Staal over Crosby???No Way.

Staal has an AWESOME start to the season and everyone knows that and there is no doubting that whatsoever.
Crosby has however had a better last month then Staal which needs to be recognized. Sure Staal has more ponits then Crosby at this point, but he did have almost 2 points a game in the first month and fall off dramatically like predicted to aprox 1 point per game in November.

Crosby however has looked better every single game, the setup's that he has made are absolutely sick, some of the goals he has scored are just as sick.
Crosby has had 14 points in 13 games for the month of november, is a -1 on a team that is terrible.
Staal has had 12 points in 12 games and is -4 i believe on a team that is battling for first place.

The X factor of it all, Crosby has a knack for big time plays at the right time as showcased by his shootout goal vs Theodore and his OT winner vs the Flyers in Philly after taking a stick in the face TWICE :yo:

Staal absolutely deserves to be on the team over Crosby, and it would be very unfortunate if Crosby was chosen for the team over Staal. Staal has a far better points ratio, has more experience, is better defenisively, and as low down as Pittsburg are down in the standings, Crosby gets atleast equal support from his linemates at the forward position as Staal does. Staal is probably on the bubble to make the team, but Crosby should not even be on the bubble assuming politics and marketing dont play a role, as it too often does. Just my opinion.

Staal's been nice, and Crosby has been "sick", but....

...Spezza's been "sicker."

I'd really like Crosby to be playing for the World Juniors this year...considering Pittsburgh doesn't come to Edmonton and we don't get to see him play this year.

I'd really like Crosby to be playing for the World Juniors this year...considering Pittsburgh doesn't come to Edmonton and we don't get to see him play this year.

There is absolutely NO CHANCE IN HELL that Crosby will be playing in the World Juniors.

There is absolutely NO CHANCE IN HELL that Crosby will be playing in the World Juniors.

Well obviously...I'm just saying that it would have been nice if he could be playing.

It's sad that it looks like Team Gretzky will consist of neither Staal nor Crosby.

That said, I'll agree that Crosby gets my vote ahead of Stall.

You say Staal has more experience? Explain.

Staal has more professional experience, certainly. Crosby has played in 2 WJHC (silver and gold), a Memorial Cup, an Air Canada Cup, and has been in the spotlight (and thus faced heaps of pressure), since he was 14.

I'm not as familiar with Staal, but I don't believe has has the same resume.

Also, Staal's play (along with the Canes) has declined noticeably after an absolutely fabulous start to the season. Crosby, meanwhile, has gotten better every game. I'll admit to only having seen either a half-dozen times, but Crosby has the edge in my opinion and based on what I've seen.

I dont see why all three (Staal, Spezza, Crosby) wont have a decent chance to be on the team. All three have proven themselves above and beyond.

With Gretzky picking the team there will probably only be one of those guys on the team. I would pick Spezza and then Crosby if he picks 2 of those guys.

another thing going in crosbys favor
due to staal playin in the NHL at 18, and having an early bday
he never played in a world jr tourney while crosbys played in 2
take it for what its worth

another thing going in crosbys favor
due to staal playin in the NHL at 18, and having an early bday
he never played in a world jr tourney while crosbys played in 2
take it for what its worth

I love your avatar!

I dont think any of these guys make this team. Look at Salt Lake, experience counts. Spezza, Staal AND Crosby will make the 2010 Vancouver games. THis year no for centres Lecavlier, Richards, Thorton, and then Marleau and possibly Lemieux and thats not even including guys liek Draper that Gretzky and the olympic team always has. HF is too much about these young prospects. IF any make the team it will be Spezza, but really none are going to. This goes for Phaneuf aswell sorry young guns just dont make Canadian Olympic teams.

I dont think any of these guys make this team. Look at Salt Lake, experience counts. Spezza, Staal AND Crosby will make the 2010 Vancouver games. THis year no for centres Lecavlier, Richards, Thorton, and then Marleau and possibly Lemieux and thats not even including guys liek Draper that Gretzky and the olympic team always has. HF is too much about these young prospects. IF any make the team it will be Spezza, but really none are going to. This goes for Phaneuf aswell sorry young guns just dont make Canadian Olympic teams.

I think Sid will make it as a winger and Spezza possibly as a center. Not sure about Staal.

Also, Staal's play (along with the Canes) has declined noticeably after an absolutely fabulous start to the season. Crosby, meanwhile, has gotten better every game. I'll admit to only having seen either a half-dozen times, but Crosby has the edge in my opinion and based on what I've seen.

This is completely untrue. Crosby has gotten only 1 point in his last 5 or 6 games.
Staal is still getting atleast a point in almost every game he plays. Crosby is the one who is slowing down noticeably right now, not Staal.

Experience at World juniors is not real experience to prepare you for the Olympics.
It is junior level experience.

I think Sid will make it as a winger and Spezza possibly as a center. Not sure about Staal.

Why would you play guys ou of position on this team and a 18 yr old at that. Crosby is not making this team.

another thing going in crosbys favor
due to staal playin in the NHL at 18, and having an early bday
he never played in a world jr tourney while crosbys played in 2
take it for what its worth

Good point. Has Staal ever played on big ice? Maybe at the under 18s, but I don't know. I'm not sure you'd want a guy experiencing that for the first time at a tournament the magnitude of the Olympics.

Spezza is a lock with Heatley IMO. I'd love to see Staal centering Crosby.

Why would you play guys ou of position on this team and a 18 yr old at that. Crosby is not making this team.

Sid has played wing a fair bit and a lot of people think he could excel there as well as at centre. IIRC Scotty Bowman said something to this effect but I don't remember where I heard it.

Gretz always talks about "we'll take the players that are playing the best at the time"....

IF that's the case, he should take two of the three.

And I think Crosby and Staal could both thrive in defensive roles if need be. No time for some of the old balls with no puck possession skills.

Spezza is a lock.

This is completely untrue. Crosby has gotten only 1 point in his last 5 or 6 games.
Staal is still getting atleast a point in almost every game he plays. Crosby is the one who is slowing down noticeably right now, not Staal.

Experience at World juniors is not real experience to prepare you for the Olympics.
It is junior level experience.

Unfortunately, stats don't always tell the story.

I was referring to their actual game play, rather than their statistical output.

Unfortunately, stats don't always tell the story.

I was referring to their actual game play, rather than their statistical output.

Have you seen both players play every game? If not, how do you accurately access their actual game play. Statistics dont tell the whole story, but they do tell alot of it, especially when both players are scoring forwards. Crosby is not a checker, or a grinder, or a defensive specialist, he is a scorer. If he is only scoring 1 point in 5 or 6 games, he is clearly not playing as well as Staal right now, period.
Crosby is also a - ratio, while Palffy who often plays with him is a +.

This is completely untrue. Crosby has gotten only 1 point in his last 5 or 6 games.
Staal is still getting atleast a point in almost every game he plays. Crosby is the one who is slowing down noticeably right now, not Staal.

Experience at World juniors is not real experience to prepare you for the Olympics.
It is junior level experience.


Also he has 2 points in his last 5 games or 4 in his last 6 (maybe you meant 1 in his last 4). He did go 3 games straight without a point after suffering a foot injury during that time although he only seemed off form for the first two and it was not obvious why.
His last game he scored a goal and was very close to scoring/assisting several times. He could break out anytime, especially if the Pens anaemic powerplay starts to click. Hopefully that happens soon. It would be a shame if he just misses a spot and come February it is obvious to everyone that he should be on the team. Obviously I am biased but so far he has consistently exceeded any predictions I've made. The same could be said for Staal and I hope they both make the team if come December 21 they are still out performing the guys that seemed like locks starting the season.

This is obviously really the Spezza, Staal or Crosby debate not just the two mentioned in the thread title.

Really which ever one of these guys taken if any, will have to be able to play on the 4th line. Or they have to be justifiable as playing on the 2nd line. Spezza IMO is the only one out of the 3 that I could see playing on the 2nd offensive unit, PP and 4th line if need be. As mentioned Spezza's chemistry with Heatley should go a long way.

I could not see bringing Crosby or Staal and giving them 2nd line duty or much time on the PP. Out of the two I think Staal would be better fit for the 4th line. But if you want to bring one of the two as just being the 13th forward, with little chance of playing in a meaningful game or situation, then obvisouly you give the "experience" of the Olympics to Crosby for future training.

I think it is crazy to bring a 13th forward, just to give them experience if they are not a good fit on the team, just because you know you wont have to play them. What if there is an injury at the Olympics itself, or somebody is struggling and they need to use that 13th forward? Spezza can play on a 2nd line, Staal probably wont but can do 4th line type of duty, Crosby isnt quite good enough to be on the 2nd line or even the 3rd line, and he doesnt play the type of game to fit in on a 4th line.

Both stand little chance at making the team but Staal is the obvious choice over Crosby.

Stall is tied for 3rd in the NHL in points and has a far better FO% then his counterpart which is a statement considering Staal is only 42.8%.

Crosby could easily be knocked off the top 30 in a few games.

Unless Crosby plays far better then he has thus far(especially of late) not even the Great One and Super Mario will get him on team Canada.

Doing so would piss a lot of people off and would cause dissent within the team.

Staal is 3 years older then Crosby and is in his second NHL season.

Crosby has a Gold and Silver in junior and went to the Memorial Cup finals last season, but in the Olympics that means nothing.

I agree putting Crosby on the team right now would p$ss alot of people off and cause alot of dissent on the team. Everybody would know he in no way deserves a spot on the team, barring something incredable the next 10 days, and would be bumping a more worthy recepient because of the hype factor. There would be alot of bitterness and animosity that would not help the team. It would be a stupid and shameful choice by Wayne Grezxty and the brass, and my opinion of them would drop substantialy.

I agree putting Crosby on the team right now would p$ss alot of people off and cause alot of dissent on the team. Everybody would know he in no way deserves a spot on the team, barring something incredable the next 10 days, and would be bumping a more worthy recepient because of the hype factor. There would be alot of bitterness and animosity that would not help the team. It would be a stupid and shameful choice by Wayne Grezxty and the brass, and my opinion of them would drop substantialy.

Just to be clear. Do you think players that have not played as well as he has since Oct 5 should be picked over him? If you think they are more worthy recipients then fine. But how does that make it stupid or shameful to pick him.

For example if St. Louis had played as well as Sid since the season opener he would be a lock for the team.
He hasn't but I wouldn't call it shameful or stupid if he was picked. It wouldn't be my choice but I would still admit it is a solid pick.

Anyone that gets picked for the team and feels any bitterness or animosity towards anyone else picked for the team simply shouldn't be there.

Just to be clear. Do you think players that have not played as well as he has since Oct 5 should be picked over him? If you think they are more worthy recipients then fine. But how does that make it stupid or shameful to pick him.

For example if St. Louis had played as well as Sid since the season opener he would be a lock for the team.
He hasn't but I wouldn't call it shameful or stupid if he was picked. It wouldn't be my choice but I would still admit it is a solid pick.

Anyone that gets picked for the team and feels any bitterness or animosity towards anyone else picked for the team simply shouldn't be there.

Players like Staal and Spezza have played better than Crosby since October 5th by a long shot, and they are more experienced to boot, and Spezza plays with Heatley in Ottawa to boot and would have chemistry with him, so yes I think it would be stupid of shameful to pick Crosby over either of them. St. Louis was the Hart and Art Ross winner back in 2003-04, you cant compare Crosby's situation to St. Louis's. I would have no problem with Crosby being put over the team over Bertuzzi or Doan, but lets face it those guys are virtual locks for the team, and there is no arguing it. So that is not who he would be compared to, and the players he would be compared to for a roster spot and people who he has not been better than in that span by any stretch.

Staal brings more to the table than Crosby at this stage...as an American I would gladly rather face Crosby over Staal...

I'd like to see Spezza on the team in a prominent role, and I wouldn't mind seeing Crosby as the 13th forward even though I think Staal is the better player right now. He likely wouldn't play, but the experience would be great for him and in the case of an injury I think Crosby is more versatile than Staal and could play any offensive position, while also bringing a lot of energy to the team. This is assuming that they only put a maximum of 2/3 of these guys on the team. Personally, I'd like to see all three while leaving out guys like Bertuzzi and Draper.

it's all good i'd want Jason Spezza on team canada over Sidney Crosby... but i'd draft Crosby over Spezza any day Spezza has more experience, and is playing better right now

You can't have danny briere

I think all three Spezza, Staal, Crosby should be there but we'll likely see Draper, Bertuzzi and St-Louis in their place...

i think they should send crosby to the world juniors, he will have plennty of opportunities to play in olympics, this year with the wj being in canada haveing the boost of crosby would really help. plus give the kid some time to hang out and have fun with kids his own age !!! instead of a bunch of 30 something grown men
let sid the kid be a kid .... at least for a coupe weeks. !!!!!

One knock on Spezza making the team, is the terrible give-aways this guy makes. A couple times a game he will try some behind the back pass and give it right to the other team. If he makes it, it will be on the fourth line behind Sakic, Thornton and Vinny. You cant have a 4th line as defensive liable as Spezza is. And before ppl start bringing up his plus minus stat, yes i know its good, but thats mostly due to ottawa destroying teams game in and game out. And not a sign of his defensive awareness which is below average.

I honestly think of the three-Staal, Crosby, and Spezza Staal is the most well rounded of the three. His defensive play is better than either Crosby or Spezza who are both suspect defenisively. If it were not for the hype surrounding Spezza and Crosby he would make the team.

i think they should send crosby to the world juniors, he will have plennty of opportunities to play in olympics, this year with the wj being in canada haveing the boost of crosby would really help. plus give the kid some time to hang out and have fun with kids his own age !!! instead of a bunch of 30 something grown men
let sid the kid be a kid .... at least for a coupe weeks. !!!!!

won't happen he's the best player on an NHL team :P

won't happen he's the best player on an NHL team :P

A very weak NHL team. On Ottawa he wouldnt even be one of the 4 best players.

A very weak NHL team. On Ottawa he wouldnt even be one of the 4 best players.

I'm not so sure of that.

Personally - and as a Sens fan I might add - I don't think Spezza should make the team. He is incredibly talented, but is still a work in progress and does make some very questionable giveaways each and every game. I love the guy and he is a great player and an integral part of our first line, but I'm not so sure Crosby wouldn't have close to 40 points playing with Alfredsson and Heatley. Staal as well.

If a hole opens on a scoring line and team Canada brass think they need some creativity and playmaking, then Spezza is probably the guy ahead of Staal and Crosby. He will make goal scorers around him better.

But the scoring lines are set for the most part. They are trying to figure out who should play maybe 8-10 minutes a game on the 4th line and provide depth. Spezza is not the guy for that. If I had to bet, he'd try to impress too much when he is on the ice and get a little too fancy. Behind the back passes shouldn't happen on the 4th line and that isn't what Team Canada is looking for.

Staal, and even Crosby, will be better energy players on a 4th line. Either would be a good choice.

I'm not so sure of that.

Personally - and as a Sens fan I might add - I don't think Spezza should make the team. He is incredibly talented, but is still a work in progress and does make some very questionable giveaways each and every game. I love the guy and he is a great player and an integral part of our first line, but I'm not so sure Crosby wouldn't have close to 40 points playing with Alfredsson and Heatley. Staal as well.

If a hole opens on a scoring line and team Canada brass think they need some creativity and playmaking, then Spezza is probably the guy ahead of Staal and Crosby. He will make goal scorers around him better.

But the scoring lines are set for the most part. They are trying to figure out who should play maybe 8-10 minutes a game on the 4th line and provide depth. Spezza is not the guy for that. If I had to bet, he'd try to impress too much when he is on the ice and get a little too fancy. Behind the back passes shouldn't happen on the 4th line and that isn't what Team Canada is looking for.

Staal, and even Crosby, will be better energy players on a 4th line. Either would be a good choice.
Good post,i agree with this.If he's gonna be a front line player he makes sense,as a 3rd or 4th line role guy....................he does'nt.

Anyone have a current Olympic team Canada roster? - This one is dated and doesn't include Staal, Spezza or Crosby:

old

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/16756/la_id/1.htm

Eric Staal, Why? because I have 3 of his Premier Rookies # out of 99 :yo:

Crosby is overrated ... not too much, but a little bit ... and YES, i know that he is only 18 yrs. old ...

Crosby is overrated ... not too much, but a little bit ... and YES, i know that he is only 18 yrs. old ...

Here is my take on our team

Guys that have to be there
Heatley Iginla Lecavalier Marleau Richards Sakic Thornton Gagne

Too that mix you need a great role player......my pick Smyth (he wont hurt you with his defence and certainly can pop a few also)

That makes 3 lines> Whats left?
Tanguay St Louis Doan Draper( awesome pk and faceoffs) Morrow( Mr energy)
and Bertuzzi ( I wouldnt consider him this time )

Then we have the kids Spezza Staal and Crosby

I honestly dont think Crosby should go and before you all jump all over me he will have plenty of opportunities in the future. As mentioned Spezza is not a 4th line player but would do awesome with Heatley. My pick would be Staal out of the three for his overall game and size. That said they are all in tough to crack this very impressive rostor. No matter Gretz is not going to please everybody.

Personally, if you're looking for scoring, Spezza is your man. If you're looking for a 4th line grind type with size, that's Staal. I just don't see a way Crosby fits in with all the depth Canada has.

I do hope Staal makes it, since it'll be very interesting to see Erik Cole and Eric Staal on opposite sides.

I am not anti-Crosby, but I think that Staal has been a much better player this year. Staal is a force on an offensively mediocre team. I also like Spezza, but I don't get to watch Senators games, so I can't really comment on his play, other than what I see in the boxscore.

I am not anti-Crosby, but I think that Staal has been a much better player this year. Staal is a force on an offensively mediocre team. I also like Spezza, but I don't get to watch Senators games, so I can't really comment on his play, other than what I see in the boxscore.
Well,you could also say Crosby's been a force on a below mediocore team,pittsburgh stinks,the names they have mean nothing.I've watched several games this year and many of these so called stars(Gonchar for example) have stunk big time...............he's get's little support.Leclair oughta retire........he's done like dirt.
Hey,i think Staal might be the better choice too but Crosby is tough to ignore,he has a sixth sense of where guys are and put him with great players(like team Canada) and he's all the better.he's tough to leave off,so is Staal.Very tough to choose between him,Staal and Spetz.

In this Olympics for this Team Canada, Staal > Spezza > Crosby.

There is absolutely NO CHANCE IN HELL that Crosby will be playing in the World Juniors.

Why not? Pittsburgh will be mathematically eliminated by then.

Yeah, theres no chance....but they're not making the playoffs anyways.