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Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:59 am EDT

Video: Sidney Crosby's top 10 NHL goals; is he underrated?

By Greg Wyshynski

Is it possible for Sidney Crosby to be underrated at anything? We're talking Sidney Christ here, right? Face of the NHL, savior of the sport?

Crosby scored his 100th goal, 200th assist and moved past the 300-point mark for his NHL career in the same game against the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend. Yet those last two numbers are no doubt more synonymous with Sid than the first.

Maybe his status as one of the League's most total-package players overshadows it. Maybe the highlight reel heroics of peers like Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin overshadow it. For whatever the reason, Crosby's abilities as an electrifying goal-scorer has been, we think, undervalued during his meteoric rise in this League.

It's not like he doesn't have some amazing clips for the time capsule already. TSN's Sportscentre put together this highlight countdown (H/T to DayWalk3r) of the Pittsburgh Penguins star's Top 10 NHL goals. They cheat a little bit but using a couple of shootout tallies, but you obviously can't ignore that iconic Winter Classic goal against the Buffalo Sabres.

Totally forgot about No. 5 on this list. Is it possible for the Phoenix Coyotes to give up any more incredible YouTube-moment goals to young NHL stars? They've been like the Washington Generals for guys like Crosby, Ovechkin and Rick Nash.

So, the question bears repeating: Is Sidney Crosby an underrated goal-scorer? Maybe we should go ask unofficial Crosby talent evaluator Marian Hossa of the Detroit Red Wings again ...

Related: Puck Videos, Crosby vs. Ovechkin vs. Malkin

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81 Comments

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  1. Matt R
    1. Posted by Matt R Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:54 pm EDT

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    Not unlike Gretzky, Sid's game will always be playmaking first. He is far superior in his ability to find guys on the ice. Also similar to the Great One, he just happens to get his share of pretty goals, but it will always be playmaking first for Sid.
    A recent TSN poll of NHL GMs far and away favoured Crosby as the player most GMs would want to build their team around (Ovechkin well behind in second, Luongo third).
  2. knucklehead
    2. Posted by knucklehead Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:37 pm EDT

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    As much hipe as this kid gets, how can you possibly think he's underrated? He isn't even near his prime yet. I would consider a guy like Datsyuk to be in his prime age, but for Crosby to be able to lead a team the way he does is unique. Only a handful of players have been able to pull this off this early in their careers. That said, only a few players have gotten as much press as he's gotten in his short career.
  3. J.P.
    3. Posted by J.P. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    Wow - three years into his career and someone can throw together a highlight reel of 10 nice goals (though some were in post-game skills competitions) of a former #1 overall pick? Amazing. Clearly, he's underrated.
  4. J.P.
    4. Posted by J.P. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    Let me clarify my snark - Sidney Crosby is a fantastic hockey player. He's the game's premiere set-up man and is significantly above average in nearly every aspect of the game, which you'd expect from a guy who's gotten the press he has. He is living up to - and exceeding - the lofty expectations placed on him.
    But he's not underrated in any respect.
  5. Ravi D
    5. Posted by Ravi D Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:29 pm EDT

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    How many minutes has he spent on the penalty kill again? What's his plus/minus there?
    Crosby is a great goal scorer, and rated very highly because of that. But he's not the all-around hockey player everyone says he is until he starts leading his team in killing penalties as well. Hockey is NOT all about scoring.
  6. NYR10LSC
    6. Posted by NYR10LSC Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm EDT

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    I know I've taken cheep shots at Cindy, but he really is a talented diver/player. I think the thing I hate the most is the way the NHL/Bettman has shoved him in our faces every chance he gets.
    Talented yes, underrated no.
  7. Craig
    7. Posted by Craig Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:17 pm EDT

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    wow - 30 minutes into this and no one has called him Cindy or used some of the clips of him falling down as further proof he dives.
  8. Craig
    8. Posted by Craig Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:17 pm EDT

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    ahhh, there it is. whew, I was worried there for a minute.
  9. The Confluence
    9. Posted by The Confluence Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:59 pm EDT

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    LOL, yeah, this won't generate any discussion Greg.... ;)
  10. RC
    10. Posted by RC Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    @ 1
    nhl gm's also thought it was a good idea to throw millions at jeff finger, and to trade braydon coburn for alexei zhitnik's corpse, and to offer mats sundin 20 million for two years.
    i completely agree with knucklehead. there is no way crosby is somehow "underrated" in any fashion. the league continually attempts/has attempted to turn the guy into the "next gretzky/orr/lemeiux" all in one, and he's been made the face of the league. we're continually told he's the "best player in the game" every single minute.
    not saying he's not a great player, but with the way he's continually shoved down our throats by the canadian media, its no surprise the amount of vitriol he gets.
  11. knucklehead
    11. Posted by knucklehead Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:37 pm EDT

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    I hope to not piss off my Red Wing faithful when I say he reminds me of a young Steve Yzerman. Scotty Bowman forced Yzerman to learn how to defend. Which in turn made his numbers go down substantially, but it also made him known as a more com[plete player. Through his sacrifice he gained the respect from his team to lead them. Is Crosby willing to sacrifice his numbers to make his team better?
  12. sleza
    12. Posted by sleza Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:55 pm EDT

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    poor sid, so underrated.... he scored 100 goals in (over) 3 years, kovalchuk scored over 100 during his first 3 years in nhl, he is the face of nhl and kovalchuk is stuck with atlanta... so heartbreaking
  13. Matt R
    13. Posted by Matt R Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:54 pm EDT

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    RC (Cola?)...yeah, you can go down that road...throw in the Joe Thornton trade, the Radim Vrbata contract, and no-trade clauses galore for undeserving bums.
    Regardless, the GMs around the league would love to have Crosby as their centrepiece, because he can elevate the game(s) of those around him, more than any other player in the game today.
    I'm not saying Crosby is underrated (though perhaps his goal-scoring ability is overshadowed by his amazing vision and playmaking skills) either, but thought I'd throw out the bit about the GM poll.
  14. Andrew D
    14. Posted by Andrew D Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:42 pm EDT

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    Underrated?? Sid the Kid? There is no sense in which he is underrated. None.
    He's a terrific hockey player, but he gets his due and then some; including with regard to his abilities to find the back of the net.
  15. blueeyes_greeneyes
    15. Posted by blueeyes_greeneyes Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:09 pm EDT

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    Thanks Wyshynyski. I was enjoying myself last night watching highlights of this skilled athlete....you know trying to appreciate great hockey skills myself. And now you ruin my morning coffee by bemoaning the fact that he doesn't get enough credit for goal scoring. Thanks for the media yet again shoving him down my throat so I can't actually enjoy his skill on its own terms.
  16. Geoffrey S
    16. Posted by Geoffrey S Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:37 pm EDT

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    "How many minutes has he spent on the penalty kill again? What's his plus/minus there?"
    If you think you can get a minus on the penalty kill, you're about as dumb as the rest of your comment make you seem.
  17. old time hockey
    17. Posted by old time hockey Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    2 water bottles off the net in this top 10...
    doesn't that add a little to the highlight reel?
    I think the NHL should take out the rule where the water bottle has to be in its holder (although clearly some goalies break it in this top 10)
    im sure theres a Sidney Crosby Top 10 Assists out there somewhere, probably better than these goals...
  18. R F
    18. Posted by R F Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:44 pm EDT

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    I jinxed the Stanley Cup last summer in Traverse City, MI. I touched the Cup with a Detroit Lions shirt on and chanted "Crosby, Crosby, Crosby". I have photographic proof! The Lions loser mojo is too strong to break. He will never win it now.
  19. skistarr
    19. Posted by skistarr Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:26 pm EDT

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    He didn't play on the PK because we had such great PK guys. Now that he's logging the PK minutes, what's the next thing the haters are going to quip about?
    Here's what I'm wondering. 20 years ago Gretzky was absolutely shoved down our throats, but everyone effin' LOVED him. Now Crosby is here, and everyone outside Pittsburgh hates him. Why? Have we changed so much as fans that we can't appreciate greatness anymore? Are we so wrapped up in our own players that everyone else sucks in comparison? Look, I hate the Caps... but Ovie is sick. Despise the Devils.... but Brodeur is a genius between the pipes. No reason to hate on greatness. Effin' haters. Every last one of you bastards would kill to have him on your team.
  20. jibblescribbits
    20. Posted by jibblescribbits Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:34 pm EDT

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    ..."Crosby scored his 100th goal, 200th assist and moved past the 300-point mark ...
    Puck Daddy: Come to look at the picture of Wyshynski satisfying his oral fixation. Stay for the basic arithmetic!
  21. knucklehead
    21. Posted by knucklehead Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:37 pm EDT

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    Lion Voodoo! Here's to a perfect season! Reguards: Mickey Rourke
  22. Mike B.
    22. Posted by Mike B. Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:12 pm EDT

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    Some of you guys are missing the point...the question was whether his *goal-scoring abilities* are underrated, not his overall persona. When I heard that he scored his 100th the other night, I have to say that I was surprised that he was at that mark already, especially given the games he missed last year. I think a lot of people don't think of him as a goal-scorer.
    I was at MSG for #7, sitting behind the goal at that end of the ice, and it was as amazing live as it looked. I hate that he will be in the Atlantic for who knows how long, but he really is just unbelievable to watch. Just stop diving, Sid, and so many more people will love you.
  23. Bidula21
    23. Posted by Bidula21 Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:18 pm EDT

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    @ Ravi D
    Only this season did Coach Therrien decide to use Crosby in a full-time PK position, so you've got me there, Sid hasn't logged many minutes on the kill. However, before you go throwing around accusations regarding this stat affecting his status as "the all-around hockey player everyone says he is", maybe you should think for a minute that he really has no control over which lines he plays on and when.
    Pittsburgh is one of the anomolous teams which is actually coached by the coach, not by the team captain. Coach Therrien makes the lines and distributes the special teams assignments. Sid logged a ton of 5-on-5 and Power Play time last season and, if it really came down to it, I'd rather have him there than on the PK.
    Pittsburgh PK has done just fine without him and they will do that much better with him this season.
    Hockey isn't all about scoring, I agree, but the fact that a player has a higher points total than his total PK minutes logged does not discount him as an all-around all star.
  24. joe h
    24. Posted by joe h Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

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    There's no way he's underrated. He's the face of the league and I'm sure everyone knows that he can put it in the back of the net. But moving the puck around and setting people up is his bread and butter. I'm sure the diver himself could tell you that.
  25. Jon H
    25. Posted by Jon H Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    "kovalchuk scored over 100 during his first 3 years in nhl, he is the face of nhl and kovalchuk is stuck with atlanta... so heartbreaking"
    Crosby would have done it last year if he hadn't missed so much time.

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