[TartanBill]

Originally Posted by PSULion22

You forgot to post the series of the events that led up to that goal. Sidney Crosby takes a dive with no one around him and the refs give the Red Wings an obstruction-tripping penalty because the ice had a rut in it. The Penguins score on the PP.

I'm sure this will start an argument and I'll probably get flamed, but I'm gonna throw this thought I had out there. The general saying in sports is that players will do anything to gain an advantage. Slightly embellishing a call is commonplace. But, for the most part, there are few players that take diving to the art form that Crosby does (Kovalev, Ribiero, and Forsberg come to mind). Crosby is generally considered the best player in the NHL. I have seen him play in person quite a few times, a couple of them very close to the ice. He is tremendously skilled, especially when he is determined. You can see it's like a switch goes off in his head, and he just becomes a different player. So, why all the diving? He shouldn't need all the diving to gain an advantage, he already has it. Is he not as good as we think? Can he only play when he is either on the powerplay or opponents are afraid to hit him lest they take a penalty? His hands and vision are incredible, but those things require space to be an asset. Did his injury this year scare him? Are the dives a way of avoiding contact by trying to scare the competition? What about his focus and motivation? I've said he has the switch that flips in his head. But why doesn't he play like that all of the time? Does he have problems staying motivated and focused, especially in games where he is getting roughted up? Maybe it's his ego? Does he feel that he is the savior of the NHL and he shouldn't have to be bothered by all of the rough stuff? Basically, "let me play my game and give me the space to do so, it's the best thing for the league". Is that why he whines about every call the doesn't go his way?

I'm not saying any of this is true, it's just a thought I had. But whatever the reason, his Oscar-winning performance this postseason is a disgrace. I agree that a ref needs to stand up him and call him for it right off the bat in the Finals. But we all know that isn't going to happen. Sidney's going to dive everytime someone makes contact with him and he loses the puck. And, the refs are going to see him go down and call it. It's a shame, Crosby is so incredible to watch with what he can do but the diving just sours that.