Better player during their first 5 years: Crosby or McDavid?

[Varan]

Simply put, who was the better hockey player in their first 5 seasons? I think this is a bit better due to position.

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[BB06]

Crosby easily. Especially considering playoffs.

 

[hamzarocks]

Crosby better overall in 2 way and playoffs but 97 better offensively

Crosby's first major injury in 08 hurt his play as the injury from what I recall was ankle/foot related and hurt his speed a bit. He developed other areas of his game the next 2 years but he wasnt as fast as he was in his first 2 years again.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

McDavid vs Crosby after 5 seasons

Hart: 1--1
Finalist: 2--2
Top 5: 4--2
Top 10: 4--3
Lindsay: 2--1
Finalist: 3--2

Ross: 2--1
Top 10 pts: 4--4
PPG leader: 2--1
Top 10 PPG: 5--5

Rocket: 0--1
Top 10 goals: 3--1
GPG wins: 0--0
Top 10 GPG: 3--1

1st AST: 3--1
2nd AST: 0--1
Awards: 5--4

Hart:
McDavid: 1,3,5,5
Crosby: 1,3,6,17,24

Pts:
McDavid: 1,1,2,2
Crosby: 1,2,3,6

PPG:
McDavid: 1,1,2,2,3
Crosby: 1,2,3,4,6

Goals:
McDavid: 6,6,10
Crosby: 1

GPG:
McDavid: 8,9,9
Crosby: 2

McDavid has an extra top 5 finish so he is clearly ahead in hart voting. Also has an extra lindsay and nomination, so again clearly ahead.

McDavid has an extra ross, an extra PPG win and clearly better pt and PPG finishes (4x top 2 in each vs 2x top 2 in each).

Crosby has the rocket but that was his only top 10 goal and GPG finish to McDavid's 3x each.

McDavid has 2 extra 1st ASTs.

Crosby obviously has a huge advantage in the playoffs but it doesn't make up for McDavid having a better hart record, better lindsay record, better pt finishes, better PPG finishes, more goal finishes, more GPG finishes, more ASTs and more individual hardware.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Crosby very easily. 27 31 point playoffs plus his regular season resume

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

McDavid vs Crosby after 5 seasons

Hart: 1--1
Finalist: 2--2
Top 5: 4--2
Top 10: 4--3
Lindsay: 2--1
Finalist: 3--2

Ross: 2--1
Top 10 pts: 4--4
PPG leader: 2--1
Top 10 PPG: 5--5

Rocket: 0--1
Top 10 goals: 3--1
GPG wins: 0--0
Top 10 GPG: 3--1

1st AST: 3--1
2nd AST: 0--1
Awards: 5--4

Hart:
McDavid: 1,3,5,5
Crosby: 1,3,6,17,24

Pts:
McDavid: 1,1,2,2
Crosby: 1,2,3,6

PPG:
McDavid: 1,1,2,2,3
Crosby: 1,2,3,4,6

Goals:
McDavid: 6,6,10
Crosby: 1

GPG:
McDavid: 8,9,9
Crosby: 2

McDavid has an extra top 5 finish so he is clearly ahead in hart voting. Also has an extra lindsay and nomination, so again clearly ahead.

McDavid has an extra ross, an extra PPG win and clearly better pt and PPG finishes (4x top 2 in each vs 2x top 2 in each).

Crosby has the rocket but that was his only top 10 goal and GPG finish to McDavid's 3x each.

McDavid has 2 extra 1st ASTs.

Crosby obviously has a huge advantage in the playoffs but it doesn't make up for McDavid having a better hart record, better lindsay record, better pt finishes, better PPG finishes, more goal finishes, more GPG finishes, more ASTs and more individual hardware.

You must have this response saved somewhere. Anyways its Crosby per usual

 

[Mrfenn92]

Crosby.

 

[Varan]

You must have this response saved somewhere. Anyways its Crosby per usual

LOL that was pretty good ngl

 

[HarryLime]

Crosby all day

 

[A1LeafNation]

Crosby not close

 

[Fatass]

With puck on stick and attacking McDavid is fantastic. He’s definitely better than a young Sid at that one part of the game. But Sid was (is) a complete player, who helped his team win in multiple ways. Connor needs to learn to play the game when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick to be considered as great as Sid.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Crosby. He was better in years 1, 2, & 5 and has a huge advantage in the playoffs.

 

[MessierII]

With puck on stick and attacking McDavid is fantastic. He’s definitely better than a young Sid at that one part of the game. But Sid was (is) a complete player, who helped his team win in multiple ways. Connor needs to learn to play the game when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick to be considered as great as Sid.

Sid wasn’t a complete player until later in his career.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Let’s compare head to head their first five seasons:

Crosby 05-06 > McDavid 15-16
Crosby 06-07 > McDavid 16-17
McDavid 17-18 > Crosby 07-08
McDavid 18-19 > Crosby 08-09
Crosby 09-10 > McDavid 19-20

Advantage Crosby (3-2)

Plus, Crosby eats McDavid alive in the playoffs from 2005-10.

Simply put, Crosby is better.

 

[Canovin]

Let’s compare head to head their first five seasons:

Crosby 05-06 > McDavid 15-16
Crosby 06-07 > McDavid 16-17
McDavid 17-18 > Crosby 07-08
McDavid 18-19 > Crosby 08-09
Crosby 09-10 > McDavid 19-20

Advantage Crosby (3-2)

Plus, Crosby eats McDavid alive in the playoffs from 2005-10.

Simply put, Crosby is better.

Crosby never made the playoffs in 2005-06. He also missed the playoffs in 2010-11

 

[slapKing]

Voted for Crosby. McDavid has been overall the better player in the RS, but it's not enough to overtake Crosby when factoring playoffs as well.

 

[slapKing]

Simply put, who was the better hockey player in their first 5 seasons? I think this is a bit better due to position.

Honestly, yeah, I would think so.

when I made the OV vs Mcdavid thread, I thought the votes would be a lot closer. clearly it wasn't the case lmao.

this is more closer than that post.

 

[Kranix]

Guys.
Wouldn't McDavid have to make the playoffs for you to compare their playoff performances?

 

[Varan]

Honestly, yeah, I would think so.

when I made the OV vs Mcdavid thread, I thought the votes would be a lot closer. clearly it wasn't the case lmao.

this is more closer than that post.

Same here, although 75-25 isn't really that close either LOL

 

[Gurglesons]

Don't really see a difference between the Pens teams between 05-06 - 09-10 and the Oilers teams that McDavid has been a part of. Crosby was leading his team along with his partner and crime to contention status year in and year out for 3 of his first five years, won a cup and put up two Smythe worthy runs on top of all the personal accolades. McDavid has the better regular season success individually, but that likely largely comes from the fact his team sucked so much he was the only focus for most of their seasons.

Sid quite easily imo.

 

[McPoyle]

With puck on stick and attacking McDavid is fantastic. He’s definitely better than a young Sid at that one part of the game. But Sid was (is) a complete player, who helped his team win in multiple ways. Connor needs to learn to play the game when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick to be considered as great as Sid.

Crosby was a very incomplete player when he entered the league. Most 18-23 year olds are. He received very similar criticism about his lack of defense as McDavid does today.

 

[Paul4587]

Don't really see a difference between the Pens teams between 05-06 - 09-10 and the Oilers teams that McDavid has been a part of. Crosby was leading his team along with his partner and crime to contention status year in and year out for 3 of his first five years, won a cup and put up two Smythe worthy runs on top of all the personal accolades. McDavid has the better regular season success individually, but that likely largely comes from the fact his team sucked so much he was the only focus for most of their seasons.

Sid quite easily imo.

For starters the Pens had a competent group of dmen including Gonchar who was regarded as a top 5-10 dman in the league between 2007 and 2010. That makes a huge difference to a teams ability to go on deep runs. I like Klefbom but when he’s your best dman it’s unlikely your team will ever go anywhere.

 

[McPoyle]

Playoffs is definitely Crosby and not close.

I give regular season to McDavid. Crosby wasn't even the best player in the league his first 5 years, McDavid most certainly has been since 2016.

 

[wetcoast]

Crosby never made the playoffs in 2005-06. He also missed the playoffs in 2010-11

10-11 was his 6th year and the 4 years before it Crosby was simply elite in the playoffs.

NHL Stats

 

[Gurglesons]

For starters the Pens had a competent group of dmen including Gonchar who was regarded as a top 5-10 dman in the league between 2007 and 2010. That makes a huge difference to a teams ability to go on deep runs. I like Klefbom but when he’s your best dman it’s unlikely your team will ever go anywhere.

I'll give you Gonchar, but I don't really see that much of a difference between the Penguins D through those years and the Oilers D.

And Pens still made the playoffs without Gonchar largely on the back of their two horses in Sid and Malkin.