Poster Boy

To everyone in the hockey world it would appear as though Sidney Crosby could do no wrong.. well, almost everyone.

When Sidney Crosby recently declined the offer to go and represent Canada at the World Hockey Championships in Germany, it raised a few eyebrows, but none were higher than those of the IIHF president. In a matter that got blown way out of proportion, prez Fasel said some pretty nasty things about the young star and couldn't for the life of him understand as to why Sid the Kid would not want to wear the maple leaf.. Fasel has since apologized.

On the one hand, I can see why Fasel would be frustrated that players do not want to play for their country, most players would dream for that chance and some of them seem to care less. However, it is quite obvious that the players who declined, especially Sid, would be extremely tired emotionally and physically and deserve the break and the option to say no if they so choose.

However, waaay on the other hand, it does bother me that Fasel made the point to single out Sid. If any of the players should have the right to sit out of the tournament then it should be Sid. It is funny how everyone is talking about how Sid said no when a guy like Martin St. Louis (who I love) also said no when he didn't play in the olympics and whose team did not even make the post season. You would think that if anyone wanted the chance to play more hockey and represent their country it would be him, yet he declined and no one seems to be making a fuss about it.

What it comes down to is the name. "Sidney Crosby" carries a lot of hype and attention with it and with that hype and attention also comes ratings. Everything the Kid does is under a microscope and this situation is no different, in fact it seems worse. It is a little bit ironic that Sid claimed that he was "too tired" to go yet his teammate Malkin, who also played in the Olympics didn't seem "too tired" at all. Either way, give the Kid a break, the guy is 22 and rich as hell, it's not like he's getting paid to play at the Worlds so why not have a little bit more of a break? You can't blame the Kid, because; well.. he's the poster boy.