Vinny or Sidney?

I'm taking a few days off for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd leave you with this to debate:

Former Devils coach Pat Burns and former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman both came out recently and said Vinny Lecavalier is the best player in the game right now. Burns went out of his way to say that is nothing against Sidney Crosby. So that got me to wondering who fans believe is No. 1.

Right now, I agree with the coaches that it's Vinny. I know that is going to seem like a homer pick, but my one criteria doesn't go as much to skill level, because both are enormously skilled. My criteria goes to simple maturity and strength.

I just think right now Vinny is stronger on the puck. He has learned over the years to use his big body to shield the puck. He just sticks his butt out and pushes defenders away. You just don't see that overall strength yet from Sidney. Vinny is used in all situations. He plays fewer minutes than teammates Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis, but Lecavalier's minutes might be harder because of all the people that are all over him.

So that's my vote. Curious what you guys think.   

Comments

[Nils]

No question Vinny is better right now--and for the reasons you cited. For a superstar, his maturation process was slower than most but that probably has to do with the coaching early on. He has really developed into a much, much tougher player, too.

[Elmer Fudd's Turkey]

Vincent #1 of course.
But to build a club, I'd have to look at backbone (and that ain't Crosby). The torch has passed from Yzerman to Ryan Smyth.
BTW, even after his FA signing bonanza, he makes 1.8mil less than The Pride of PEI.

[Lightning rod]

Vinny has taken his potential and gone to the next level. Crosby is now getting his lumps, and paying the dues that all great players must pay. The issue for Crosby is how he will handle it, some don't. We all see now how Vinny evolved to become the mature man and great player that he now is. It's not an easy thing, as I still remember the times the young Vinny pouted, and games where he didn't give it his all. I give him full marks, for working through all of the bad times and paying his dues to become the player that I love to watch.

I find it laughable that some people still have to go off the topic and bash Richards.

Lastly, why is it in some games there is a video camera in one goal and not the other. Why aren't there cameras in both goals every game? Who decides? I would really like to know, because everyone in the building last night and watching on TV, knows that the puck crossed the line, including Shanahan. I really liked Shanahan's quote that it didn't cross the line. If he told the truth and said it did cross the line, then maybe the NHL would go to a replay system that works. That would benefit every team and the fans.

[ajax]

Vinny has such intelligence on the ice, to go along with the skill. He never cares who gets the goals or the headlines, this is rare in a "I" world. All of those assests make hima true gem. Kovalchuk is an awesome talent and an awful head case. But, Ovechkin(22 yrs) and Crosby(20yrs) are the top two "talents" in this league. Crosby already has all the "extras" but, Ovechkin is flat out the strongest "individual" player in the game. The whole building holds its breath when he is on a rush. Ovechkin has by far the least talent to play with versus Vinny or Sid. The thing that elevates the two above Vinny, is his(vinny's) very average skating ability. He is a much stronger player down low and around the net, but Vinny is not a skater and I for one believe alot of his success goes to his relationship with Marty. I go to almost all the games and I watch alot on cable, and Ovechkin is the one player in the NHL I love watching, man what a talent. He turns guys in knots.
I love Vinny, but at age 20 or 22 Vinny was scoring 20-25 goals a game with 50-60 points. These two guys in 5 years will be phenomenal, even more than today!!

[Nan]

There is no question that Vinny has evolved into a more complete all around skater than Crosby. He is also more mature. What else can be said. Vinny is number 1 right now!

[weezer]

You are a total imbecile and a turd lightning rod. Quit whining!! Take your crying towel and wadded up panties onto another blog!! You sound like a second grader.

[Alabaster Cat]

As an impartial observer I must assert that Vincent Lecavalier is best AND he is also second best!

[leo]

yikes!
What happened to the love, weezer? Who bit you on the wing-wang? Take an Advil, dude.
To business,
Vinny is the best player in the NHL so far this year. (Yes, I know what I said. But what's true is true, what can I do?)
Now if I had the choice, this year, of having either Vinny or Sidney on my team, I would take Sidney, simply because he's not only very talented but also the smartest player in the game. Down the line, this year included, I think sidney will produce more.
Now ask me who is more Valuable to his team right now? Vinny.
Absolutely.

[slapshot]

I think that many people think Sidney is the best player because he is the only one you hear but, and he is deffenitly one of the most overated players in the league. People always like the young guys like crosby and always say there the best. vinny is by far the best player in the nhl and i think that it will stay like that for several years.

vote for lecavalier, st.louis, richards,and boyle for all-star

[leo]

Crosby overrated?!
I'll pretend I didn't read that...

[olin]

...V4 anyday over Syd.

[Mike13]

Take Vinny4 over Cindy Crosbiatch? Yes. Any day of the week.

Ajax, I love AO also. He is perhaps the singularly most exciting player in the game today. He would get my vote for building a franchise around. There are terrific playmakers a plenty in the league. But, as we have seen with Brad, they don't look so great without somebody who can bury the puck.

[Leanmean43]

Vinny is the best player in the league! Ajax the reason Crosby is scoring so much at young age as opposed to what vinny did at that age is Crosby has more talent around him than Vinny did at 18 or 19 years old, and in the pre lockout nhl it was alot more difficult to score. Crosby would have gotten owned in the old nhl. Ajax I also don't understand how you can say Vinny is a bad skater, he probably leads the league in breakaways if they kept that stat. The TSN scouting report on Vinny says "he skates very well for a 6'4 center."

[ajax]

I love Vinny, he is a finisher and that is what makes great players. By the way it is the same reason Brad Richards is a nice player but will never be a great player, teams have no fear of Brad scoring to beat them. Anyway, I think Vinny gets so many breakaways because he reads the whole ice so well and knows when to break. But on many of those breaks he gets caught very easily from behind. I think you will be hard pressed to see Vinny skate by people for a break versus receiving a pass behind the dmen. You will rarely, if ever see Vinny take the puck the length of the rink. He does "skate well" for a guy his size but he is an average skater compared to the other guys they are comparing. Marty and Brad are both much better skaters than Vinny. I do agree with the rule changes helping pad the stats now, good point, but at age 20/22 Vinny was never even in the discussion about best player in the league. As far as talented teammates, Ovechkin plays on the flat out worst team in hockey. He had Ben Clymer at times on his power play last year. And, his first two years he finished 3rd then 4th in goals scored with the worst team in hockey. He will only get bigger stronger and faster just like Vinny did. Hey, I think we are blessed to see Vinny and Marty every night. I think they are the best one-two combo in the league. Ticks me off to know end when Torts separates the two. It's not that I don't think Vinny is awesome, I just feel with Ovechkin, the sky's the limit.

[Nils]

Very much on target, Ajax. Don't agree with the previous poster. Crosby really doesn't have much around him. There are 2 or 3 other nice players on that team. That's it. Crosby has more raw talent..it has yet to develop fully. Meanwhile, Vinny is No. 1.

[Joe]

Remember that the question is: who is the best player in the game right now - not, who was better when they were 22. Vinny is best right now and I believe he will be the best at year end. I believe he will be the point leader and somewhere between 1st and 3rd in goals, mainly because Prospal and St. Louis will get their goals too. Vinny DOES see the ice very well and is very intelligent about the game. You can see it more live than on TV, when you see Vinny's high production yet he doesn't seem to expend his energy skating all over the place (like St. Louis does). St. Louis does this effectively and has the endurance to do it, but Vinny seems to use his energy in the right place at the right times for pure production.

In terms of 2nd place, I vote for Ovechkin. I would take Ovechkin over Crosby on our team any day.

[ajax]

We were discussing this last night after getting fatter than we already are. The statement came from someone(I wish I would of thought of it, rats)Do you think Vinny would get 100 points playing for Washington, the answer was unanimous among at least us. No way.
Vinny does have the whole package, his intelligence on the ice is his greatest strength. I think you would do well to have any of them on your team, so we are very lucky to have what I feel are two of the top 10 players in the world.

[Hockey Chic]

Hey guys I finally had a momment away from the family and decided to chime in.
I think Vinny is by far more talented than Crosby or Ovey and if there was any comparison he would wins hands down.
As well I am so tired of the NHL pushing Sid the Kid down everyones throat but I guess if it grows the sport lets go for it.
I also agree that MSL pushes Vinny and add Vinny P nuff said go mvp line.
Vinny has grown over the past four years into a total and complete player and uses every bit of the ice to his advantage. Go Vinny. Now lets get another win tomorrow night fellas. Lets ger er done.

Go Bolts.. and by the way fellow bloggers lets place nice while I am away k.

[quick tuna]

Vincent is the best player in the NHL, right now. He's reached his peak. He's playing at the level that was expected from him when he was drafted.
Right now, Vinny and Ovy could and would contribute more to a majority of teams than Sid. But to teams that have NOTHING, like Pitt had, Sid would be a better addition.
Cause he's the best player in the world.
To Leo,
What are you up to, 20 times? We got it! You want Price! I agree that the team is NOT GETTING BETTER but to trade away our SURE THING, a game-breaker night-in, night-out, it's, it's...Does YOUR WALL score goals, Leo? It's madness. It's crazy, but you back up your reasoning with undeniable truths, so let's entertain it for a second. Ok. What do you want US to do about it? "Yeah, Mr Feaster? Yeah, it's Quick Tuna, how you doin'? Good. Great. Listen. Leo wants you to trade Vinny for Carey Price. Yeah, that's right, Leo. What, don't you read his posts? Carey Price, I tell ya! I know that's crazy but he brings up some interesting points about...Yeah? Yeah?! You'll check it out? You'll keep me posted so I can tell Leo? That's great! Just call me at the office. Great. Thanks, Jay. Oh, hey, you still owe me twelve bucks for that time...yeah. Ok. Great. Ta-ta, now."
Ok? It's taken care of.
Take care. Take quick. Take tuna.

[keith]

Vinny, as of today, early into this season is THE best player. Sid is the NHL poster boy. Thats why we get sick of hearing about him, but an amazing talent. It'll be intersting to see him continue to develop or wear out a la Lindross. Ovechkin....awesome power. A freight train once he gets a full head of steam, with a wicked shot to follow, but not a total team player in my ever so humble opinion.
Vinny plays PK, PP, and many minutes because he DOES read the ice well and because of his off the puck positioning. One quality not mentioned in the fonts of great wisdom above, is Vinny will drop 'em if the need arises. I personally haven't seen or heard about the Kid of AO doing so yet. I think its Vinny's all round ability in so many aspects of a game that makes him the numreo uno right now. As to the skating ability.... he may be a step slower than MSL,many are, but what he may lack in pace, which I don't think he does, he more than compensates with his physical strength on the puck, in the corners and behind the goal.
I love to watch the guy play hockey. If anyone watched the Carolina feed on Center Ice recently,the 'Canes commentators spent more time praising Vinny then their own team.

[bigboy]

Vinny is number one at the moment.
Zetterberg is number 2.
Sidney isn't stepping up as much. He's putting points on the board but the Pens are just treading water, whereas the Bolts have moved up the standings with Vinny's brilliance.
Price is the future of goaltending. That is true and far be it from me to say trade or don't trade because neither team would have the b***s to make that deal, whether they should or shouldn't. Let's wait for Ramo and see. We have some time before the horses bust out of the barn. It's not a fire-sale, just yet. Time will tell anyway. It always does.
So dre-ee-ee-am. Dream, dream, dream, dream, dre-ee-ee-am...

[bolts canucks fan]

Vinnie or Sid the Kid? How bout this, shouldn't we be more concerned why our team cannot hold a lead. If these guys are so great, then why are their respective teams tanking? Tampa blows a 2 goal lead against the Canes, a team that only had 2 shots on goal in the second. Vinnie is great and I'm not going to put down either Sid or VL, but they are so great that teams just key in on one guy and allow the rest to beat them. Right now, the rest of Tampa is not beating them. Vinnie is now a strong candidate for the Hart, but he won't win it if his team cannot make a long run in the postseason. If Vinnie is home and the playoffs go without him, it would be like the Patriots going 16-0 and losing to the Steelers in the AFC Champs. Winning Cups, Vince Lombardi's, Grey Cups, whatever, it's about winning championships and that comes with playing as an elite team of 20 skaters and 2 goalies. And right now, we can't even win. 04 seems like a distant memory now...

[Kyle]

It's all subjective, but nobody can say one is better "by far" as a lot of posters here have said. Better vision - Crosby. Better finishing - Lecavalier. Crosby tends to pass to much instead of taking the scoring chances given to him.
The main issue I have is Cristodero's comment of Lecavalier being stronger on the puck. I watch both the Pens and Lightning a lot. Every game. Crosby comes out of corners with the puck I'd say at least 3 out 4 times with 2 or 3 opponents all over him. To me, it's actually the most impressive things about him. Lecavalier's stickhandling is something to behold. If I had to choose who to have on a breakaway or a shootout- Lecavalier - no question.

It's funny how this debate came up on TSN a week (?) ago and a lot of people picked Lecavalier because he kills penalties while Crosby doesn't. Therrien put Crosby out on the PK their very next game and on the first PK he set up a beauty shorthanded goal. That was probably a statement by Therrien.

[ajax]

Sydney doesn't kill penalties because they have other guys to do it. We have about 5 forwards that you would only trust with a 7 goal lead. Go Vinny Go Bolts!!!!!!!!!!!! Torts is missing the obvious, he needs to increas the big 3 to about 40 minutes a game. These are "world class athletes". Frustration with our "team" is driving me bonkers.