Read Sports Geek’s argument and Loyal Homer’s arguments about the who the best player in the NHL under the age of 25 is.
The NBA’s greatest player under 25 is undoubtedly LeBron James. There are many other players with accolades worthy of mention (Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony, just to name a few), but none can compete with LeBron in terms of overall impact in the league. From his highly publicized entry into the NBA to the unprecedented accomplishments he has already earned, LeBron has been the king of the court.
The NHL has many very talented young players amongst its ranks, as well. Like the NBA, some players will develop into superstars, while others enter the league and dominate from the word go. Although all of the players Sarah Kwak listed in her Sports Illustrated article of the top 25 players under the age of 25 deserve recognition for their accomplishments, the name that SHOULD be on the top of that list (but surprisingly is not) is the man justifiably known as “The Next One” – Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby.
Like LeBron, Crosby came into the NHL as a VERY highly anticipated player with prodigious skill on the ice. Following the strike-ended season of 2004, the NHL was eager to resume play, and wanted a fresh new face that could be associated with the “return” of the NHL. After an unprecedented lottery that awarded the Penguins the top pick of the draft, Crosby was selected and became that face.
Since then, Crosby has lived up to every single expectation placed upon him. On a personal level, his accomplishments (like LeBron’s) have been unprecedented. During his rookie season, Crosby set franchise records for assists and points by a rookie, surpassing the records set by hockey legend Mario Lemieux.
His second year in the league earned him even greater success, as he won the Art Ross Trophy, which is awarded to the scoring leader in the league, making him the youngest player ever to win the award, and the youngest scoring champion in any of North America’s major sports. That same year he also went on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy (which is awarded to the league’s MVP), becoming the youngest person since Wayne Gretzky to win the award in 1980, and he won the Lester B. Pearson Award, which is given to the NHL’s top player of the year, as voted by the NHL Players Association.
Some other personal accomplishments for Crosby are that he is the youngest person in NHL history to reach 100 and 200 career points, and was the youngest person elected to the first team of an NHL All-Star Team. In 2007, he also became the youngest player in NHL history to be named a team captain.
Along with those personal accomplishments, earned in a very short time, Crosby has more importantly been the focal point for the resurrection of Pittsburgh dominance in the NHL. Not since the glory days of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr have the Penguins been considered a dominant force in the NHL. In fact, when Crosby came into the league the Penguins were one of the worst teams in hockey. They had finished the 2004 season with the league’s worst record, and they had not made a playoff appearance since 2001.
Once he joined the team, however, Crosby led the Penguins to the playoffs in three of the last four years, including Eastern Conference Championships in the 2007-2008, and 2008-2009 seasons, and a Stanley Cup Championship this past season – the first title for the Penguins since the 1991-1992 season.
Sidney Crosby has not only been the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he has been the face of the NHL. Other players may achieve better results in specific categories over specific years, but none have had the overall impact that “Sid the Kid” has brought to the league.
[...] The Best Player Under 25 Debate – He SHOULD Be Called Sid The MAN! « The Sports Debates© thesportsdebates.com/2009/10/12/the-best-player-under-25-debate-%E2%80%93-he-should-be-called-sid-the-man – view page – cached Read Sports Geek’s argument and Loyal Homer’s arguments about the who the best player in the NHL under the age of 25 is. — From the page [...]
Sidney Crosby is by far the best complete player in the game. While Ovie and Malkin may score more goals than Crosby, he still poses such a threat on the ice because he makes everyone around him better not to mention he isn’t a slouch himself.
Good point on Crosby making folks around him better. I would argue that Ovie does, too, it’s just that Ovie doesn’t have a Malkin.