Unpopular opinions

[The Panther]

On Gretzky’s 18th birthday (January 26, 1979), he’s now an Oiler and team owner Peter Pocklington rips up that 7 year personal services contract he bought from Skalbania and signs Wayne to a new 10 year personal services contract at a centre ice ceremony.

I think it was actually a 20-year contract.

Of course, Eric Lindros was unbelievably litigious and his family never hesitated to call upon the courts if they believed “the system” wasn’t what was best for the kid. That story is a book.

If it wasn't for David Steckel, Sidney Crosby would have this additional hardware on his c.v.:

2 Hart
2 Art Ross
1 Rocket Richard
1 Stanley Cup
1 Conn Smythe

He would have been anointed as one of the Top 5 ever at the end of the 2017 season and McDavid vs. Crosby comparisons would seem far fetched right now.

My Best-Carey

Yeah, this is more than a stretch.

 

[DitchMarner]

If it wasn't for David Steckel, Sidney Crosby would have this additional hardware on his c.v.:

2 Hart
2 Art Ross
1 Rocket Richard
1 Stanley Cup
1 Conn Smythe

He would have been anointed as one of the Top 5 ever at the end of the 2017 season and McDavid vs. Crosby comparisons would seem far fetched right now.

My Best-Carey

I don't see him having three Conn Smythes in his career. If the Penguins had won the Cup in 2011, 2012 or 2013, they might not have acquired Kessel and made some of the other changes that helped them win in 2016 and 2017. The Smythe Crosby won in 2016 was weak and disputed. I think he would have needed a considerably better performance to win that year if he had already won a Conn Smythe.

 

[frisco]

Why does he get a second Hart and Art Ross without Steckel though? Malkin was exceptional in 2012 and I'm not sure how it plays out if Crosby is reasonably healthy.

Going without saying the following is speculation and there are hundreds of possible outcomes but Crosby was trending for about 130 points in 2010-11 before Steckel. Without the concussion, it is not unrealistic he wins Ross/Hart/Richard that year and keeps rolling the next year and easily beats Malkin's 109 points the next season playing at the same level. So there's the two additional Art Ross and possibly Harts and a Rocket.

As far as the Cup, in 2011 a peak Crosby could've easily made the difference in a 7-game loss to TB. And word was Malkin was ready to return for the second round. So, you have a healthy Pens team with Crosby playing his best hockey in the final eight. Not a lock for the Cup, but likely a favorite.

Also, 2012 Crosby was not the same player and had just played only 22 games that year after sitting out more than a year. Had he been completely healthy it is not outrageous to say the debacle vs. the Flyers doesn't happen and again the Pens are lined up for a Cup. So, 2011 or 2012 could have been Cup years, maybe both (that's a bit of a stretch), again without Steckel.

Even 2013, when PIttsburgh was soundly beaten by Boston in ECF, Crosby had slightly diminished as a player post-concussion and who knows. And the broken jaw from the Orpik blast late that season may have triggered extra symptoms due to the previous concussions.

There is the theory that Crosby was ramping up to a new level before Steckel and even was trending up to that new peak and was robbed by the concussions so everything post-Steckel was sort of blunted even to today.

My Best-Carey

 

[The Pale King]

My unpopular hockey opinion is that Sidney Crosby is the most correctly-rated player in NHL history.