While Alex was scoring from his back, the league made sure Sid was mugging for the camera.
Here's Jay Hart from the Allentown Morning Call:
Let's get something straight right away
January 25th, 2006
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Dave Fay’s article in today’s WTimes is very much on point here as well.
OK–it was a nice goal. Really, it was.
But, c’mon–I can’t be the only one who thinks that the hysteria over that goal is just a tad bit over the top, can I?
“And that this promotion has gotten so out of hand, that Crosby actually appeared on the cover of ESPN: The Magazine only days after Alex Ovechkin scored what might be the most incredible goal in the history of the league?”
A monthly magazine like ESPN The Mag would plan out its covers months in advance. So it’s highly likely that the Crosby cover was already finished long before the Ovechkin goal ever happened.
That revelation may poke a few holes in the specific way you prove your point, but I still think it’s a valid point to make. Keep up the good work.
Not to pile on Secondary Sid (ok, that was gratuitous), but here’s a mind-boggling stat for you: Sid doesn’t have an even strength point since January 3rd, which was also (perhaps not coincidentally) the date of the Pens’ last win.
No even strength points in three weeks says something about where the kid’s game is right now, and it’s clearly not as far along as many would like to think.
Crosby will be great. Ovechkin already is great.
The Goal is the single greatest event in the history and future of the known and unknown universe!
Now that’s sarcasm!
On a positive note, have you noticed the Washinton Post picking up their coverage of AO and the Capitals. They had a great multimedia feature a few weeks back, a frame by frame breakdown of “the goal”, and a lot more coverage day in and day out.
Eric, do you think the (continued) wave of Crosby hype is a manifestation of the anti-European tendencies in the NHL’s management? For years, European players were treated as lesser, with “grit” valued over skill. (And even some south-of-the-border North Americans got a similar treatment.) Do you think there’s any bias leading into that, or is it just knucklehead marketers saying, “Americans won’t care about non-Americans, and Canadians can pass”?
Just curious as to your opinion.
Maybe they are going overboard in hyping Sid The Kid. But consider:
- HockeyFight’s David pointed out that the league’s been doing a piss-poor job of marketing their stars of late. So if anything, they should be working overtime on promoting Crosby.
- As unfair as it is, it’s a lot easier to sell an Anglo wunderkind, with an easy-to-pronounce name, than a Russian who still speaks broken English. How often will someone of Crosbys ilk come along? In the years to come, the next studs will be French-Canadian or European; I can understand the league jumping on the Crosby bandwagon, because it represents a limited opportunity.
On second thought, maybe all that hype is well-deserved…
sorry ctsiokos, I hadn’t seen your Euro bias comment when I posted in the ‘It Figures’ post. My bad.