To have Sidney Crosby ranked as the #1 on a Top 50 list is just as asinine as Ian Laperriere winning the Masterton Trophy even though he didn't play a single game in 2010-11.
Sure, it's a crass comparison, but when you look at the fact Crosby hasn't played a game in almost ten months, it's hard for me to believe that TSN is right in naming Crosby the top player in the league. I get that they have to keep the Canadians happy and Canadians love Crosby-- but there's a thing call reality in there. Yes, Crosby's skills are amazing when he's on the ice-- but now, who knows what's going to happen if he gets into traffic or get a solid check again that drops him for another extended time.
That said, while I like Alex Ovechkin, too-- he shouldn't be the second player on that list or first. Ovechkin is coming off a horrible year. He should be judged as such, at least in my world.
This is the problem with lists, they don't have ANYTHING to do with reality. It's just something that deals with a popularity contest-- much like the All-Star voting, where it doesn't matter how hurt someone is, they'll still get voted to the starting line-up because of popularity. The lists are crap and definitely not rational when it comes to proving worth.
It's a slight to guys like Steve Stamkos and the Sedins (Daniel and Henrik) that Ovechkin and Crosby are ranked higher than them. Granted, the dynamics and attention Ovechkin and Crosby get are second-to-none; but that doesn't mean they're effective as the others mentioned above (or others in the league) that have played better than the big two.
In the end, it's all subjective. People will like who they like and there's going to be no moving them from that position. People love Crosby and Ovechkin and will discount their play (or lack thereof) because of their position in promoting the league and being recognizable. It is what it is though, because you can ask fans of all 30 teams and odds are you'll get at least 20 different answers on who the best in the league is. That's just the happenstance of people's opinion.
I have to agree with all the things you have brought up. I remember when Crosby won the 2010 Canadian Male Athlete of the Year and my first thought was, I wonder if Drew Doughty or someone else scored that golden goal would they have been the Athlete of the year. I would have guys like Toews, the Sedin's, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kesler all have played better yet they don't get the credit they deserve (there are more but I don't want to make this a blog on your blog). I wish these guys would actually look at Crosby objectively, because last time I checked, he came no where near breaking any of Gretzky's records.
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