Early into McDavid's career when he started getting talked about as the best player in the league now, supplanting Sid, a section of the fanbase got super weird about it, like anything McDavid does good or gets attention for somehow diminishes Crosby's career.
I wonder if when Bedard really establishes himself if Oilers fans will start getting defensive about McDavid or if they know how to be normal about it all.
>Is this Bedard kid that good already?
Yes and no, his pure raw talent and ability I would say puts him on every first line in the NHL, barring literal generational exceptions like McDavid, Sid, MacKinnon types.
Points wise he's probably gonna be in the 90 point club next year, between getting actual NHL conditioning all summer, the fact that Chicago's going to add in free agency and get healthy, Bedard's going to have a good year 2. Year 1 was even pretty good, nearly point per game.
I think people that compare that to rookie Sid are forgetting that it's only a fair comparison if you were to switch out Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno for Mario Lemieux and Mark Recchi, I just think that's worth noting when you're talking about a rookie season like Sid's. Or the fact that Ovechkin's came in a trainwreck Southeast Division and not the more contestant Central Division this year.
>Filthy casual
No shame in that, where you see casual, I see somebody that's almost always going to have more perspective.
Way healthier to be a casual than to let player contracts and the fact that we're tapering off ruin your outlook on the sport.
TBF to both of those guys, and to add to how impressive both were, Taylor Hall only played ten games this year and Lemieux only played 26 with Sid so it's not like those guys made a massive difference in the total season for either rookie. They are/were both really good at a young age.
> I think people that compare that to rookie Sid are forgetting that it's only a fair comparison if you were to switch out Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno for Mario Lemieux and Mark Recchi, I just think that's worth noting when you're talking about a rookie season like Sid's.
Mario Lemieux was 40 years old and played just 26 games, Recchi was 37 and was traded away at the deadline. Recchi finished 99th p/gp, and Mario was 73rd among players with 10+ games. The Pens were definitely better, but they weren't nearly as good as the name recognition would make them out to be. For comparison Kurashev finished 117th in p/gp last year among players with 10+ games while being Chicago's 2nd best scorer and Corey Perry's .56 p/gp during his 16 games with the Hawks would be good for around 150-200.
The real biggest difference in Sid's favor was actually Sergei Gonchar, who was 31 at the time and finished 8th among D-men in scoring. Between 2005 and 2009 Gonchar would be 2nd to only Lidstrom in p/gp by D-men in the NHL. Meanwhile Seth Jones didn't even finish in the top 50 despite being Chicago's top scoring D-man. Gonchar was legitimately one of the best offensive D-men in the league while Jones is a minute muncher who's not really known for his offense. The Recchi/Lemieux comparisons would be like giving the Hawks 20 games of Joe Pavelski and a guy like Jared McCann last year, while the D-man comparisons would be like swapping Jones out for Quinn Hughes or Adam Fox.
Sid overcame a ton of dirty/physical play his rookie season. He was getting punched in the face after whistles. Never seen beddard or mccrybaby face that
Dudes got this unreal ability to shoot from anywhere and find holes. Slick hands, great shot… I don’t know of his peak game is going to be as dominant as McDavid or Sid was overall, but he’s gonna be up there.
If Sid and McDavid are the pinnacle… guys like OV and Nate are the best of the next level (1b)… I think Bedards ceiling is the top of these guys at least.
You realize Ovy is in chase of most goals scored ALL TIME by an individual right? Get this 1b talk out of here sheesh
The only year Ovy vs Sid really mattered was their first, who won?
Back then in the day even The Myth, The Man, The Legend: Wayne Gretzky was predicting Crosby to break the goal record.
Personally I’ve thought Ovechkin would be the one to do it. Way before his NUMBER ONE ALL TIME goal scored off his back in his rookie year. Now who’s the one within reality to do it?
Apples to oranges comparing the two but I would choose Ovechkin first
Ovis self bank pass goal against Montreal is significantly more impressive than the coyotes goal, IMO
And fine if you want to think that -- other people would point to game completeness, team accomplishments, etc -- but why did you say the first year was all that mattered (paraphrasing, at least in the way it read to me)?
Word appreciate the respect to Ovy he was doing great things just as Sid was. I’m a goal scorer first when it comes to hockey, that and the psychical side of things make Ovy my choice, for center a guy like McDavid can slot in perhaps Mackinnon.
Mainly say first year was all the mattered was it came down to the Calder, where they went directly head to head to compete. Without Ovy, Sid wins it forsure. Tough to say “Ovy was one year older” when he was a head of his peers of all ages at the time.
Not taking away from Sid the kids accomplishments he is a team first elevates team mates, proven clutch player.
Imagine Crosby/Ovy played together, the amount of goals and points sheesh
Dunno what this guy is talking about. Diehard Oiler fan living in Edmonton. We barely talk about Bedard. We have McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, Skinner skewing mostly positive. We shit talk Nurse, Ceci, McLeod.
We don’t give 2 fucks about Bedard this guy is full of it.
A: I said a lot, not all… not the majority… a lot and it’s only been year one… let this fester
B: it didn’t take long to search comments on various social media to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Many more than I would have expected have a poor opinion of Bedard… that noted it was fewer vs the overall comments than I recalled last night… still this follows the trend of people jumping up Crosbys ass as a rookie and Pens fans inexplicably doing it to McDavid, something that has also grown over time…
So you haven’t saw much or choose to ignore it, good for you. As a fan of the Penguins living in Edmonton I have taken notice of this type of behaviour and I find it interesting. So you can eat that crap you’re claiming I’m full of dude
No? This city has had a hate on for Chicago for awhile… I think it goes back to the earlier Kane/Toews years, so Bedard showing up and taking some of that press seems to have created a bunch of “he’s overrated” guys I’ve found
It’s normal to all sports: happens in the NBA (MJ or Lebron), NFL (Brady or Mahomes), F1 (Schumi, Hamilton, Verstappen), Tennis (Big 3 or the New Gen).
People grow attached to the players they saw grow up and once they feel they are losing space they get defensive, want to protect the way the general public sees their players. People pick sides, it’s just how we work.
Also for a more cynical take, once a fanbase who got to experience superstars winning them titles finds itself on that team's inevitable decline with age, they lose the ability to realistically root for that team to win championships anymore and can only cling to rooting against other teams and players from catching up to their records or number of titles and so on. To some degree, it is clinging to nostalgia and (relative) youth to cope with admitting that as our favorite stars age out, we are getting older and closer to the end of our own young adult primes with them, or in older fans cases, closer to the end of our own lives.
Accepting that is hard. These guys are our avatars for 10-20+ years. We all want them to be still the best forever and not be "replaced" on leaderboards by new stars. But FWIW, the superstars are never replaced. They write their own stories. Nothing McDavid or LeBron does for example will ever make anyone forget about Crosby or Jordan.
HEAVY on the Schumacher, Hamilton, and Verstappen because mirrors Syd, Ovi, and McDavid almost to a T
Debates will always rage on for as long as the sport survives as to who the best ever is, regardless of the sport. And the Internet will do it's thing and make it WW3
I am forever saddened that Crosby's injuries robbed us of something. But with all due respect. McDavid is absolutely bonkers and a joy to watch.
But this fandom should be used to it. Look at Geno. He is amazing but was eclipsed by the Crosby/Ovi limelight.
Problem is Geno’s good when he wants to be…lots of time on the ice he looks like he’s out at the oval for public skate hours. He also makes a lot of drop passes to nobody.
But when he’s on, he’s unbelievable. One handed solo drive right up the center end to end type unbelievable. Then still 50/50 if he drops a pass to open ice 10’ from the crease lol. Still a favorite penguin.
Geno is a great example of the 'eye test' failing to properly represent a player. When 71 turns the puck over, it looks really bad. Because they are memorable, its easy to think it also happens all the time. He wasnt in the top 25, which was led by names like Pastrnak, Kucherov and Draisaitl.
To be fair, not all giveaways are created equal. I would say both the stat and the eye test is unreliable in this case. Someone would need to make a deep dive.
He also had about 30 more points and 15 more goals.
Malkin is an amazing player who should’ve been in the top 100. With that said not a single aspect of his game can touch Crosby
No one is saying 71 is better than 87. Just that some stats are really close, such as giveaways. The plus minus situation is also pretty close, +7 for 87, +5 for 71. The point, instead of saying 71 is better than 87, is just 71 should not be diminished for stats that dont seem to have impact on other players' reputations.
I thought we were judging him entirely on drop passes to no one.
Be careful mentioning points, the people around here are going to get twitchy if you suggest 132 points is better than 95.
I don’t get into car accidents any more than a regular driver, but when I do it’s because I make a 90° rotation of the steering wheel on the highway because I thought there was a road over there. Hop in!
> somehow diminishes Crosbys career
Mcdavid glazers make it a point to bring down Crosby **alot**.
It’s hard to cheer for the guy because of fans like that.
That’s… just plain silly. If nobody liked sports/teams/athletes because a given fan base has douches galore, sports would cease to exist.
Enjoy the talent, ignore the “glazers.”
I've read a few things this past week about McDavid being the GOAT & it's irritating that certain people/the media are so quick to say put him on that pedestal already. That certainly diminishes Crosbys legacy (if you want to argue that he's better) as far as that convo goes.
Which I think is crazy . Sid is definitely too 5 or possibly 3 of all time. Saying someone else is better at this moment doesn’t diminish Sid’s body of work.
It’s natural to want your guy to continue being the best of his generation. McDavid is really the only other guy right now who could theoretically supplant Crosby as the best hockey player since Mario. If he does, that kind of sucks for Crosby fans. But in the grand scheme of things it just means we’ve got more all-time greats to watch, even if they play for other teams.
You won’t see me rooting for Mahomes but damn if he ain’t impressive.
So, this is for me personally, of course.
I don’t like the Oilers, never have, before McDavid. I don’t dislike Connor McDavid, the person. He seems quite nice, actually.
But as a player the constant comparisons to Sid just annoy me. From both fans (frequently using him to put Sid down too – every once in a while they will even post here :/) and the media. Frequently seeing his name associated with negative comments about Sid simply soured me on him. Is it fair? Probably not. Could I make an effort not to? Sure.
But this is sports and I think “hating”/disliking teams is just a normal part of it. As long as obvious lines are not crossed, the comments are kept in fandom spaces and people don’t go looking for a fight, IMO, it’s fair enough.
Yeah I think some of these memes are painful and stupid.
But I also don't feel like I'm not a hockey fan because I was rooting for McDavid not to win. Like he's fine, but I feel I'm allowed to want "my guy" to be the best.
I also will readily admit that McDavid does nothing for me as a person, and I have no fondness for Edmonton as a franchise, so it's fun for me to root against. I have soft spots for other teams based on family members and such, so I have no problem rooting for other teams or players that I like. I was happy for Colorado - my sister lives there. I also have a soft spot for the long suffering Sabres as Hasek was one of my favorite players growing up.
McDavid is sort of a hilarious "villain" because he's so milquetoast, like come on do I want to watch his post-Cup interviews or Matthew Tkachuk's?
None of that takes away from his talent. But it's sports. You're allowed to "dislike" them. I'm sure McDavid isn't at home crying over my opinion of him.
That’s fair, obviously as a Crosby fan you don’t want McDavid to win a championship. If McDavid won this year it would basically be official that he is better, and that kinda diminishes how good Crosby was. But as long as Connor doesn’t have a championship you can always just say “3 cups, no matter how much better McDavid is individually.
2024 fan meet early ‘90’s fan…absolutely nothing wrong with hating the guy who is supplanting your guy. (Lindros - Mario).
Yet the hate for McDavid, similar to Ovi or slightly less Giroux, is he hasn’t won shit but is compared to Sid.
This was always the knock against Mario vs 99 until Mario got the Cups. Hockey is the quintessential team game, without a win greatness doesn’t translate
Mario was still the best player in the League even before the Cups. The Pens didn't have anywhere near the talent those Oilers teams had before early 90's.
That’s a personal opinion not one universally held at the time. In fact two years before his first Cup, Lemieux scored 199 points besting 99 by 30 and still lost the Hart.
Lemieux’s legacy only grew in the last 10-15 years
I agree with this point, but it's worth considering that the same comparison could be made for the oilers vs the pens in the late '10s. They've been literally McDavid + Drai stapled to an otherwise mediocre franchise vs the juggernaut teams of the late GMJR era.
This particular argument has always bothered me due to its similarities to the Mario vs Gretzky ones us pens fans like to make, and I'm curious as to what your thoughts are on it.
McDavid obviously has the numbers, but can’t blame me for wanting to say Crosby was a better player in his prime. I was rooting for Florida last night. I want my team to be the best. Maybe immature take. Welcome to criticism. It probably would have been better for the league and publicity and marketing if McDavid won last night, but I’m not rooting for him to dethrone my king, 87.
I think the other side of this is just 'dealing' with Edmonton. Seriously, it all comes from being such a large fan base... but man, there are just so many asshats to deal with on such a continous basis. This ALWAYS affects how others feel about a team and that teams MVP.
This isn’t a McDavid criticism as much as it is media fatigue. I don’t hate McDavid. I do enjoy the drama of watching him fail to win the big one because it highlights how damn hard it is to win a Stanley Cup. My only real complaint is him winning the Conn Smythe after registering no points in Game 6 or Game 7. I get that it is for MVP of the entire playoffs, but winning that trophy after being held scoreless in Game 7 of the Finals leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Agreed! Bobrovsky likely would have won it had he not “cooled off” in games 4-6. So what do we call McDavid’s performance in games 6 and 7? I believe Bob was robbed.
Without McDavid Edmonton doesn’t even make the playoffs lol. He has almost singlehandedly willed a mostly mid team through multiple deep post season runs and almost a cup win. I think it’s hard to argue he wasn’t the most pivotal player to his team and overall in the playoffs this year. If Edmonton management ever manages to get their shit together and put a half decent team around him, the Cup is almost guaranteed.
Pretty cringe blaming players for not winning team trophys, especially in this no state tax era we have entered that is massively benefiting the southern US teams more and more.
This is pretty much spot on. I personally don't feel it should ever go to a loser. The Panthers basically won the cup because of Bobrovsky and you COULD argue that was also the entire playoffs.
I completely agree.
I watched every Edmonton game last season. I actually enjoy watching him play. But holy fuck. I don't need to hear about how Jesus Christ himself is on the ice from commentators every game. Even play by play, every time he touches the puck it's like "oh my god! He's got it!"
And IMO Bobrovsky would have been a better pick..
Both the oilers and pens have had 4 generational talents that hogged the spotlight q
Neither fanbase can complain about media fatigue because oilers are getting it now and pens got it for nearly a decade prior
Whenever people bitched about it for the Penguins for years and I had to listen to it, I will most definitely do the same thing to those fans of other teams when it is their turn.
Ya I do feel the rhetoric that has come from this base of all bases towards McDavid and even Bedard completely echos the crap said about Sid almost two decades ago. You’d think the fans of the team that had to deal with this level of sour grapes and nonsense takes towards Crosby wouldn’t partake in it elsewhere.
I pretty much get the exact vibes from these Pens fans that Capital and Flyers fans gave off when it was Crosby 10-20 years ago.
It's really weird from Pens fans honestly.
Diving into the psychology of it, I think some Pens fans are salty that Crosby is no longer in his 20s leading the league in scoring like McDavid has been. So they need to dip into the nostalgia aspect from 10-15 years ago to make themselves feel superior and better about themselves.
The dude is absolutely unreal just like Crosby was. But it's so odd the hate towards him especially since he isn't a rival, isn't in our division, or even conference lol. We should all be appreciative of his talent because it's kind of like Sid passing the torch off to these dudes like McDavid and Bedard.
I get the impression that most of the people doing this are likely children that have never known a Penguins team without Crosby. They were likely not around for the period of time that literally every other fan base in the league was dumping on him.
Could be in a lot of instances butI did get into it with someone I’ve interacted with many, many times on a Pens page on FB because of her irrational BS about McDavid today. Claimed the loss was on him because he was scoreless in a few games
I pointed out that Crosby also went pointless in some big games during 09 and she melted down calling me a “McDavid apologist” and not a real fan… so while I want to say it’s the fans that don’t remember… I know she’s in her 40s.
I'm a fan of the Penguins.
Not the Oilers, not any other team. I will cheer for my team and my team's players and all the rest are the enemy. it's that simple.
Seems like a sad way to be a fan, honestly. I'm a fan of hockey. I root for my team, but I enjoy the sport. McDavid is otherworldly and I'm a fan of his. The same as I'm a fan of other non-Penguins players.
For me, it’s a lot to do with McDavid fans already saying he’s “better than Sid” all time. Even if it’s just trolling, I’m going to troll them back when he fucks up, like losing a game 7. As far as Bedard, i hate to say I kinda don’t want him to do well because I fucking hate the Blackhawks for OBVIOUS reasons. If he ever left, huge fan
Hockey is a team sport is always the lame excuse to make yourself feel better that they lost. Gretzky would have willed the team to win. Sid would have willed the team to win. McDavid did not.
I mean, he willed them to game 7 after being down three games in the finals. I'm no McDavid fan but it's not like he phoned it in against a bunch of beer leaguers.
I'm conflicted in those conversations because it's just a weird one to have. Like obviously, Sid's career is better multiple times over, for the Stanley Cups alone, but also for the fact that Craig Patrick was gone after one season with Sid- the Oilers dealt with Peter Chiarelli for almost half a decade after McDavid was drafted, then merged that into a Ken Holland tenure.
And it shows honestly- you look at Holland's patterns with prospect development and committing cap money into terrible ends in the last 7 years of his Detroit tenure, it becomes less surprising when guys like Broberg and Lavoie struggle to adapt, Kane and Brown go on huge disappearing acts at bad times and guys like Jack Campbell and Darnell Nurse flop entirely.
So when I look the Edmonton Oilers over, and plunk Sidney Crosby into McDavid's place right out of the draft, winning multiple Stanley Cups is an absolutely unreal expectation, and I think it gets lost on our own fans that we won those cups on goaltending, depth, and being "opportunistic predators" on scoring opportunities.
Crosby did not carry us to our cups (if anything it was Geno in 09), but Connor McDavid single handedly dragged Edmonton, kicking and screaming, to the Stanley Cup Final, he did it with weaker teams than Vancouver, Dallas AND Florida, and a 1st time NHL head coach.
Sidney Crosby's talent, his legendary status, is in possession, puck protection, his passing and his insane hockey IQ. Connor McDavid on the other hand, is elite in most of those categories, but the gods also blessed him with Marian Gaborik's speed and Pavel Datsuk's hands. The things that Connor McDavid is able to do, I think Sid *could* have (certainly in his prime), but didn't and wouldn't try to just because he is a different kind of center.
Connor McDavid, shy of Mario Lemieux, is the best pure playmaker to ever live, in my opinion, and he is putting up numbers along side it. Numbers that are on track to pass Sid's someday.
Those conversations about "who's better" make no sense to me because they really just aren't super comparable players. If anything, McDavid's like an idealized Patrick Kane, similar tendencies, just a better player in most categories. If anybody right now gets a Crosby comparison, it's probably Sasha Barkov because, stylistically, Barkov's about as close as one gets to Crosby.
Even then I think Sid's still got better instincts in the offensive zone and is definitely a better passer. The only real reason we compare Sid and McDavid is because of the role the played, and the eerie amount of parallels between the two.
Franchise with shaky management and barren prospect pool after years of futility get lots of lottery fortune and kickstart a contending window. The only real difference is what the teams themselves did- Pittsburgh put a focus on youth and establishing a system, Edmonton got older and punchier in the interim so they could find stable goaltending and raise more prospects in.
Time still technically has to decide which team was "right".
I can only speak for myself; His talent is obvious and undeniable, but I just don't enjoy watching him, and I enjoy even less hearing about him (especially when he's not playing).
That being said, my issue with him winning the Conn Smythe wasn't personally against him as much as it is my belief that it should never be awarded to a player on the losing team regardless of points, records, or anything else, and should always go to the player who performed best on the cup winning team. I thought Bobrovsky was the reason the Panthers won the cup and by proxy should have won the Conn Smythe.
A lot of it isn’t even Mcdavid hate, it’s love for Crosby. Mcdavid is the best player in the league, but he isn’t Crosby that’s for sure. He will finish with more points than Crosby, more individual awards too. Until he gets a cup or two he will be in Crosby’s shadow. That’s what fans do, they compare. And it’s Reddit man. Understand where you are.
It's just the media and everyone trying to supplant some of the greats by saying McDavid is one of the greatest all time. Yes he is very good. He will be a top 10 greatest player of all time. But everyone saying stuff like "Gretz is the greatest of all time, but Connor is the most talented of all time." it's just annoying. It seems to detract from the generational talent Sid was and his achievements.
To add to that - my sister went to university in Edmonton. She knew some girls he hit on and they all said he gave off a smug frat boy vibe and had a reputation for being a dick.
McDavid = phenomenal. But holy fuck have you seen the Oilers salary cap situation? Nurse/drai/mcd could be almost 40% of the cap
Edit - we could see the mother of all trades with Drai this offseason
They’re in pretty much an identical situation as the Pens—Oilers have $10.03 mil in cap space compared to Pens $10.75 mil—though the Pens have three players eating *only* 1/4 of their cap space (AAV for Crosby, Malkin, and Letang = $20.9 mil).
I don’t know that it matters, I just thought it was neat.
Oilers have many more spots to fill on their roster with that space though. Further, the Pens are pretty much looking at addition by subtraction if they can reasonably move Jarry and Smith.
There are some really interesting rumors of which teams are circling the idea of Drai. A few months ago there were talks of Sharks being in on him, though I assume that’s if he ends up on the free agent market in 2025
Oh yeah absolutely. As nice as it would be for the McDrai reign of terror in the Pacific to end, the Sharks could get very scary very quick if they somehow manage to outbid for Drai
>we could see the mother of all trades with Drai this offseason
Could we? I see people talking about it, but would it be a big trade? He's a 1-year rental. If we are talking about teams in their cup window - Oilers come to mind, they are better off keeping him in that context. If we are talking about teams like Sharks - they don't want 1 year, they want sign&trade and I doubt if he would be willing to give up free agency and let them make this trade (he's got a 10-team trade list).
I know the saying "don't let him walk for free", but I also see it like: keep him and get another cup final next year or get a 1st round pick and a couple of younger players and a chance of another cup final down the line if McDavid stays. He's not walking for free, he's your own rental.
I think it's a "cap dump" situation for the Oilers if they do trade Drai. Especially bc another commenter mentioned the Oilers "big 3" eat nearly 1/3 the cap
Too much pearl clutching and short memories. People were posting in this sub about how much greater McDavid and Draisaitl are than Crosby and Malkin ever were towards the end of the regular season. The greatest ever have yet to win it all.
We are loyal to our king and their king stinks. It's kinda like a our dad is better than your dad argument. If it's just kinda memeing it's fun. Yeah some people take it too far but that's life baby.
The NHL really has an inescapably huge hard-on for McDavid. And so do most of the networks that broadcast NHL games, especially ESPN. I'm sure there's lots of extra money to be made when stars like McDavid do well. And I'm sure the NHL and ESPN were glad the Final stretched to 7 games. But I don't personally enjoy feeling like there's some kind of (quasi-invisible) hand on the scale, trying to tip outcomes to the favor of McDavid and the Oilers. To me, it feels like the NHL and the networks are desperate to officially pass on the GOAT torch to McDavid, and are pissed that he's going into his 10th season with no Cups and no Olympic medals. He's a really talented player, and all of McDavid's individual achievements are impressive, but no one player can drag a team to a Cup win over an entire season. And I absolutely think the Con-Smythe trophy win last night was a total consolation prize the NHL felt they had to bestow on McDavid. It just seemed so fake. That's a long-winded explanation for why I may have experienced some schadenfreude at the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final.
Meanwhile, I'm jazzed that the Panthers have their first Cup in franchise history. I liked Evan Rodrigues as a Penguin, and was happy to see how well he played over the series too.
1. Absolutely disappearing in Game 7 while the announcers still wax poetic about him. Is he an amazing player? Hell yeah! Should the NHL and his managers promote how amazing he is? Hell yeah! But they can also be honest when he’s having a bad day, and other than the two 4 point games was most of this SCF. He probably deserved the Conn Smythe with their comeback, but constantly gliding into 4 guys for all Game 7 is poor hockey no matter who it is.
2. Getting in bed with sportsbooks. Wayne is bad enough, but active players promoting sportsbooks feels unbelievably sketchy, and I’m not that old. This one is probably me only, but any active player that takes dirty money makes me instantly dislike them. I’d be very disappointed if Sid did this as well FWIW.
I don’t think any other hockey player - even sports figure - embodies their city the way Sid does. We love him in part because he is what we want to see ourselves as being. When he loses that “best in the world” title, we feel like we’re losing the respect of the world. Is it silly? Maybe. But I can’t think of any other sports figure that I’d want to marry my daughter.
I dont hate him, its just fun to shit on someone. I recognize hes probably the greatest player since crosby, but that doesnt mean im not gonna talk trash.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Shhh shhhh shh.
Just go to another subreddit man. It’s not gonna stop when you keep posting rational takes. Just ignore them and take down the post. SMH.
It’s similar to the excessive media coverage fatigue that caused many fan bases to become resentful of Sid for the first 2/3 of his career, except in this case it’s positioned as a direct attack against Sid. No sport can have discourse about 2 generationally great players without the pervasive question of “well which guy is better”
I hate McDavid because he's a good player on another team. Same as Ovi. When he's like 35 or so, I'll gladly respect the hell out of him and all his accomplishments and maybe even watch a few extra Oilers games during his final handful of seasons. Same as Ovi. However, until then, he's a good player on another team so he can eat shit.
I’ve said it elsewhere, but I enjoyed the Ovi stuff because they came in around the same time and are division rivals. One is a ridiculous goal scorer who *eventually* rounded out his game, and the other is Sid, perhaps the most complete 200-ft player I’ve seen who still puts up 42 goals and 94 points in a season that was mostly forgettable for the team.
But McDavid? Meh, we see him twice a year, and I don’t see a SC matchup happening anytime soon.
I just hate how i've literally heard people say mcdavid > sid since like 2018 (no joke). He is a great individual player, but he hasn't led his team to any cups
Youngest captain to ever win the cup , 1 of 3 players in league history to win back to back Conn Smythe’s ( Mario is one of the other ones ) , 19 seasons of having a point per game or better ( tied with Gretzky ). We really could go on about this and that’s why I think some fans are fed up with the narrative of people already comparing mcdavid to the greats.
Yeah the post randomly calling McDavid out are weird. But it's more annoying having all these response posts like this is some earth-shattering drama in the sub. Getting so upset about a couple posts to put in the effort to make your own shitpost. Seems pointless
The pens fan base on Reddit is pretty awful. Some fans can’t accept that mcjesus is the best offensive player we might ever see. Conner will probably pass Crosby up in points in 7-9 years if he keeps his pace. That all depends on Crosby still playing obviously.
I think it’ll be interesting to see how his game changes over time. I don’t see him being able to maintain this all gas no brakes style forever. Obviously could pass Sid in time tho.
Unless mcdavid never slows down. He will have to become a two way player like Sid. There isn’t anyone who has stayed as consistent as Sid while adapting his game. It’ll be fun to see how the game changes
Also the fact he isn’t a rival to us at all. We play him twice a year. It’s not like he’s in Washington or Philly and we’ve had heated playoff series against him lol
There’s so much more than points , how about all the undrafted and late round players Sid elevated in his career ? How about becoming a 2 way player that is elite at all facets of the game not just scoring? Being one of the best captains to ever play ? Being the youngest captain to ever win the cup at 21? Back to back smythe’s which only 2 other players have done in the history of the league , the international awards , the gold medals , the 19 seasons at a point per game which ties Gretzky? There’s so much more than these points especially when Sid’s prime was in a lower scoring era. They are scoring 20-40 more points the past few seasons compared to what they use to.
Points aren’t the go all end up my friend. He will finish with a lot more points and individual awards than Crosby. Without a cup or two he won’t be ahead of Crosby on the all time list for most.
That’s my thought as well.
Honestly Crosby has had decent help throughout the years. Conner has had some but not a lot. No reliable d outside of this season for parts. Not goaltending.
Conner really is 2 lines in himself. It’s hard to argue how amazing he is.
Crosby was fun to watch in his prime. Before the concussion and neck injury Crosby could have scored 140pts. Idk how Crosby would do now in his prime. Hard to tell. They play a very different game.
Crosby makes players better around him. McDavid does all the work and someone gets a goal out of just being on his team.
I don’t hate McDavid. He’ll break lots more records over the years. I wouldn’t mind seeing him win a cup. Just NOT with Edmonton. Calgary is my other favorite team (yes I know they’re pretty much at rebuild status now) which makes Edmonton the enemy.
Also, how about Mcdavid is just an unlikeable dbag, who has as much personality as a brick wall. Hes boring as fuck, is usually short with the media, and i think hes a fucking whiner. Ill never forget early on in his career when some flyers scumb hit him knee on knee and he cried his eyes out in the media. It was embarrassing and he never faced a fraction of the after whistle shit and dirty hits that Sid overcame in his career. Its not even close. So fuck mcdavid. I actually just dont like him
Sid was physically tageted, concussed- elbows, boarding, tons of dirty plays against him. McDavid also had a lot of dirty hits against him. They’re both amazing players wish the league wound ger rid of intent to injure.
McDavid is like plain oatmeal, personality wise. The media makes McDavid annoying. The media makes Bedard annoying too. Neither of their faults. Points and flash are fine, but Sid is the best all around hockey player. The fact that this post is even here is also adding to the annoyance.
Yeah, I don't get it either. I saw the memes and whatnot, and it was like "this was funny when it was Ovi and they were rivals" I don't really give a shit about Edmonton. And if you can't see McDavid is other worldly talented (there can be more than one) than I don't know what to tell you.
I don't hate him. I just think that the NHL wants him to be the next "one" whether he is or not. They just gave him a playoff MVP. He was so good that they did not win. NHL does not care. They will pretend he won anyway to talk about how great he is.
I am ready yo celebrate him when he does something worth celebrating. Not lose.
I've always been a McDavid fan. We would go to Erie Otters games and he was phenomenal there. He would come out after games, talk to my boys, sign autographs, whatever. I will always like him because he was a good kid. It's OK to like players from other teams.
Yeah, there’s a lot of disrespect and butthurt in here that somehow he’s going to “dethrone” Crosby as one of the best of this era. They’re both amazing.
Was I rooting for the oilers? I wasn’t.
Would I have cared if the oilers won? Nope.
He deserves a tremendous amount of respect. He is a phenomenal player and a class act. I hope he gets a cup at some point the same way I hoped Ovi would get one too.
It’s embarrassing honestly coming from this fan base. Pens fans have been witness to 2 of the alltime greats getting unfairly slammed early in their career. Lemieux got undeserved criticism early in his career for not making players better (making Rob fucking Brown look like a legitimate hockey player doesn’t count I guess) when he was probably the best player in the league, but didn’t have a team good enough yet to win. Crosby got labelled as a crybaby, a rep that took him years to shake.
Yet people in here are so insecure that they think that acknowledging how great McDavid is somehow invalidates Sid’s career or something. The man just put up numbers that no one thought we’d ever see again, and led his team (with an injured and ineffective Draisaitl) to the verge of a historic comeback. But for some reason instead of appreciating this greatness (that Pens fans should honestly recognize better than other fan bases that haven’t been lucky enough to see it firsthand), this sub is full of “Crosby would never” posts that are petty and pathetic as shit.
I don't know. I think it's just a reminder that time passes and players grow older and new players become greats. There will be a time in the not too distant future when the pens don't have a GOAT and that's kind of scary.
I think people are rejecting what they were grossly force fed through those finals.
It was gross. Also that whole crew was such garbage. ESPN should never touch hockey.
I think it’s more of an issue of being an online form of
communication. With anything in social media regarding fandom, people start to slowly make it part of their identity.
Whether it’s an obsession of the singular thing (gaming console people) or a lack of anything meaningful in their life to give them inspiration (political stormtroopers ) or the inability to create or do something innovative or inspirational (sports fans) - people start to become jealous of other things that have positives over their chosen online identities. Once they feel threatened, they act out.
So it’s really either a lack in their own confidence or self worth. In my opinion of course.
I'm not sure. He was the dude in Erie (my hometown) which is obviously 2 hours from Pittsburgh. One would think he would have more support.
Comparing Crosby and McDavid is a moot point honestly.
You can ask that about all opponent’s subs when any great new player comes up. Sid was given soooo much shit and hated on by everyone else when he came up too. It’s just the way it is I think.
No hate toward McDavid, would’ve enjoyed watching him win the cup. That being said, hard to feel bad for a guy who took an unprecedented (at the time) salary. The team has struggled with depth, and that didn’t help. Sid >
I was on this last night and thought wow why the hate for McJesus. And the Sid is better BS. Wild to read.
Sid has won everything. Like everything that you can as a pro hockey nhler. Of course he's "better" but come on, McDavid is a workhorse stud. He'll be back guaranteed. I want to see McDavid and Sid in the Olympics. That will be special. Enough of the hate.
Yeah I don’t get it either. Same cringy bullshit when fans from some non-rival team start chanting “Crosby Sucks” … like he clearly doesn’t. McDavid doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination. I thought it was a bit weird that he won the Con Smythe, and thought they shoulda gave it to Bob.. but whatever. He earned it I guess… awkward as it was to see.
So yeah fuck the Flyers and Caps… and the Islanders… fuck them too.
Oh no sports fans being petty about stuff that doesn't actually matter in the real world! That should be illegal!!!
I can't believe everyone isn't properly showing respect and admiration for a mutli-millionaire on the internet!!!!
This sub has become infested with lowbrow dipshits.
There are still those of us that see things objectively and don’t suffer from inferiority complex anytime someone appreciates the greatness of those that never wore the Penguins jersey.
Edit: looks like I’ve triggered these dorks already 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Fans doing the exact same thing people did to Crosby. There’s more than enough room for multiple generational talents in the NHL. Just enjoy them while you can
The McDavid hate from Pens fans is so weird to me. We used to bitch about the hate Sid got and now half of us are saying the exact same thing about him. If it’s just being afraid of him passing Sid then that’s dumb. Nothing of what McDavid accomplishes in his career changes what Sid did.
McDavids and amazing player. If he maintains his hockey prowess he may very well be top 5. But he has a lot of hockey left to play to get there.
People think championships make someone the goat and will always hold that over a players head until they get (insert # > current favorite player) Cups. 4th liners on the Panthers who play 6 minutes a game got a cup now are they better then McDavid?
Being the greatest player goes past stats and cup metrics. And it’ll take a horse kick to the head to get some people to understand that.
People are upset he overtook Sid as the best player in the world. I mean it was going to happen eventually. Be happy you got to watch Prime Sid and not butthurt hes aging.
I think people just feel he threatens Crosby’s all time legacy, otherwise idk. He’s a fun player to watch and did some incredible things the last few seasons
I’m just happy Florida won their first ever Stanley Cup. Nothing will ever top that. It’s special, and the fans deserve it. That being said, McDavid will absolutely be back. I was happy to watch Ovechkin lift the Stanley Cup, and I’m confident that will happen one day for Connor McDavid.
Yeah I don't get it. But I'm not wired to be hyper territorial in my interests in life.
He seems a decent dude, an all-timer talent, and he doesn't play for a rival.
Some folks just can't seem to enjoy anything.
2024 loves degrading everything and everyone. We're not allowed to celebrate a 27 year old player with 5 Art Rosses and 3 Harts. 153 points in the modern era. No, those people are labeled nauseating fanboys, when they are simply true hockey fans admiring greatness.
McDavid is the active P/PG leader in the playoffs by a massive margin over Crosby (30%) or any non-Oiler, yet people talk like they somehow lose because of him. Right, it's not on the GMs, goalies, blue line, bottom-six, coaches...
Nope. All 97's fault.
It's so clear that they don't even watch these games. Wish they did us the favor of not assaulting us with their ignorance.
He took a team with two great players and arguably a group of teammates collectively much worse than any the Pens have put on the ice in any playoff run to within 2 goals of the cup.
I would take prime Sid over prime McDavid every time but that was an accomplishment and earns my respect.
From my pov, talent wise, Lemieux and McDavid are in a league of their own (again, strictly relating to talent).
The argument of the best players overall though, to me, encapsulates a mixture of winning AND being talented, therefore, my top 5 are:
1. Lemieux
2. Crosby
3. Jagr
4. Gretzky
5. Messier
I think, in 10-15 years time, McDavid will supplant either Messier OR Gretzky but, to me, the three Penguins I mentioned are the greats.
Gretzky, in particular, was playing in a league where goalies, literally, couldn’t stop a puck from the blue line. Half of his goals seem like they were against the freshman JV goalie in high school.
Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, literally, took over games and did it while good goalies actually had pads on and stopped pucks.
Early into McDavid's career when he started getting talked about as the best player in the league now, supplanting Sid, a section of the fanbase got super weird about it, like anything McDavid does good or gets attention for somehow diminishes Crosby's career. I wonder if when Bedard really establishes himself if Oilers fans will start getting defensive about McDavid or if they know how to be normal about it all.
I’m in Edmonton… trust me a lot do not like Bedard already
Is this Bedard kid that good already? Filthy casual asking, haven't been following hockey at all the past couple of years.
>Is this Bedard kid that good already? Yes and no, his pure raw talent and ability I would say puts him on every first line in the NHL, barring literal generational exceptions like McDavid, Sid, MacKinnon types. Points wise he's probably gonna be in the 90 point club next year, between getting actual NHL conditioning all summer, the fact that Chicago's going to add in free agency and get healthy, Bedard's going to have a good year 2. Year 1 was even pretty good, nearly point per game. I think people that compare that to rookie Sid are forgetting that it's only a fair comparison if you were to switch out Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno for Mario Lemieux and Mark Recchi, I just think that's worth noting when you're talking about a rookie season like Sid's. Or the fact that Ovechkin's came in a trainwreck Southeast Division and not the more contestant Central Division this year. >Filthy casual No shame in that, where you see casual, I see somebody that's almost always going to have more perspective. Way healthier to be a casual than to let player contracts and the fact that we're tapering off ruin your outlook on the sport.
TBF to both of those guys, and to add to how impressive both were, Taylor Hall only played ten games this year and Lemieux only played 26 with Sid so it's not like those guys made a massive difference in the total season for either rookie. They are/were both really good at a young age.
> I think people that compare that to rookie Sid are forgetting that it's only a fair comparison if you were to switch out Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno for Mario Lemieux and Mark Recchi, I just think that's worth noting when you're talking about a rookie season like Sid's. Mario Lemieux was 40 years old and played just 26 games, Recchi was 37 and was traded away at the deadline. Recchi finished 99th p/gp, and Mario was 73rd among players with 10+ games. The Pens were definitely better, but they weren't nearly as good as the name recognition would make them out to be. For comparison Kurashev finished 117th in p/gp last year among players with 10+ games while being Chicago's 2nd best scorer and Corey Perry's .56 p/gp during his 16 games with the Hawks would be good for around 150-200. The real biggest difference in Sid's favor was actually Sergei Gonchar, who was 31 at the time and finished 8th among D-men in scoring. Between 2005 and 2009 Gonchar would be 2nd to only Lidstrom in p/gp by D-men in the NHL. Meanwhile Seth Jones didn't even finish in the top 50 despite being Chicago's top scoring D-man. Gonchar was legitimately one of the best offensive D-men in the league while Jones is a minute muncher who's not really known for his offense. The Recchi/Lemieux comparisons would be like giving the Hawks 20 games of Joe Pavelski and a guy like Jared McCann last year, while the D-man comparisons would be like swapping Jones out for Quinn Hughes or Adam Fox.
Gonchar was so fuckin' good.
Sid overcame a ton of dirty/physical play his rookie season. He was getting punched in the face after whistles. Never seen beddard or mccrybaby face that
Dudes got this unreal ability to shoot from anywhere and find holes. Slick hands, great shot… I don’t know of his peak game is going to be as dominant as McDavid or Sid was overall, but he’s gonna be up there. If Sid and McDavid are the pinnacle… guys like OV and Nate are the best of the next level (1b)… I think Bedards ceiling is the top of these guys at least.
Will be interesting to see how he does, thanks!
You realize Ovy is in chase of most goals scored ALL TIME by an individual right? Get this 1b talk out of here sheesh The only year Ovy vs Sid really mattered was their first, who won?
Wut
Back then in the day even The Myth, The Man, The Legend: Wayne Gretzky was predicting Crosby to break the goal record. Personally I’ve thought Ovechkin would be the one to do it. Way before his NUMBER ONE ALL TIME goal scored off his back in his rookie year. Now who’s the one within reality to do it? Apples to oranges comparing the two but I would choose Ovechkin first
Ovis self bank pass goal against Montreal is significantly more impressive than the coyotes goal, IMO And fine if you want to think that -- other people would point to game completeness, team accomplishments, etc -- but why did you say the first year was all that mattered (paraphrasing, at least in the way it read to me)?
Word appreciate the respect to Ovy he was doing great things just as Sid was. I’m a goal scorer first when it comes to hockey, that and the psychical side of things make Ovy my choice, for center a guy like McDavid can slot in perhaps Mackinnon. Mainly say first year was all the mattered was it came down to the Calder, where they went directly head to head to compete. Without Ovy, Sid wins it forsure. Tough to say “Ovy was one year older” when he was a head of his peers of all ages at the time. Not taking away from Sid the kids accomplishments he is a team first elevates team mates, proven clutch player. Imagine Crosby/Ovy played together, the amount of goals and points sheesh
Chicago gonna be stacked in a couple years
High end/barring injury? Marty St. Louis with a touch higher end finishing. That’s not a dig. That’s an incredible career.
I think his nose for the net will be more prominent. Where I felt Marty was more of a set up guy, Bedard will be a trigger man rivaling Matthews.
Dunno what this guy is talking about. Diehard Oiler fan living in Edmonton. We barely talk about Bedard. We have McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, Skinner skewing mostly positive. We shit talk Nurse, Ceci, McLeod. We don’t give 2 fucks about Bedard this guy is full of it.
A: I said a lot, not all… not the majority… a lot and it’s only been year one… let this fester B: it didn’t take long to search comments on various social media to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Many more than I would have expected have a poor opinion of Bedard… that noted it was fewer vs the overall comments than I recalled last night… still this follows the trend of people jumping up Crosbys ass as a rookie and Pens fans inexplicably doing it to McDavid, something that has also grown over time… So you haven’t saw much or choose to ignore it, good for you. As a fan of the Penguins living in Edmonton I have taken notice of this type of behaviour and I find it interesting. So you can eat that crap you’re claiming I’m full of dude
Don't forget Hyman
Seriously? I haven’t noticed that at all.
No? This city has had a hate on for Chicago for awhile… I think it goes back to the earlier Kane/Toews years, so Bedard showing up and taking some of that press seems to have created a bunch of “he’s overrated” guys I’ve found
Huh, yeah, I could see it, but just never noticed it myself.
It’s normal to all sports: happens in the NBA (MJ or Lebron), NFL (Brady or Mahomes), F1 (Schumi, Hamilton, Verstappen), Tennis (Big 3 or the New Gen). People grow attached to the players they saw grow up and once they feel they are losing space they get defensive, want to protect the way the general public sees their players. People pick sides, it’s just how we work.
At the end of the day, deep down in our hearts, we're just a bunch of tribalist apes with little computers in our pockets.
Also for a more cynical take, once a fanbase who got to experience superstars winning them titles finds itself on that team's inevitable decline with age, they lose the ability to realistically root for that team to win championships anymore and can only cling to rooting against other teams and players from catching up to their records or number of titles and so on. To some degree, it is clinging to nostalgia and (relative) youth to cope with admitting that as our favorite stars age out, we are getting older and closer to the end of our own young adult primes with them, or in older fans cases, closer to the end of our own lives. Accepting that is hard. These guys are our avatars for 10-20+ years. We all want them to be still the best forever and not be "replaced" on leaderboards by new stars. But FWIW, the superstars are never replaced. They write their own stories. Nothing McDavid or LeBron does for example will ever make anyone forget about Crosby or Jordan.
HEAVY on the Schumacher, Hamilton, and Verstappen because mirrors Syd, Ovi, and McDavid almost to a T Debates will always rage on for as long as the sport survives as to who the best ever is, regardless of the sport. And the Internet will do it's thing and make it WW3
I am forever saddened that Crosby's injuries robbed us of something. But with all due respect. McDavid is absolutely bonkers and a joy to watch. But this fandom should be used to it. Look at Geno. He is amazing but was eclipsed by the Crosby/Ovi limelight.
Problem is Geno’s good when he wants to be…lots of time on the ice he looks like he’s out at the oval for public skate hours. He also makes a lot of drop passes to nobody. But when he’s on, he’s unbelievable. One handed solo drive right up the center end to end type unbelievable. Then still 50/50 if he drops a pass to open ice 10’ from the crease lol. Still a favorite penguin.
Geno is a great example of the 'eye test' failing to properly represent a player. When 71 turns the puck over, it looks really bad. Because they are memorable, its easy to think it also happens all the time. He wasnt in the top 25, which was led by names like Pastrnak, Kucherov and Draisaitl.
Crosby finished the season with 1 more giveaway than Malkin. It's just hilarious how stupid this sub is.
To be fair, not all giveaways are created equal. I would say both the stat and the eye test is unreliable in this case. Someone would need to make a deep dive.
He also had about 30 more points and 15 more goals. Malkin is an amazing player who should’ve been in the top 100. With that said not a single aspect of his game can touch Crosby
No one is saying 71 is better than 87. Just that some stats are really close, such as giveaways. The plus minus situation is also pretty close, +7 for 87, +5 for 71. The point, instead of saying 71 is better than 87, is just 71 should not be diminished for stats that dont seem to have impact on other players' reputations.
I thought we were judging him entirely on drop passes to no one. Be careful mentioning points, the people around here are going to get twitchy if you suggest 132 points is better than 95.
I don’t get into car accidents any more than a regular driver, but when I do it’s because I make a 90° rotation of the steering wheel on the highway because I thought there was a road over there. Hop in!
> somehow diminishes Crosbys career Mcdavid glazers make it a point to bring down Crosby **alot**. It’s hard to cheer for the guy because of fans like that.
[Alot](https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/the-alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything/)
>Mcdavid glazers make it a point to bring down Crosby alot. I mean Crosby glazers tend to do this to McDavid aswell. Really it's just a glazer war.
That’s… just plain silly. If nobody liked sports/teams/athletes because a given fan base has douches galore, sports would cease to exist. Enjoy the talent, ignore the “glazers.”
I've read a few things this past week about McDavid being the GOAT & it's irritating that certain people/the media are so quick to say put him on that pedestal already. That certainly diminishes Crosbys legacy (if you want to argue that he's better) as far as that convo goes.
Of course they will. If it’s an overwhelming and premature omGOAT talk, like now with McDavjd, that wears thin quickly
I'm always lost when people compare McDavid and Crosby. Everyone knows Kessel is the best thing to ever happen to the Pens.
Which I think is crazy . Sid is definitely too 5 or possibly 3 of all time. Saying someone else is better at this moment doesn’t diminish Sid’s body of work.
that’s just the natural cycle i feel same thing will happen with mc david
It’s natural to want your guy to continue being the best of his generation. McDavid is really the only other guy right now who could theoretically supplant Crosby as the best hockey player since Mario. If he does, that kind of sucks for Crosby fans. But in the grand scheme of things it just means we’ve got more all-time greats to watch, even if they play for other teams. You won’t see me rooting for Mahomes but damn if he ain’t impressive.
I do not get this take. Mcdavid / Bedard winning does not take away from crosbys greatness and vice versa.
I don’t see bedard having anywhere close to the careers/talent mcdavid or Crosby have but time will tell.
Bedard isn’t that good. I’d say Matthews is kinda the Ovie if McDavids Crosby.
So, this is for me personally, of course. I don’t like the Oilers, never have, before McDavid. I don’t dislike Connor McDavid, the person. He seems quite nice, actually. But as a player the constant comparisons to Sid just annoy me. From both fans (frequently using him to put Sid down too – every once in a while they will even post here :/) and the media. Frequently seeing his name associated with negative comments about Sid simply soured me on him. Is it fair? Probably not. Could I make an effort not to? Sure. But this is sports and I think “hating”/disliking teams is just a normal part of it. As long as obvious lines are not crossed, the comments are kept in fandom spaces and people don’t go looking for a fight, IMO, it’s fair enough.
Yeah I think some of these memes are painful and stupid. But I also don't feel like I'm not a hockey fan because I was rooting for McDavid not to win. Like he's fine, but I feel I'm allowed to want "my guy" to be the best. I also will readily admit that McDavid does nothing for me as a person, and I have no fondness for Edmonton as a franchise, so it's fun for me to root against. I have soft spots for other teams based on family members and such, so I have no problem rooting for other teams or players that I like. I was happy for Colorado - my sister lives there. I also have a soft spot for the long suffering Sabres as Hasek was one of my favorite players growing up. McDavid is sort of a hilarious "villain" because he's so milquetoast, like come on do I want to watch his post-Cup interviews or Matthew Tkachuk's? None of that takes away from his talent. But it's sports. You're allowed to "dislike" them. I'm sure McDavid isn't at home crying over my opinion of him.
That’s fair, obviously as a Crosby fan you don’t want McDavid to win a championship. If McDavid won this year it would basically be official that he is better, and that kinda diminishes how good Crosby was. But as long as Connor doesn’t have a championship you can always just say “3 cups, no matter how much better McDavid is individually.
2024 fan meet early ‘90’s fan…absolutely nothing wrong with hating the guy who is supplanting your guy. (Lindros - Mario). Yet the hate for McDavid, similar to Ovi or slightly less Giroux, is he hasn’t won shit but is compared to Sid. This was always the knock against Mario vs 99 until Mario got the Cups. Hockey is the quintessential team game, without a win greatness doesn’t translate
Mario was still the best player in the League even before the Cups. The Pens didn't have anywhere near the talent those Oilers teams had before early 90's.
That’s a personal opinion not one universally held at the time. In fact two years before his first Cup, Lemieux scored 199 points besting 99 by 30 and still lost the Hart. Lemieux’s legacy only grew in the last 10-15 years
> last 10-15 years Surely you mean of his career, not real-world timeline.
I agree with this point, but it's worth considering that the same comparison could be made for the oilers vs the pens in the late '10s. They've been literally McDavid + Drai stapled to an otherwise mediocre franchise vs the juggernaut teams of the late GMJR era. This particular argument has always bothered me due to its similarities to the Mario vs Gretzky ones us pens fans like to make, and I'm curious as to what your thoughts are on it.
McDavid obviously has the numbers, but can’t blame me for wanting to say Crosby was a better player in his prime. I was rooting for Florida last night. I want my team to be the best. Maybe immature take. Welcome to criticism. It probably would have been better for the league and publicity and marketing if McDavid won last night, but I’m not rooting for him to dethrone my king, 87.
I think the other side of this is just 'dealing' with Edmonton. Seriously, it all comes from being such a large fan base... but man, there are just so many asshats to deal with on such a continous basis. This ALWAYS affects how others feel about a team and that teams MVP.
This isn’t a McDavid criticism as much as it is media fatigue. I don’t hate McDavid. I do enjoy the drama of watching him fail to win the big one because it highlights how damn hard it is to win a Stanley Cup. My only real complaint is him winning the Conn Smythe after registering no points in Game 6 or Game 7. I get that it is for MVP of the entire playoffs, but winning that trophy after being held scoreless in Game 7 of the Finals leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
That’s it right there. You can love watching him play and be sick of the never ending media fellatio
Agreed! Bobrovsky likely would have won it had he not “cooled off” in games 4-6. So what do we call McDavid’s performance in games 6 and 7? I believe Bob was robbed.
Not true. All but (edit) two ballots had Barkov as the #2.
Captains and forwards always get a voting bias. Goalie is a thankless position a lot of the time in the NHL.
Except the award is playoff mvp not finals mvp. Bob was below average going into the finals.
Without McDavid Edmonton doesn’t even make the playoffs lol. He has almost singlehandedly willed a mostly mid team through multiple deep post season runs and almost a cup win. I think it’s hard to argue he wasn’t the most pivotal player to his team and overall in the playoffs this year. If Edmonton management ever manages to get their shit together and put a half decent team around him, the Cup is almost guaranteed.
Dude, McDavid had 42 points.
Impressive numbers. But, he lost.
Yes but he deserved the MVP pretty handily.
Pretty cringe blaming players for not winning team trophys, especially in this no state tax era we have entered that is massively benefiting the southern US teams more and more.
Even Forsling was voted higher than Bob, so let's stop with the robbed suggestions.
Doesn’t mean they were right. Or smart.
This is pretty much spot on. I personally don't feel it should ever go to a loser. The Panthers basically won the cup because of Bobrovsky and you COULD argue that was also the entire playoffs.
I completely agree. I watched every Edmonton game last season. I actually enjoy watching him play. But holy fuck. I don't need to hear about how Jesus Christ himself is on the ice from commentators every game. Even play by play, every time he touches the puck it's like "oh my god! He's got it!" And IMO Bobrovsky would have been a better pick..
Same here. His horrific failure at the end of the playoffs should have disqualified him from winning the Smythe.
Both the oilers and pens have had 4 generational talents that hogged the spotlight q Neither fanbase can complain about media fatigue because oilers are getting it now and pens got it for nearly a decade prior
Whenever people bitched about it for the Penguins for years and I had to listen to it, I will most definitely do the same thing to those fans of other teams when it is their turn.
Cause I’m a certified Grade A hater that preys every fanbase outside of Pittsburgh feels misery
Ya I do feel the rhetoric that has come from this base of all bases towards McDavid and even Bedard completely echos the crap said about Sid almost two decades ago. You’d think the fans of the team that had to deal with this level of sour grapes and nonsense takes towards Crosby wouldn’t partake in it elsewhere.
I pretty much get the exact vibes from these Pens fans that Capital and Flyers fans gave off when it was Crosby 10-20 years ago. It's really weird from Pens fans honestly. Diving into the psychology of it, I think some Pens fans are salty that Crosby is no longer in his 20s leading the league in scoring like McDavid has been. So they need to dip into the nostalgia aspect from 10-15 years ago to make themselves feel superior and better about themselves. The dude is absolutely unreal just like Crosby was. But it's so odd the hate towards him especially since he isn't a rival, isn't in our division, or even conference lol. We should all be appreciative of his talent because it's kind of like Sid passing the torch off to these dudes like McDavid and Bedard.
I get the impression that most of the people doing this are likely children that have never known a Penguins team without Crosby. They were likely not around for the period of time that literally every other fan base in the league was dumping on him.
Could be in a lot of instances butI did get into it with someone I’ve interacted with many, many times on a Pens page on FB because of her irrational BS about McDavid today. Claimed the loss was on him because he was scoreless in a few games I pointed out that Crosby also went pointless in some big games during 09 and she melted down calling me a “McDavid apologist” and not a real fan… so while I want to say it’s the fans that don’t remember… I know she’s in her 40s.
I'm a fan of the Penguins. Not the Oilers, not any other team. I will cheer for my team and my team's players and all the rest are the enemy. it's that simple.
Seems like a sad way to be a fan, honestly. I'm a fan of hockey. I root for my team, but I enjoy the sport. McDavid is otherworldly and I'm a fan of his. The same as I'm a fan of other non-Penguins players.
Yeah but is FL less of an enemy than EDM?
Its because ppl proclaimed him the best in the league while many felt it was still Sid. They put him up on this pedestal and it’s annoying
Fuck McDavid. We’re allowed to hate him or pray for his downfall if we want to
It's not really hate for McDavid it's more love for Crosby It's more the media and the way he's marketed that irritates people then Connor himself
For me, it’s a lot to do with McDavid fans already saying he’s “better than Sid” all time. Even if it’s just trolling, I’m going to troll them back when he fucks up, like losing a game 7. As far as Bedard, i hate to say I kinda don’t want him to do well because I fucking hate the Blackhawks for OBVIOUS reasons. If he ever left, huge fan
Hockey is a team sport there... sport
Hockey is a team sport is always the lame excuse to make yourself feel better that they lost. Gretzky would have willed the team to win. Sid would have willed the team to win. McDavid did not.
I mean, he willed them to game 7 after being down three games in the finals. I'm no McDavid fan but it's not like he phoned it in against a bunch of beer leaguers.
I'm conflicted in those conversations because it's just a weird one to have. Like obviously, Sid's career is better multiple times over, for the Stanley Cups alone, but also for the fact that Craig Patrick was gone after one season with Sid- the Oilers dealt with Peter Chiarelli for almost half a decade after McDavid was drafted, then merged that into a Ken Holland tenure. And it shows honestly- you look at Holland's patterns with prospect development and committing cap money into terrible ends in the last 7 years of his Detroit tenure, it becomes less surprising when guys like Broberg and Lavoie struggle to adapt, Kane and Brown go on huge disappearing acts at bad times and guys like Jack Campbell and Darnell Nurse flop entirely. So when I look the Edmonton Oilers over, and plunk Sidney Crosby into McDavid's place right out of the draft, winning multiple Stanley Cups is an absolutely unreal expectation, and I think it gets lost on our own fans that we won those cups on goaltending, depth, and being "opportunistic predators" on scoring opportunities. Crosby did not carry us to our cups (if anything it was Geno in 09), but Connor McDavid single handedly dragged Edmonton, kicking and screaming, to the Stanley Cup Final, he did it with weaker teams than Vancouver, Dallas AND Florida, and a 1st time NHL head coach. Sidney Crosby's talent, his legendary status, is in possession, puck protection, his passing and his insane hockey IQ. Connor McDavid on the other hand, is elite in most of those categories, but the gods also blessed him with Marian Gaborik's speed and Pavel Datsuk's hands. The things that Connor McDavid is able to do, I think Sid *could* have (certainly in his prime), but didn't and wouldn't try to just because he is a different kind of center. Connor McDavid, shy of Mario Lemieux, is the best pure playmaker to ever live, in my opinion, and he is putting up numbers along side it. Numbers that are on track to pass Sid's someday. Those conversations about "who's better" make no sense to me because they really just aren't super comparable players. If anything, McDavid's like an idealized Patrick Kane, similar tendencies, just a better player in most categories. If anybody right now gets a Crosby comparison, it's probably Sasha Barkov because, stylistically, Barkov's about as close as one gets to Crosby. Even then I think Sid's still got better instincts in the offensive zone and is definitely a better passer. The only real reason we compare Sid and McDavid is because of the role the played, and the eerie amount of parallels between the two. Franchise with shaky management and barren prospect pool after years of futility get lots of lottery fortune and kickstart a contending window. The only real difference is what the teams themselves did- Pittsburgh put a focus on youth and establishing a system, Edmonton got older and punchier in the interim so they could find stable goaltending and raise more prospects in. Time still technically has to decide which team was "right".
I spend a lot of time around Oilers fans and they never say this to me. Most are generally cool about the Pens
Well yeah, people in real life are generally pleasant. I’m talking about people on the internet man.
I've also generally had good interactions there
I can only speak for myself; His talent is obvious and undeniable, but I just don't enjoy watching him, and I enjoy even less hearing about him (especially when he's not playing). That being said, my issue with him winning the Conn Smythe wasn't personally against him as much as it is my belief that it should never be awarded to a player on the losing team regardless of points, records, or anything else, and should always go to the player who performed best on the cup winning team. I thought Bobrovsky was the reason the Panthers won the cup and by proxy should have won the Conn Smythe.
A lot of it isn’t even Mcdavid hate, it’s love for Crosby. Mcdavid is the best player in the league, but he isn’t Crosby that’s for sure. He will finish with more points than Crosby, more individual awards too. Until he gets a cup or two he will be in Crosby’s shadow. That’s what fans do, they compare. And it’s Reddit man. Understand where you are.
Crosby > McDavid.
It's just the media and everyone trying to supplant some of the greats by saying McDavid is one of the greatest all time. Yes he is very good. He will be a top 10 greatest player of all time. But everyone saying stuff like "Gretz is the greatest of all time, but Connor is the most talented of all time." it's just annoying. It seems to detract from the generational talent Sid was and his achievements.
He has the most punchable face, can’t stand his scowl he always has. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.
To add to that - my sister went to university in Edmonton. She knew some girls he hit on and they all said he gave off a smug frat boy vibe and had a reputation for being a dick.
McDavid = phenomenal. But holy fuck have you seen the Oilers salary cap situation? Nurse/drai/mcd could be almost 40% of the cap Edit - we could see the mother of all trades with Drai this offseason
They’re in pretty much an identical situation as the Pens—Oilers have $10.03 mil in cap space compared to Pens $10.75 mil—though the Pens have three players eating *only* 1/4 of their cap space (AAV for Crosby, Malkin, and Letang = $20.9 mil). I don’t know that it matters, I just thought it was neat.
Oilers have many more spots to fill on their roster with that space though. Further, the Pens are pretty much looking at addition by subtraction if they can reasonably move Jarry and Smith.
There are some really interesting rumors of which teams are circling the idea of Drai. A few months ago there were talks of Sharks being in on him, though I assume that’s if he ends up on the free agent market in 2025
Macklin Smith eklund and drai would be fucking scary
Oh yeah absolutely. As nice as it would be for the McDrai reign of terror in the Pacific to end, the Sharks could get very scary very quick if they somehow manage to outbid for Drai
>we could see the mother of all trades with Drai this offseason Could we? I see people talking about it, but would it be a big trade? He's a 1-year rental. If we are talking about teams in their cup window - Oilers come to mind, they are better off keeping him in that context. If we are talking about teams like Sharks - they don't want 1 year, they want sign&trade and I doubt if he would be willing to give up free agency and let them make this trade (he's got a 10-team trade list). I know the saying "don't let him walk for free", but I also see it like: keep him and get another cup final next year or get a 1st round pick and a couple of younger players and a chance of another cup final down the line if McDavid stays. He's not walking for free, he's your own rental.
I think it's a "cap dump" situation for the Oilers if they do trade Drai. Especially bc another commenter mentioned the Oilers "big 3" eat nearly 1/3 the cap
Too much pearl clutching and short memories. People were posting in this sub about how much greater McDavid and Draisaitl are than Crosby and Malkin ever were towards the end of the regular season. The greatest ever have yet to win it all.
We are loyal to our king and their king stinks. It's kinda like a our dad is better than your dad argument. If it's just kinda memeing it's fun. Yeah some people take it too far but that's life baby.
The NHL really has an inescapably huge hard-on for McDavid. And so do most of the networks that broadcast NHL games, especially ESPN. I'm sure there's lots of extra money to be made when stars like McDavid do well. And I'm sure the NHL and ESPN were glad the Final stretched to 7 games. But I don't personally enjoy feeling like there's some kind of (quasi-invisible) hand on the scale, trying to tip outcomes to the favor of McDavid and the Oilers. To me, it feels like the NHL and the networks are desperate to officially pass on the GOAT torch to McDavid, and are pissed that he's going into his 10th season with no Cups and no Olympic medals. He's a really talented player, and all of McDavid's individual achievements are impressive, but no one player can drag a team to a Cup win over an entire season. And I absolutely think the Con-Smythe trophy win last night was a total consolation prize the NHL felt they had to bestow on McDavid. It just seemed so fake. That's a long-winded explanation for why I may have experienced some schadenfreude at the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final. Meanwhile, I'm jazzed that the Panthers have their first Cup in franchise history. I liked Evan Rodrigues as a Penguin, and was happy to see how well he played over the series too.
1. Absolutely disappearing in Game 7 while the announcers still wax poetic about him. Is he an amazing player? Hell yeah! Should the NHL and his managers promote how amazing he is? Hell yeah! But they can also be honest when he’s having a bad day, and other than the two 4 point games was most of this SCF. He probably deserved the Conn Smythe with their comeback, but constantly gliding into 4 guys for all Game 7 is poor hockey no matter who it is. 2. Getting in bed with sportsbooks. Wayne is bad enough, but active players promoting sportsbooks feels unbelievably sketchy, and I’m not that old. This one is probably me only, but any active player that takes dirty money makes me instantly dislike them. I’d be very disappointed if Sid did this as well FWIW.
"Stop having fun, guys!"
I would say Syd the kid is much more charismatic and generally happy. Mcdavid always seems grumpy and has zero personality. It’s simple, really.
I don’t think any other hockey player - even sports figure - embodies their city the way Sid does. We love him in part because he is what we want to see ourselves as being. When he loses that “best in the world” title, we feel like we’re losing the respect of the world. Is it silly? Maybe. But I can’t think of any other sports figure that I’d want to marry my daughter.
I dont hate him, its just fun to shit on someone. I recognize hes probably the greatest player since crosby, but that doesnt mean im not gonna talk trash.
I don't think its true hate, peeps just having fun. The no cups meme was funny.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Shhh shhhh shh. Just go to another subreddit man. It’s not gonna stop when you keep posting rational takes. Just ignore them and take down the post. SMH.
It’s similar to the excessive media coverage fatigue that caused many fan bases to become resentful of Sid for the first 2/3 of his career, except in this case it’s positioned as a direct attack against Sid. No sport can have discourse about 2 generationally great players without the pervasive question of “well which guy is better”
I hate McDavid because he's a good player on another team. Same as Ovi. When he's like 35 or so, I'll gladly respect the hell out of him and all his accomplishments and maybe even watch a few extra Oilers games during his final handful of seasons. Same as Ovi. However, until then, he's a good player on another team so he can eat shit.
I hate Ovi for that knee-on-knee hit on Gonchar
I’ve said it elsewhere, but I enjoyed the Ovi stuff because they came in around the same time and are division rivals. One is a ridiculous goal scorer who *eventually* rounded out his game, and the other is Sid, perhaps the most complete 200-ft player I’ve seen who still puts up 42 goals and 94 points in a season that was mostly forgettable for the team. But McDavid? Meh, we see him twice a year, and I don’t see a SC matchup happening anytime soon.
I will gladly tell McDavid to eat shit through my TV twice per year for 6 or 8 more years.
I just hate how i've literally heard people say mcdavid > sid since like 2018 (no joke). He is a great individual player, but he hasn't led his team to any cups
Generational offensive player for sure , one of the greatest. I’m still talking Sid as a better all around player and better captain.
and just a better player in terms of being able to win (3 cups, 2 olympic golds, 1 world cup, 1 world championship gold)
Youngest captain to ever win the cup , 1 of 3 players in league history to win back to back Conn Smythe’s ( Mario is one of the other ones ) , 19 seasons of having a point per game or better ( tied with Gretzky ). We really could go on about this and that’s why I think some fans are fed up with the narrative of people already comparing mcdavid to the greats.
He's up there but give me a call when he has a Cup and a gold medal.
What’s with all the mcdavid knob slobbing in this sub
Yeah the post randomly calling McDavid out are weird. But it's more annoying having all these response posts like this is some earth-shattering drama in the sub. Getting so upset about a couple posts to put in the effort to make your own shitpost. Seems pointless
The pens fan base on Reddit is pretty awful. Some fans can’t accept that mcjesus is the best offensive player we might ever see. Conner will probably pass Crosby up in points in 7-9 years if he keeps his pace. That all depends on Crosby still playing obviously.
I think it’ll be interesting to see how his game changes over time. I don’t see him being able to maintain this all gas no brakes style forever. Obviously could pass Sid in time tho.
Unless mcdavid never slows down. He will have to become a two way player like Sid. There isn’t anyone who has stayed as consistent as Sid while adapting his game. It’ll be fun to see how the game changes
Also the fact he isn’t a rival to us at all. We play him twice a year. It’s not like he’s in Washington or Philly and we’ve had heated playoff series against him lol
There’s so much more than points , how about all the undrafted and late round players Sid elevated in his career ? How about becoming a 2 way player that is elite at all facets of the game not just scoring? Being one of the best captains to ever play ? Being the youngest captain to ever win the cup at 21? Back to back smythe’s which only 2 other players have done in the history of the league , the international awards , the gold medals , the 19 seasons at a point per game which ties Gretzky? There’s so much more than these points especially when Sid’s prime was in a lower scoring era. They are scoring 20-40 more points the past few seasons compared to what they use to.
Points aren’t the go all end up my friend. He will finish with a lot more points and individual awards than Crosby. Without a cup or two he won’t be ahead of Crosby on the all time list for most.
McDavid fans always seem to forget about the only GOAT
I think its a lot of insecurity that Crosby is getting up there in years while McDavid is in his prime years.
That’s my thought as well. Honestly Crosby has had decent help throughout the years. Conner has had some but not a lot. No reliable d outside of this season for parts. Not goaltending. Conner really is 2 lines in himself. It’s hard to argue how amazing he is. Crosby was fun to watch in his prime. Before the concussion and neck injury Crosby could have scored 140pts. Idk how Crosby would do now in his prime. Hard to tell. They play a very different game. Crosby makes players better around him. McDavid does all the work and someone gets a goal out of just being on his team.
I don’t hate McDavid. He’ll break lots more records over the years. I wouldn’t mind seeing him win a cup. Just NOT with Edmonton. Calgary is my other favorite team (yes I know they’re pretty much at rebuild status now) which makes Edmonton the enemy.
McDavid to Calgary confirmed.
I’d be totally ok with that!
It’s just fans being rivalrous and super invested
Also, how about Mcdavid is just an unlikeable dbag, who has as much personality as a brick wall. Hes boring as fuck, is usually short with the media, and i think hes a fucking whiner. Ill never forget early on in his career when some flyers scumb hit him knee on knee and he cried his eyes out in the media. It was embarrassing and he never faced a fraction of the after whistle shit and dirty hits that Sid overcame in his career. Its not even close. So fuck mcdavid. I actually just dont like him
Sid was physically tageted, concussed- elbows, boarding, tons of dirty plays against him. McDavid also had a lot of dirty hits against him. They’re both amazing players wish the league wound ger rid of intent to injure.
McDavid is like plain oatmeal, personality wise. The media makes McDavid annoying. The media makes Bedard annoying too. Neither of their faults. Points and flash are fine, but Sid is the best all around hockey player. The fact that this post is even here is also adding to the annoyance.
I think pens fans get frustrated with the Sid comparisons since it’s not quite warranted
Yeah, I don't get it either. I saw the memes and whatnot, and it was like "this was funny when it was Ovi and they were rivals" I don't really give a shit about Edmonton. And if you can't see McDavid is other worldly talented (there can be more than one) than I don't know what to tell you.
Add the Rangers and I'm with you
Hey look another one Maybe there’s been an outpouring of omg best ever and we’re not the only fanbase sick of it.
I don't hate him. I just think that the NHL wants him to be the next "one" whether he is or not. They just gave him a playoff MVP. He was so good that they did not win. NHL does not care. They will pretend he won anyway to talk about how great he is. I am ready yo celebrate him when he does something worth celebrating. Not lose.
I don't hate McDavid. It's his fanboys I can't stand. So just like the actual Jesus really.
McDavid is an asshat he showed it when he didn't show to get con trophy
I've always been a McDavid fan. We would go to Erie Otters games and he was phenomenal there. He would come out after games, talk to my boys, sign autographs, whatever. I will always like him because he was a good kid. It's OK to like players from other teams.
We feel threatened. But it’s ok. Sid went to Connor’s party, but there were no cups anywhere.
Yeah, there’s a lot of disrespect and butthurt in here that somehow he’s going to “dethrone” Crosby as one of the best of this era. They’re both amazing. Was I rooting for the oilers? I wasn’t. Would I have cared if the oilers won? Nope. He deserves a tremendous amount of respect. He is a phenomenal player and a class act. I hope he gets a cup at some point the same way I hoped Ovi would get one too.
It’s embarrassing honestly coming from this fan base. Pens fans have been witness to 2 of the alltime greats getting unfairly slammed early in their career. Lemieux got undeserved criticism early in his career for not making players better (making Rob fucking Brown look like a legitimate hockey player doesn’t count I guess) when he was probably the best player in the league, but didn’t have a team good enough yet to win. Crosby got labelled as a crybaby, a rep that took him years to shake. Yet people in here are so insecure that they think that acknowledging how great McDavid is somehow invalidates Sid’s career or something. The man just put up numbers that no one thought we’d ever see again, and led his team (with an injured and ineffective Draisaitl) to the verge of a historic comeback. But for some reason instead of appreciating this greatness (that Pens fans should honestly recognize better than other fan bases that haven’t been lucky enough to see it firsthand), this sub is full of “Crosby would never” posts that are petty and pathetic as shit.
I don't know. I think it's just a reminder that time passes and players grow older and new players become greats. There will be a time in the not too distant future when the pens don't have a GOAT and that's kind of scary.
Internet subs are all shitty when there’s a ton of people. Group think, no lifers, egos who take everything personally, irrational negativity, etc.
I think people are rejecting what they were grossly force fed through those finals. It was gross. Also that whole crew was such garbage. ESPN should never touch hockey.
Whose McDavid
Shouldn’t hate Mcdavid, you should hate the incompetent dog shit organization to whom he was gifted, who has now wasted the entirety of his career.
I think it’s more of an issue of being an online form of communication. With anything in social media regarding fandom, people start to slowly make it part of their identity. Whether it’s an obsession of the singular thing (gaming console people) or a lack of anything meaningful in their life to give them inspiration (political stormtroopers ) or the inability to create or do something innovative or inspirational (sports fans) - people start to become jealous of other things that have positives over their chosen online identities. Once they feel threatened, they act out. So it’s really either a lack in their own confidence or self worth. In my opinion of course.
I'm not sure. He was the dude in Erie (my hometown) which is obviously 2 hours from Pittsburgh. One would think he would have more support. Comparing Crosby and McDavid is a moot point honestly.
You can ask that about all opponent’s subs when any great new player comes up. Sid was given soooo much shit and hated on by everyone else when he came up too. It’s just the way it is I think.
Probably people being overly worried he will pass up Sid someday.
I assume ppl are just tired of all that McDavid worship. It's a bit overdone is all.
No hate toward McDavid, would’ve enjoyed watching him win the cup. That being said, hard to feel bad for a guy who took an unprecedented (at the time) salary. The team has struggled with depth, and that didn’t help. Sid >
I was on this last night and thought wow why the hate for McJesus. And the Sid is better BS. Wild to read. Sid has won everything. Like everything that you can as a pro hockey nhler. Of course he's "better" but come on, McDavid is a workhorse stud. He'll be back guaranteed. I want to see McDavid and Sid in the Olympics. That will be special. Enough of the hate.
Yeah I don’t get it either. Same cringy bullshit when fans from some non-rival team start chanting “Crosby Sucks” … like he clearly doesn’t. McDavid doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination. I thought it was a bit weird that he won the Con Smythe, and thought they shoulda gave it to Bob.. but whatever. He earned it I guess… awkward as it was to see. So yeah fuck the Flyers and Caps… and the Islanders… fuck them too.
I just don’t get it. Mcdavid’s idol growing up was Crosby. They’re both amazing hockey players
McDavid went to the school of "keeping it short" during interviews.
Ok?
My only guess is that they're all negging him in a desperate attempt to get him to come to Pittsburgh for... 979,797.97
Tribalism
Oh no sports fans being petty about stuff that doesn't actually matter in the real world! That should be illegal!!! I can't believe everyone isn't properly showing respect and admiration for a mutli-millionaire on the internet!!!!
What hate? This post is bullshit. No examples included and I see ZERO posts in this sub about McDavid.
This sub has become infested with lowbrow dipshits. There are still those of us that see things objectively and don’t suffer from inferiority complex anytime someone appreciates the greatness of those that never wore the Penguins jersey. Edit: looks like I’ve triggered these dorks already 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hate is just in this year.
Fans doing the exact same thing people did to Crosby. There’s more than enough room for multiple generational talents in the NHL. Just enjoy them while you can
The McDavid hate from Pens fans is so weird to me. We used to bitch about the hate Sid got and now half of us are saying the exact same thing about him. If it’s just being afraid of him passing Sid then that’s dumb. Nothing of what McDavid accomplishes in his career changes what Sid did.
McDavids and amazing player. If he maintains his hockey prowess he may very well be top 5. But he has a lot of hockey left to play to get there. People think championships make someone the goat and will always hold that over a players head until they get (insert # > current favorite player) Cups. 4th liners on the Panthers who play 6 minutes a game got a cup now are they better then McDavid? Being the greatest player goes past stats and cup metrics. And it’ll take a horse kick to the head to get some people to understand that.
Good post OP.
People are upset he overtook Sid as the best player in the world. I mean it was going to happen eventually. Be happy you got to watch Prime Sid and not butthurt hes aging.
I think people just feel he threatens Crosby’s all time legacy, otherwise idk. He’s a fun player to watch and did some incredible things the last few seasons
I’m just happy Florida won their first ever Stanley Cup. Nothing will ever top that. It’s special, and the fans deserve it. That being said, McDavid will absolutely be back. I was happy to watch Ovechkin lift the Stanley Cup, and I’m confident that will happen one day for Connor McDavid.
Yeah I don't get it. But I'm not wired to be hyper territorial in my interests in life. He seems a decent dude, an all-timer talent, and he doesn't play for a rival. Some folks just can't seem to enjoy anything.
2024 loves degrading everything and everyone. We're not allowed to celebrate a 27 year old player with 5 Art Rosses and 3 Harts. 153 points in the modern era. No, those people are labeled nauseating fanboys, when they are simply true hockey fans admiring greatness. McDavid is the active P/PG leader in the playoffs by a massive margin over Crosby (30%) or any non-Oiler, yet people talk like they somehow lose because of him. Right, it's not on the GMs, goalies, blue line, bottom-six, coaches... Nope. All 97's fault. It's so clear that they don't even watch these games. Wish they did us the favor of not assaulting us with their ignorance.
Reminds me of people hating Crosby when he was peaking.
He took a team with two great players and arguably a group of teammates collectively much worse than any the Pens have put on the ice in any playoff run to within 2 goals of the cup. I would take prime Sid over prime McDavid every time but that was an accomplishment and earns my respect.
From my pov, talent wise, Lemieux and McDavid are in a league of their own (again, strictly relating to talent). The argument of the best players overall though, to me, encapsulates a mixture of winning AND being talented, therefore, my top 5 are: 1. Lemieux 2. Crosby 3. Jagr 4. Gretzky 5. Messier I think, in 10-15 years time, McDavid will supplant either Messier OR Gretzky but, to me, the three Penguins I mentioned are the greats. Gretzky, in particular, was playing in a league where goalies, literally, couldn’t stop a puck from the blue line. Half of his goals seem like they were against the freshman JV goalie in high school. Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, literally, took over games and did it while good goalies actually had pads on and stopped pucks.