Glad I'm not Sidney Crosby

At a time when Canadians from coast to coast seem to be really feeling the effects of no NHL hockey, it appears that all the media and fan frustration is being focussed on one particular phenom on the east coast.

Sidney Crosby's decision to forego tonight's CHL Top Prospects Game has been met with so much controversy that you'd think the kid just Bertuzzi'd someone in broad daylight.

In my opinion it appears though that it is young Sidney who is being Bertuzzi'd by overzealous fans and ridiculous media-types who are desperate for anything even remotely interesting (read controversial) to report.

I feel for this kid, I really do. It started during the World Junior's tournament when TSN's Gino Reda did an pre-game interview with the phenom. When asked if he would consider joining the NHL as a replacement player, Crosby spoke from the top of his head (meaning he wasn't pre-coached on what to say by his agent) and stated that it would be something he would consider. I lost a great deal of respect for Gino Reda and the TSN people for basically railroading a 17-year-old kid into making a controversial statement.

To no one's surprise TSN followed up that interview with a taped statement from Crosby where he backtracked and stated that it would not be right for him to come in to the NHL as a replacement player and that that would be something he would never consider as an option.

To me, this looked like a shameless maneuver on TSN's part to stir the pot and to use this kid to create some much needed media hype.

For a kid who is just coming in to his draft eligible year I have been extremely impressed with Crosby both on and off the ice. On the ice there's no denying the fact that this kid is the real deal. Having been too young to have witnessed Gretzky and Lemieux at this stage in their careers, I think it is special to see young Sidney now; knowing that in 10 years my son will probably be talking about Crosby the way I talked about Yzerman or Lemieux or Gretzky.

Off the ice this kid is first-class all the way. He appears to be humble, well spoken, intelligent, and he has a clear idea of what he wants his future to look like and what he needs to do to make that picture a reality. There is no Alexander Ovechkin in Sidney Crosby.

But I think we lose sight of the fact that this kid is only 18 years old. He's still very much a kid. No matter how mature he may seem or how bright his future may be, he's still a kid. The expectations that are being placed on Crosby are ridiculous.

Now the hockey world is all in an uproar because he won't be playing in tonight's top prospects game. Whether he's genuinely injured or not I for one cannot blame the kid for not going.

First off, he's just come off the World Junior's tourney where he, as always, was the focal point of every teams top defenders. This kid was knocked down, slashed, punched, and cross checked at every available opportunity. Canada may have dominated but that's not to say that they still didn't have to give it all they had every game in order to be so dominant.

Secondly, according to TSN, the games that Crosby was supposed to have missed with his QMJHL team in Rimouski were all rescheduled to allow Crosby to be there. It appears the teams they were to play against all wanted to reschedule the games so that they could take advantage of the sell-outs that having Crosby in the lineup would produce. So not only is this kid carrying the responsibility of making his own team successful, he's now on the hook for the financial success of all QMJHL teams? Are you kidding me?

Thirdly, he's the first overall pick without a doubt. If teams could divide him up in to 10 equal pieces he'd probably be the first 1o picks. Scouts don't need to see Crosby play tonight in order to better decide if he's a sure-fire #1 pick. If anything, not having him there allows some of the other players to enjoy a little of the gigantic spotlight that would have been thrust on Crosby all night.

Fourthly, can we please have some major Canadian sporting events outside of Vancouver for crying out loud! Is it not ridiculous that a game involving players spreading from coast to coast is being held on the far west coast of Canada? Put the game in a central location. Winnipeg is an amazing hockey town. It's nicely located in a more central location. Players from the QMJHL and OHL have to fly across the country for one nights game and then return to start playing again for their respective junior clubs. Vancouver is getting enough attention already. Enough is enough.

If I'm Sidney Crosby I do the same thing that he's done. Say what you want about him needing to be responsible for the fact that he's in high demand and that he has an obligations to the fans and to the CHL to be there tonight, I don't buy it. Say what you want about the fact that there's hundreds of other junior players that would love the opportunities that Crosby has been given; there may be hundreds of other players that would love to take his spot, but there's only one kid in this country that has the skill level that Crosby does, and that's Crosby himself.

Tonight's game is going to be a dandy with or without Crosby in the lineup. There are a ton of talented hockey players in tonight's game- I for one am looking forward to watching a couple of our Warrior's boys- Kendall McCardle and Blair Jones- tear it up.

This kid is not Wayne Gretzky . . . yet. . . he's an 18-year-old kid trying to make his dreams of being a professional hockey player come true. Let's cut him slack and let him enjoy this time of his life. You'll have plenty of time to badger and harrass him when he's an unexcessible billionaire playing in the NHL.