What now, Crosby haters? Does success count if you can't see it? (Morning Cycle)

This was just too weird not to post (from a blog called On Deadline)

• After reading that Sidney Crosby helped the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals yesterday and checking the Penguins' status in the Eastern Conference bubble, the next thought that came into my head was:

Well, how is the "Crosby is the Anti-Christ" movement going to spin this one?

Sure, it wasn't all Crosby. Both Crosby and ohmygawdtotallyammmmilliontimesbetter Alex Ovechkin scored goals for their teams. From what I saw on NHL on the Fly, the Capitals had more sustained pressure and may have been the more deserving team.

But right after Ovechkin failed to score on the gimmick fest, Crosby had the shootout game winner. It would be pretty difficult to argue that Ovechkin grossly out-played Crosby, something that a lot of pathetic people are clamoring to do.

So here's some advice: calm the hell down about this Crosby stuff. Maybe get some sunlight. Eat a delicious pretzel. Stop being a dick.

• And here's some advice to NBC: just stop covering the NHL.

Seriously.

Can't help but picture Jack Donaghy picking the NHL games for NBC

How many times can the network make the wrong programming choices? Guess what hockey moment was given the ESPN Sportscenter treatment? Let me tell you: it wasn't a game where Manny Fernandez crapped himself three times.

No, it was actually the first game between the Caps and Pens after the Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry had the hockey world buzzing.

But, hey, let's be fair: Boston vs. New York featured bigger markets. It must be that NBC assumes the only people who would watch hockey on a Sunday afternoon are people who are just hungover and don't even know their TV set is even on. Let's face it, there are probably more people with hangovers in Boston and New York. So maybe we are the blind ones.

My guess at NBC's target demographic: blackout drunks

Illegal Curve had a great take on the blunder:

The NBA markets its stars perfectly. They put them on the national platform; and in the process they market the game itself. It is time the NHL took these steps. They need to broadcast good exciting hockey, regardless of where that team is based. That is how your market the game. We know the Rangers and Bruins will always have their hardcore fans, but a novice turning on hockey for the first time, won’t exactly take to the game if it is slow and without much action.

On the other hand, if a novice turns on a Penguins/Capitals game or Sharks/Blackhawks game then they are probably more likely to comeback and take to the game.

• Let's all pour out a 40 for our homie "Scary" Gary Roberts, who announced his semi-involuntary retirement from the good old hockey game.
  

He's not a HoF player, unless you mean the Manly Hall of Fame (for which he would probably have the mandatory 20-year waiting period waived).

• More and more, there are those "The NHL is BACK!" articles streaming from the MSM idiot tanks. It is something that regularly generates an eye-roll.
  

But it's impossible to deny that this is the highest point the sport has seen since the lockout.

My hockey newbie pal Abel discussed some of the things that helped turn him on to the sport: the influx of young stars like Malkin-Crosby-Ovechkin, the nice mix of arcadey action and realism provided by EA's NHL games and a general breakthrough feeling for the league. (Surely the Winter Classic tradition made some waves, too.)

Still, the recent successes are exactly why we need to remain critical of those NBC-type blunders.

When you have all those marketing dollars going into two players, then you choose that game. It's really pretty f'in simple.

• Finally, Wendi Nix is very attractive.

That doesn't have anything to do with hockey, really, but it needs to be said. Someday I hope to buy her a beer so that she looks around, sees me and then has that "Oh ..." look of disappointment on her face. Life is good.