![Which player will history deem as the best: Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid? – Penguins mailbag Which player will history deem as the best: Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid? – Penguins mailbag](https://i1.wp.com/cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/05/28100336/GettyImages-2066786907.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Greetings, hockey fans. I usually just do a mailbag this time of year because not much happens in penguin land. However, your questions were so good that I feel compelled to write two.
Here we go with Part 1.
Recognizing that they are very different players, when all is said and done, who will people say was better: McDavid or Crosby? —@NickNeppach
Wow. We are getting off on the right foot.
This is a big question with no right or wrong answer. I’ll start by saying that when it’s all said and done, I think Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid will be in the top five of all time, along with Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. How you classify them is really up to you.
People love to say that McDavid is the greatest player of all time because he is so fast and Gretzky scored 92 goals against 5-foot-4 goalies. While I agree that McDavid is extraordinary, we need to tone down the recency bias.
That being said, I think McDavid is the most talented player since Lemieux, the most talented player ever. It is a challenge to analyze who is the best player of all time. Gretzky is, without a doubt, the most successful player in history. So if that’s your definition of greatness, then yes, it’s him. But if you saw Lemieux and Gretzky play, especially if you saw Mario at his best, you’ll know Lemieux was better. Admit it or not, but you already know. He could do everything Gretzky did being six inches taller and 50 pounds heavier with a stronger punch. Lemieux was better at breakaways, stick handling, as a pure scorer, etc. So they are both the best player of all time. It depends on your definition: talent or achievement?
History may well remember McDavid as more talented than Crosby. But Crosby has accomplished much more. Before he turned 30, he won the Stanley Cup three times, the Olympics twice, the World Cup of Hockey once, the Conn Smythe twice, the MVP of the World Cup of Hockey and scored the Golden Goal in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. He will be remembered as one of the best players over 30 years old. Let that sink in. McDavid is 27 years old. Fairly or not, the clock is ticking. Hockey players are never better at 30 than they are at 20. That said, McDavid’s numbers are outrageous. There has never been anyone like him.
So what I’m saying is: if you think McDavid is older than Crosby, then you should probably think Lemieux was older than Gretzky. And if you think Crosby is older than McDavid, then you should probably think Gretzky was older than Lemieux.
Of course, now they’re all irritated with me because most Pittsburgh fans will accept Lemieux and Crosby, while most Edmonton fans will accept Gretzky and McDavid.
Let’s enjoy both.
With the smoke surrounding the Devils and Mike Sullivan last month, is there a fire in the Dubas/Sully divide we briefly heard about? Or was it all nonsense? — @PensFanInWisco
There was absolutely none of that. Zero.
I don’t doubt that the Demons would have liked to talk to him. But there’s no reason to believe Sullivan was interested. Say what you want about whether the Penguins should continue employing him. A lot of fans are done with it and I get it: 2017 was a long time ago. But I wouldn’t question his loyalty to the Penguins. I think he’s obsessed with winning again here. I don’t see him wanting to go out.
Is Jarry in the area on opening night? — @gggiants
Tristan Jarry will likely be the Penguins’ starting goalie. If I were Penguins boss Kyle Dubas, I would consider trading Jarry. The Penguins have a lot of glaring holes on their roster and if they can get an asset back and free up some cap space, that would be the way to go.
However, goaltenders are not usually traded, so he is likely to return next season. I haven’t heard otherwise, although that can always change.
Josh, a common sentiment among some Pens fans is that as long as the ‘Core’ remains on the roster at his age, any improvement will be minimal. Yes or no? — @LaConfluencia
It’s not impossible for the Penguins to improve significantly. Dubas just needs to have a spectacular summer. Of course, it’s perfectly understandable why people would think it’s impossible. We have seen the trend for years. But poor roster management has been a big part of this franchise’s problem. Dubas has a chance to change that.
Why hasn’t Sullivan been fired yet? — @BlakerRick
The property likes it. Dubas likes it. The stars like it. She has two rings.
Do you think Jagr will be part of the organization in some type of management position? — @sml2727
I really do. Rob Rossi wrote about this last week and many in the organization certainly want this to happen.
Jagr always complicates everything a little and it may not happen overnight. But I bet it happens. Something happened with Jagr in February. That was not just a retirement ceremony, but Jagr was reunited with a city he always loved and an organization that was always home to him.
With the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh in two years, when do you think an NHL All-Star game could come here? — @skiab94
I don’t know if the Penguins are too interested in bringing him back to Pittsburgh for the first time since 1990. It’s possible, but they seem more interested in playing outdoor games.
Who retires first? Crosby, Malkin or Letang? — @glennkaplan13
I assume, barring any unforeseen health issues on the part of Crosby or Kris Letang, that Evgeni Malkin will be the first to go.
He only has two years left on his contract and, while he is still effective and somewhat productive, he is far from the same player he was. I think Geno will play out the next two years of his contract and leave at age 39, after his 20th season.
What do you consider to be the best Stanley Cup Final of the cap era and why is the correct answer 2009 Penguins vs. Red Wings? — @elmartillogriego
It’s not even close. The correct answer is, without a doubt, the 2009 Cup Final. The quality of the game was astonishingly high, lasting seven games and ending with one of the best last-second sequences in NHL history.
Also think about all the Hall of Famers who were on the ice that night.
What is your favorite airline when you travel? — @Lewie_15
Delta: It’s not even close. I avoid Americans like the plague. Air Canada has really disappeared from the map. And I’m increasingly displeased with Southwest, largely because of their recent pricing. I also like to know where I am sitting.
United are solid.
But Delta is my choice. I always have pleasant experiences with them.
Favorite Memorial Day dish? — @TFLA803
I’m not elegant. Give me a cheeseburger and baked beans and I’ll always be satisfied at holiday functions. (Potato salad and macaroni salad are disgusting. I don’t know how everyone enjoys those dishes so much. Disgusting.)
With all expenses paid, where would you travel? It can’t be a place you’ve been. — @patdoc38
Oh, Italy, sure. I always wanted to go. Most of the people in my life have been there. I’m so jealous. I’m not Italian, but I like its architecture, its history and its food. And I’m a sucker for a good beach.
If anyone is heading to Italy this year and wants a hanger-on who knows good hockey stories to come with them, my DMs are always open.
What’s it like having Mark Kaboly as your spirit animal? — @tribjoerutter
He is no such thing. Speaking of him, we’re both attending the same wedding in a couple of weeks. I can only imagine how many unflattering photos of me he’ll post on Twitter.
Josh, when you put on your shoes, are you the type of person who puts your left foot in first or your right foot first? Next, do you tie your shoes every time or leave them loose enough to slide your feet in every time? Thanks for your time. — @PensChronicles
Oh, I have some problems. I go with left sock, right sock, left shoe, right shoe. In that order. And the left leg of the pants always goes before the right leg.
I re-tie my shoes each time, but I usually ignore all the other laces except the top.
It’s also worth noting that when I enter the South Hills Village food court, I always have to walk on the left side and then I will exit on the other side, which is also the left side in that direction.
I also don’t text or call anyone at 10:14 am or 10:14 pm because the Pirates lost to the Braves in Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series on October 14. Hence, 10 and 14. Some wounds never go away.
Now that I’ve shared that, I’ll exit stage left to the second part of the mailbag.
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