Sidney Crosby’s fight with Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen caused a lot of stir this week amongst hockey fans, raising the question of whether premier stars in this league should drop the gloves. Patrick and Michael debate…
They should keep the gloves on
By Patrick Hoffman
Fighting is part of hockey. Plain and simple.
Fans love it, players use it to get their teams into a game or pump themselves up, and it’s something that will always be a part of the National Hockey League.
With that said, I think, while serving a purpose, having superstars fight is not good for the league or the team that the superstar plays on. This was especially true while watching Pittsburgh Penguins’ and face of the NHL Sidney Crosby fight Matt Niskanen of the Dallas Stars earlier this week.
While Crosby is the captain of his hockey club, there are bigger guys on his team that should be doing that instead of him. What if Crosby had broken his hand? What if he had taken a bad fall during the fight and got absolutely pounded in the face and had to miss time?
Crosby is the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins and if he ended up having to miss significant time, who knows how that would have ended up impacting not only the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the NHL in general? Crosby is a household name and that more than likely would have impacted ticket sales through the league when the Pens were in town.
The same can be said for players like Alexander Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Gaborik, etc. Sure, they can play a physical game if they’d like, but fighting should be out of the question, especially when considering the big picture for their team and the league.
Again, I am not against fighting. I’m just weary of having superstars risk injury or worse to fight for their hockey club.
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Anything goes with the ‘C’ on the chest
By Michael Smith
Captains are meant to lead by example; so why would Sidney Crosby be any different? Because he's the sport's top player? That excuse isn't going to fly – not with me and obviously not with Sid.
On Wednesday night, about a minute after the Pittsburgh Penguins fell behind the Dallas Stars 5-1, Crosby made a statement.
He was angry; very much so. His team was well on its way to losing its seventh game on the season -- six in regulation, one in overtime and one more than they have wins.
Crosby dropped the gloves for the fifth time in his career, this time with Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen and, for someone not known for his pugilism, threw some pretty good ones.
He wanted to wake his team up. He wanted them to share the same passion he plays with every shift. He wanted them to know that their level of play as a team just was not acceptable.
How can anyone possibly question that?
The Pittsburgh bench felt one of two things in the wake of the scrap: shame or motivation, or both. Either way, watching something like that is sure to light a fire under some pairs of hockey pants.
To the best players in the game, fighting is nothing new. Maybe it's more of a throwback to a time in hockey where toughness was in greater supply – when helmets were either optional or off the radar. A time when captains led with their fists and their meanness and no one batted an eyelash.
Gordie Howe is one of the all-time greats. The same goes for Maurice Richard. Do you think either of them would have hesitated for a second if they thought a message could be sent or a wrong righted by fighting?
Heck, Gordie might punch you in the nose today for doubting it. How about Mark Messier? Or Jarome Iginla?
Captains lead. If leading means fighting, then captains – including the most-skilled ones – fight.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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13 comments:
why is this news, does Bettman make you guys write at least one story a week about Crosby, there is plenty going on in the league beside the Bettmans poster child.
sheesh dumbazz - it is a story because it's a good question - I don't believe the stars should fight - break a hand and miss games when you have the team goon to take care of it? Bad idea!
Why shouldn't they fight? Are there two sets of rules out there? If they want to play the game of hockey and knowing fighting is a part of the game then let them (espcially Crosby- let it be known that he actually has a pair) get physically involved.
I hear ya but Crosby for example has had a few fights (albeit girlie type fights lol) so he has proven he can and will drop the gloves. Maybe once a year but after that let the enforcer do his job so Crosby can do his. He breaks a hand and misses games it hurts the team.
You guys are missing the point; Crosby didn't fight because he was angry with the score, he fought because Morrow forced Letang into a fight. It is widely known, and any team scouting their opponent especially would know the status of the NHL's leading scorer among defensemen, that Letang has a busted hand. Since Letang could not throw back, he hung-on to Morrow until the officials stepped-in. That was why Crosby felt he needed to respond; he said as much in a post-game interview. If you want to see a really funny girlie fight, look for Alexander Semin's slap-fest on youtube!
As a hockey player and fan I love seeing the superstars fight for their team. It gets the team motivated, and shows respect for your fellow teammate. By Crosby fighting he shows his respect for his fellow teammates, and that other teams can not just go messing with his team. While yes he could get injured, he can also get injured by checking people, so should superstars check other players? It is a part of the game, and is sometimes necessary for the star to fight for his team.
For the sake of the quality of this great sport, I don't think superstars should fight to send a message. Too risky. To defend himself, or a teammate, yes. As far as it being Crosby? I don't like the benefits he gets from the officials (on and off ice)time and again. What kind of message does that send to the players? One set of rules for superstars and another for players who grind it out game in and game out, and in practice as well? Bad, but that's the league's doing. Saw a play last week (a Ranger game maybe) where a player gets a shoulder to the head by a player who left his feet to deliver the hit. No superstar, no penalty. Pathetic!!!
oh the horror if something would of happened to the golden douche!!
what is everyone worried about he is a man he can fight and he did a pretty good job. It was much better to watch him fight than have all the records broken because a person has an unwritten rule that says you can't hit me because I fill the stands. ( W. G. )
Haters Haters Haters.....Crosby is a very, very good athlete. And all good athletes receive attention from the league to whom they are sponsored. Ie. Jordan to the NBA, Tiger Woods to Golf, Derek Jeter to Baseball, on so on.
As a hockey fan who watched the game. You could letangs unwillingness to fight just minutes before. Heck I wanted to beat up Niskanen. Crosby did the right thing, the thing a captain should do. He threw Niskanen around like a rag doll. It was great, and for those who question his tougness, this should end the suspense.
I think the fight was good to see because it once again showed us another side of the superstar. Fights are a part of the game, and as long as he doesn't make it a habit, it is fine to prove a point.
@ Lars :
Hey if you really want to see a girl fight watch this one...I can assure you its the cheapest thing to ever hapen in hockey. Can't wait for your response. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wqR17KrLKw
or just youtube sidney crosby cheap shot
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