Yes, I was rooting my little heart out for the USA and when our boys tied the game up with half a minute on the clock, I thought the planets and the stars and fate were aligning to make something special and unforgettable happen in that arena.
And boy was I right.
It just didn’t happen for us.
Sid won it for Canada and this greatly displeased lots of Americans. “Hate Sidney Crosby” was trending on twitter, and was the number one trend in D.C. for a while after Sid won the game. One twittererer asked, “How do Pittsburgh Penguins fans feel about Crosby being a terrorist?”
I feel pretty good about it, actually. In fact, if scoring the gold medal-winning goal in overtime for your home country is terrorism, then give me some pom poms and a cheerleader skirt because I’ve got this awesome cheer I just made up that rhymes “astigmatism” with “YAAAAAAAAAY, TERRORISM!”
What would these people have Sid do? Say no to the chance of earning an Olympic gold medal? Throw the game because he currently earns his paycheck and makes his home in America? Deny his nationality? I don’t think he could do that any more than you or I could deny ours.
In addition, the internet is once again aflame with debate as to whether Sidney Crosby is a better hockey player than the Kraken, excuse me, I mean Ovechkin. And of course, the Sid haters are all Crosby sucks. Crosby is overrated. Crosby dives. Crosby whines. Crosby eats kittens and kicks nuns and hates rainbows and eats boogers.
All I know is this. Sidney Crosby has a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal, and he’s ours. And by “ours” I don’t mean the U.S.A.’s. I mean he’s a Burgher and that transcends nationality and that means I’m okay with the gold medal being draped around the neck of that rainbow-hating, booger-munching terrorist.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make up a cheer that rhymes Ovechkin with [retch].
Category: Penguins, Sidney Crosby | tags: Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby |
March 1, 2010
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cheld Says:
couldn’t agree more….WTG sid
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tw Says:
If you’re gonna lose, that’s the way to do it! What’s comforting is that Sid just seems to be a great kid (rare in sports). And considering it was on Canadian soil….good for him!
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bucdaddy Says:
Don’t worry. Once the playoffs start, no one will remember or care.
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Martin Silenus Says:
Hear! Hear! This is not 1980 playing the Soviets, our amateurs vs. their professionals, the threat of global nuclear (sorry, nuculer) war hanging over our heads. This is Canada, and Crosby. Canadians are known for hockey and being polite, which would seem like a contradiction, but bravo to our friends up north for pulling it off. And congrats to Sid for another amazing milestone in his amazing career.
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Katie Says:
I’m so glad you said it. I’ve been seeing the same hate all over the internet, and I just don’t understand it at all. People just like having someone to blame, and Crosby is an easy target because he’s so good, and he scored that goal, and he plays in the US. (Just like many of the players on the US team play in Canada, btw.) Canada is our good neighbor, and they are only about .5% different than Americans, and all the hate is really unnecessary – besides, I think they enjoyed the win FAR more than we would have. So.. congratulations to Canada, and to Sidney Crosby.
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jen Says:
I take comfort in my schadenfreude over Ovechkin leaving empty handed (HA HA!).
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DG Says:
I said all day long that if the US had to lose that game, I wanted Sid to be the hero.
And he was.
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CrashJK Says:
I’ve been pulling for Team Canada since day one of the Olympics…why ? Because of Sidney, to me, he’s the total athlete, a class act and someone who gives 110% every second they are playing…all the while, being as humble as the day is long. I’m so proud of him as a Penguin and that’s why I wore my Team Canada shirt and ski cap these past two weeks…Nice going Bing !
Now we got another cup to win…Do IT !!! -
Kevin Says:
Yep, couldn’t really lose yesterday. If the US couldn’t win gold, I wanted Canada to do it. The fact that Sid scored the winner does make it a little easier to swallow. The kid is just a winner, that’s all that needs to be said to the haters. Ovechkin is incredible, but to this point (and it may change this year), he goes through the hand shake line(s) with a scowl. Sid is the consumate professional at the ripe old age of 22, how crazy is that? At 22 I was still binge drinking and taking acne medication. By the way, to all Sid haters, how quickly would they change their tune if Sid was (GULP) traded to their team(s).
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Nancy White Says:
My first thought was I’m so glad it was a Pittsburgher Canadian rather than a stranger Canadian. Delighted for our neighbors to the north and our Sid.
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Alison Says:
People can say what they want in the Crosby/Ovechkin debate. But Crosby now has 2 things Ovechkin doesn’t…
USA lost but Sid is still our guy and while people might be hesitant to cheer for him scoring the winning goal, they should still be proud.
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cathy Says:
GO SID!!
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Cassie Says:
I’m 100% with you. People are ridiculous. I almost feel sorry for the people who chant “Crosby sucks,” because they’re clearly delusional. Obviously, it’s a rarity that there is such a top notch, humble person in sports these days who gives it 110% every moment of every day, but here he is.
And he’s now got two things Ovechkin doesn’t. Ha!
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spoon Says:
As much as I wanted the USA to win if we were going to go down I would rather have it at Sid’s hands than anyone else. Either way do we know if Canada burned down last night? They like to set fires more than WVU.
Oh yeah and screw you Ovie. hahahaha once again you can’t get to the big game.
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PA Girl in VA Says:
I agree that calling Sid a ‘terrorist’ and other nasty names is uncalled for. However, we have to remember that only us Pens fans can feel good about Canada beating the US in this way (at Sid’s hands). If Eric Staal had scored the game-winning goal, we’d all be grumbling about the USA’s loss while the Hurricane fans would be cheering. I’m just glad it worked in our favor
)That said – GO USA! GO SID! GO PENS!
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unsatisfied Says:
actually, I don’t mind all the haterade being directed at sid (idiotic as it is) — it just means that he’s doing his job.
congrats to sid, MAF and team canada! it wasn’t 1980, but a great game.
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Suz Says:
So very proud of Sid! Although being the hero of an overtime Olympic championship game might temporarily silence his haters, he does not seemed to be bothered at all by the criticism and actually thrives on it. His recent new haircut, however, should be something that bothers him.
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Bulldog Says:
I agree with you 100% Ginny. Sid is the real deal, and he’s ours, and with Mario being an owner, I can confidently imagine that he’ll remain ours for his entire, otherworldly career.
The only other thing I would is that I’m EXTREMELY, PROFOUNDLY proud of Team USA. The youngest team in the entire tournament, the team that virtually none of the world’s hockey experts gave a sliver of a chance to win ANY medal, fought hard, and brought home a well-deserved silver medal. These young guys are on definitely on the upswing and I can’t wait for Sochi 2014.
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Ginny's Dad Says:
You don’t know how bad I dreaded losing to the Canadians (couldn’t watch it on TV). In my heart I knew they would lose because this game meant so much more to them than to us. Hockey is their national sport and to lose to Americans on their home ice would have been a disgrace. Imagine Canadian football all-stars coming to the Super Dome and beating NFL all-stars.
Canadians are our friends, and heaven knows USA doesn’t have have too many. I’m glad Canada won and not Russia or China. USA players can hold their heads high because they fought valiantly. They will win the gold again.
Sidney is a clutch player and he comes up with the big play in critical situations. So happy he plays for us.
Suck it up Americans and Sid-haters, it’s just a hockey game. Be gracious in winning or losing. There is more to life than winning sporting events.
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Pensgirl Says:
I’m an Olympics purist, and that means hate just doesn’t belong. The Games are about goodwill as much as they are competition (something lost on the Canadians who booed the US team’s entrance and jeered “MIIILLER” during the game as much as on anyone disgusting enough to label Sid or any other athlete a “terrorist”).
I had loved that ours were the only men’s hockey teams to win gold on home soil (in both ’60 and ’80), and wanted it to stay that way. It didn’t, but to “hate” the person responsible for it, no matter who he is, is stupid and ridiculous. The game – and the Games – ended in fitting, dramatic fashion, and anyone who chooses to spew vile over that is completely missing the point of the Olympics. People of every nation should feel lucky just to have gotten to watch it.
And Americans would do better to send love our team’s way. The whole world thought they wouldn’t so much as sniff at a medal, and they were within striking distance of gold. Silver is tough in hockey since it is given after a loss, so we should be doing everything we can as fans to help those athletes hold their heads high. They were terrific.
With that in mind, I hope Pens fans attending tomorrow’s game will give Ryan Miller a show of appreciation as I’m sure they will Fleur, Brooks, and Sid.
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red pen mama Says:
I was so excited when Team USA tied it up. “NOW it’s a game” I said to my [traitor] husband, who had been rooting for Canada from the get-go.
And then Sid scored and I was all like, “YESSSS!” I mean, if anyone’s going to beat you for a gold medal, let it be Sid, in his home country.
Totally off topic, and I don’t think he saw a second in goal, but the Flower sure cleans up good. Yum.
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Pensgirl Says:
Oh, and Ginny, the best thing to say about AO is “You can’t spell Ovechkin without C-H-O-K-E.” Naturally, credit belongs with the Pensblog boys.
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Linda Says:
Well played, Canada. Hands off to the Canadians for bringing us a memorable Olympic Games and something else to focus on in February other than our dreadful weather!
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PghBoy Says:
It’s terrible that people would be upset with him for being a great athlete and representing his home country. It’s the Olympics, not some trailer park competition.
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MN Says:
Sorry, Ginny’s Dad, if you think the game meant more to the Canadians than it meant to the U.S., you are wrong! Hockey may be Canadian’s national game, but any hockey player knows how much winning a gold medal would mean to the American players! They played their hearts and souls out yesterday and the two teams were equally matched…even though the Canadian team has a lot more “stars”. That was one of the best hockey games I have ever seen….and I’m a hockey mom who’s seen hundreds and hundreds of games! Ryan Miller was by FAR the best goalie in the tournament and I am so glad these Americans got the recognition they so richly deserve! Look out for American gold in 2014!
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Tiffany Says:
The worst thing about the whole situation is how tragically ugly the Olympic medals are, were they designed by Dali or what?
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Jaime Says:
I have to admit that at the moment he scored I was pretty upset. Come on, I wanted to see the US win. I even changed the channel so that I didn’t have to watch the celebration. But after a minute I turned it back on because it was a great game, our Sid scored the game winner, Fleury got gold, Brooks and Ryan Malone won silver, etc. No matter how much I want to hear our nation anthem played, I couldn’t help but choke up hearing the crowd roar for Sid and seeing his face when they placed the gold medal around his neck. He’s still coming HOME to Pittsburgh!!
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spoon Says:
Think of it this way, if it was Mike Richards that scored the goal not only would we have another reason to hate Philly but no one would have any problem if we set it on fire.
i think this blog made me into a pyro
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Ex-Pat Pittsburgh Girl Says:
I was hoping for a Team USA win just like everyone. But, I will admit it here since I’m amongst friends, when Sid scored that goal I did yell “YES!” and then it sunk in that it wasn’t a Pens game and then said “#@$&! We just lost.” I’m truly happy for Sid and Team Canada, and immensely proud of Team USA!
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eileen Says:
It reminded me of the movie Road to Perdition with Paul Newman and Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks is ready to kill Paul Newman.
Paul Newman turns and looks at him and says “I’m glad it’s you.” Then Tom Hanks shoots him.Feel the same way about Sidney Crosby. If we had to lose, I’m glad it was him who beat us.
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empirechick Says:
To MN @ 25: I was in Vancouver for the first week of the Olympics, and Ginny’s Dad is absolutely right. A gold for Team USA would have meant tons to us hockey fans, but regular folks wouldn’t care about it any more than they did our record-breaking Nordic Combined medals.
But to Canada collectively, the hockey gold meant EVERYTHING. Tons of people on the street had Canadian hockey jerseys, and not just on game days. Interviews with Sid were constantly on TV. When he scored the shoot out winner against Switzerland, the entire downtown went nuts for hours. (I can’t imagine what it was like last night!) Anything less than gold and Canada would have considered the Games a failure.
The expectations of an entire country were sitting on Sid’s shoulders – if we had to lose, I’m glad it was to him.
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Joe K. Says:
@ Tiffany: Those medals look like bent pieces of scrap sheetmetal.
It’s hard right now for the players but the ‘experts’ didn’t even think the U.S. would medal. Ironically, I think the U.S. victory over Canada in the preliminary round woke Canada up by causing them to get Brodeur out of the net.
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Bitter Says:
I think if Sid wants to poo on his American payroll, he should go play for the Canadian Hockey League.
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Just Me Says:
Go ahead and hate me but nationalism means more to me than regionalism. Sid won’t always be a Penguin, there will come that day, but he’ll always be a Canadian. I was one of his biggest fans, I lived Penguin hockey, we’d drive 2 hours to see them play but during this Olympics something happened, he has been replaced by in my heart by Ryan Miller. Go Sabres!
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addie Says:
Agreed. Couldn’t have happened to a better guy. I’m proud of the US team for making silver, and happy to watch the Crosby storyline take yet another arc towards greatness.
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bluzdude Says:
If Canada would have lost, then fairly of unfairly, Sid would have been saddled with an enormous amount of blame. I’m so glad he came out as the hero. His goal, for me, took the sting out of the loss.
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mfj Says:
The US team after the game was like the spoiled fat kid on Christmas morning, surrounded by 168 opened presents and wailing “That’s IT?????”
Which, I guess, is how most of the world sees us.
You have an OLYMPIC MEDAL, for crissakes. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it off your hands.
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Sherri Says:
Can you imagine Canada NOT winning? That was their crowd last night; it was such a good thing. We should be proud of Sidney Crosby for making the game-winning point as a member of our hometown team. And… have to agree – the US team, having just won an incredible honor / medal – appeared sullen and not at all gracious (for the most part – there were some exceptions). Hopefully, in hindsight, they will be able to live the moment they should have cherished yesterday. Silver is fantastic! Both teams played so well.
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NAM Says:
You said it perfectly (including the “Kraken” comment about Ovechkin)! I was naturally rooting for the U.S. because, ya know, you have to cheer on the home team. But if we were going to lose, I was so glad it was Sid. He is a class act, and deserves everything he gets! So glad he’s “ours”!
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Larry Says:
mfj: You haven’t watched much Olympic hockey, have you? Go back to any gold medal game, and you’ll see that the US behavior is the same as any other silver medal “winner” — imagine prepping for this tournament, playing it through to the gold medal game, and playing half of OT, just to lose. You think you’d be all “yippee yay woo hoo!!”????
All: Playing 4-on-4, Sid takes on 3 US players, bears down on the goalie, *gets a shot off*, and then has the presence of mind to get back into the play and score. Maybe there *is* something to the “Sid’s a terrorist” line of thinking: if you were an opposing goalie, I can’t think of anything that would inspire terror in you more than seeing Sid bearing down on you!!!
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Jaime Says:
Both the US men’s and women’s teams looked angry during the medal ceremonies. Losing hurts. The Pens looked hurt and angry when they lost to the Wings on home ice. I can’t imagine playing for an Olympic medal, an event even more rare that the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in dramatic fashion and being able to control my emotions. Yes, they will relish their silver medal as all silver medalists do but the sting of defeat will be there too.
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Carpetbagger Says:
I was all for Canada yesterday. Other than Orpik, rooting for USA involved actually cheering for the Sabres goalie… and that ain’t right. CA-NA-DA! C’est magnifique!
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J Says:
yeah, so everyone forgets that Mario was on the gold medal winning team for Canada in 2002, and the US won the silver—-while Mario didnt score the winning goal like Sid, the situation is very similar, dont you agree? And Mario being booed, or considered a traitor? yeah, right…
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Schuyler Says:
@ Just Me 34 … how do you just switch gears from ‘living Penguin hockey’ to cheering for the Sabres? That’s just simple bandwagon jumping. Miller was awesome, outstanding and totally deserved the MVP. And he’s a fellow Spartan, which is even more cool. Do I think he’s great? Yep. Am I going to switch from being a die-hard Pens fan? No freakin’ way. I love the Penguins, and still love Sid even though he beat Team USA. He’s a class act – everything wrapped into one package. Your thoughts just don’t make sense to me.
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CFluck Says:
I was so glad to see what I assume was the effect of rational sport psychologists at work at this Olympics. The losing athletes, almost to a person, voiced the rational thought that, inspite of the only once every four years nature of the games, that they were GAMES. I’m very proud of Sid and the spectacular play of all the world’s athletes.
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Jeff Says:
I hope this video (which I first saw on cantstopthebleeding.com this morning) is as popular as hating on Sid. I mean, who’s the terrorist now?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KDQbTOTc3M&feature=player_embedded
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cmd_45 Says:
‘Kay, I just caught flack on FB for saying Ovechkin has no Gold medal OR Stanley Cup, from a Wings fan who couldn’t wait to point out that many Wings own both. I have no problem with that. However, I didn’t even mention the Wings, only Ovechkin, so, dude? Chill out, it’s not your year.
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Summer Says:
Yes, please, Ginny, highlight the video. The story behind it is horrible — a young woman traveled all the way from Russia to watch the Russian hockey team play. She was in the lobby of the hotel, filming, when Ovechkin came in. She didn’t approach or follow him, just turned the camera on him, and he walked over and shoved her to the floor. I don’t care how good you are at hockey, there is never an okay time for a man to put his hands on a woman, specially in that situation. And people call Sid a crybaby!
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Will C Says:
Great post. I totally felt the same way. The truth is until proven otherwise, Sid is a PITTSBURGHER.
@Just Me – I think you are jumping to a conclusion there. This city is pretty reknown for keeping it’s players and coaches living here, even after they move teams. It’s entirely possible that this could become Sid’s home, you won’t know until he makes that decision.
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steeler_tom Says:
I was torn.
I was on the edge of the couch
My butt muscles were clenched the whole time
I rooted for both teams
My brain hurt
My throat sore
When it was over, I felt relief
Except that it wasn’t relief… It was the cushion to the couch stuck in my butt crack. (something about a vaccume?)Went to the emergency room to have it surgically removed……..
Now I owe the wife a new couch.
But “WHAT AN AWESOME GAME THAT WAS”!
Crosby RULES!!!!! And he is an awesome burgher too!
(I’m not Canadian) -
Kevin Says:
Can I vent?? The Olympics are once every four years, you get the best players in the world, and the Gold medal game goes to overtime. Am i right so far?? Of course I am!. And, I’m OK losing in OT as well.
What I can’t stand, is why, after all the games played, you get to OT in the gold medal game, and now it’s 4 on 4 rather than 5 on 5?? What the He%# is that? It changes the game big time. The most skilled palyers in the world, and you give them more ice to maneuver? It penalizes the better defensive team unfairly. There I said it. The Canucks cheated! Joking of course, but why not let the game be decided the way it was played all the way through the tournament? They don’t do it like that in the NHL playoffs. Regular season yes, you don’t send a team home by changing how the game is played.
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Sooska Says:
I was very conflicted about these hockey games. Who else could it have been? Sidney. Taht is all. Just Sidney. He is remarkable.
Our team was great. If I could be at the Igloo on Tuesday I would, in the spirit of the Olympics, cheer for Brooks Orpik and Ryan Miller (whether he plays or not,) chant their names, give them a loud and long standing O, a couple of “U-S-As,” and then cheer Sarge and Geno, and then a big cheer for Sid. They all accomplished a lot.
Sidney Crosby was the “face” of the Vancouver Games. Ovechkin will be the “face” of the Sochi Games. Imagine that. *smirks*
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Matt Says:
Believe me, it’s not easy living in Washington DC and listening to these deranged Crosby-hating, Ovechkin-loving creeps and psychopaths on a daily basis — and that’s just among my own employees! Just once, I’d like to see Ovechkin come through head to head with Sid in a big game that counts. We’ll even throw in Malkin to play with Ovie on the same line. Oh wait, we just tried that, and it didn’t work. Well, maybe we can give him Gonchar for the night, too. Whoops, that didn’t work either.
Congrats to Canada and to Team USA. But there is now officially a smaller number of NHL players happy to win gold, than there are NHL players soiling themselves at the prospect of having to face Ryan Miller again in the playoffs. -
silver and gold. « a rational creature Says:
[...] game, Facebook and Twitter exploded with anti-Crosby sentiment, enough that Ginny wrote about it earlier this week. But seriously: “National Hate Sidney Crosby Day” with 68,000+ guests? Grow the hell [...]
