eastern Quebec.