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Send out your Best Wishes to Sidney Crosby. We are pulling for you Sid.

August 25, 2011, 11:13 AM ET [ Comments]
Eklund
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It is my hope that we all use the comment thread of this blog to wish Sidney well. I think it would be awesome to show the guy, who is going through hell right now, that the NHL fans are behind him... Thanks


According to the Penguins website Sidney Crosby is having headaches when he has hard workouts. It is a scary reminder about head injuries and how stupidly unpredictable they can be. There must be nothing more frustrating or scary than what Sid is going through right now. I feel for him.

There are few stars in the game who are better people and better at being stars than Crosby is. He is so young and you would think the pressure of leading the Penguins could swallow the guy whole, but he not only embraces the challenge, but also embraces the pressure of an entire league on his shoulders.

I have seen him swamped with reporters, I have seen him pushed into corners, I have seen him head to the podium after devastating losses...but I have never, and I mean NEVER heard him complain.

From his time as a rookie, until now..he has never faltered when it came to representing his team and all of hockey. He is truly class. I have spoken to him and he looks right at you. He is engaging and never dismissive despite the fact you are likely the 20th reporter who asked him the same question that week...hell, probably that day.

He has his detractors of course. But if he didn't he wouldn't be the best in the game. Those at the top of the mountain always have to face the harshest haters. He knows this. He gets this. He laughs about it and he simply goes out and dominates.

And the craziest thing about Crosby's game? You get the feeling there is still room for him to improve. He is still on the rise. He is getting BETTER. Remember the point streak last year and the Penguins run going into the Winter Classic? Sid was a monster....and of course doing it on HBO as well...nothing fazes the guy.

His detractors will say he is always "crying to officials" on the ice about players who are trying to stop him doing so illegally. It is way overblown. Crosby complains no more than any star player has, and to be frank no more than any star player "has to." The fact of the matter is, quite often the only way to stop him is with a hook or a hold, and even then players like Crosby will rarely go down, so if they don't go down the refs won't notice the infractions unless someone puts the idea in their head to look for it. And by the way...Crosby often draws comparisons to Wayne Gretzky...and at the same age in his career Wayne yapped to the officials every bit as often as Sid does.

Does Crosby dive to draw penalties sometimes? Of course he does, but why it is so obvious is that he probably is good enough to retain balance in almost any situation. Should he be penalized because even illegal plays don't knock him over? He shares this ability with Malkin as well. I bet whenever you see either Crosby or Malkin taken down the first thing you say is "He shouldn't be taken down that easily," right?

So there will be those out there, those who lack total self-confidence and personal character, who will say they are thrilled the Penguins will be without Crosby to start the year. They must think their team can't beat the Penguins otherwise...

As for me.. I am a fan of hockey first, and I am huge fan of any player who takes this sport to the next level. To a level we didn't know existed before. Ovechkin does it. Lidstrom does it. Brodeur has done it. Stamkos and St. Louis do it. Briere and Giroux do it. Toews does it. Tim Thomas does it to my absolute amazement. And so many more.

Hockey fans often say "these are the guys you love to hate" because they have helped to end your team's run. I prefer saying, "I hate to love these players." Because to me that is more accurate. When my team is defeated it kills me to have to admit how much I admired what a star player on another team accomplished...

And the best of the best, on the ice and off, is Sidney Crosby. There should be no celebration is his suffering right now. The guy is going through the toughest time of his life. We, as people first and hockey fans second, need to send out all the positive energy and well wishes we can.

We all need you back on the ice Sid. Get well soon!
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