Sidney Crosby had to settle for the Mark Messier Award last night at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.
Henrik Sedin got the Hart Trophy for MVP (voted on by the writers) and Alexander Ovechkin got the Ted Lindsay Award which goes to the best player as voted on by NHL players.
I don’t think there is a GM in the league who would rather have Sedin than Crosby and I think most would pick Crosby over Ovechkin.
Crosby and Ovechkin may have helped Sedin win by splitting so many votes between them.
I think there’s at least a little bit of Sid backlash in play here. Ovechkin’s numbers and his highlight reel speak for themselves and it’s perfecty understandable that lots of players would vote for him over Crsoby, but I think there are some players, especially North American ones, who are tired of the Sid the Kid routine.
Crosby may be a little too perfect. I can see where Crosby could get on a player’s nerves. Unless Crosby was his teammate. You have to see Crosby every game to appreciate him. As spectacular as his highlight reel could be, it’s never going to measure up to Ovechkin’s.
Playing well in your own end, winning face offs and digging pucks out from along the wall are not highlight reel material but they translate into wins.
The Messier Award may be the one most suited for Crosby. It’s for leadership, which means it’s the award that rewards the little things.
Crosby not getting the Hart Trophy or Lindsay Award should be considered good news by Penguins fans because it’s just going to make Crosby more intense. Watch him for five minutes and you know he HATES to lose. This will only make him play harder. If that’s possible.