When gazing down the great halls of Red Wings History, hordes of villains will be seen rearing their mullet heads. Some have risen, like tempestuous beasts, to become dreaded “wing-killers.” We have the odious Claude Lemieux, forever solidified as the lord of miscreants when he decided that the recently retired Kris Draper needed to receive his sustenance through a series of tubes during the spring of 1996. We have basically the entire roster of the stalwart San Jose Sharks, who have delivered fatal bites to Detroit for two Conference Semi’s in a row now, becoming undoubtedly our most formidable antagonists. However, it is the young phenom Sidney Crosby that still seems to be the primary target of ire amongst Wings fanatics, which is perfectly understandable. His hesitation to shake hands with our fine captain after the tragic game 7 loss in 2009 concretized the perception that has rightly or wrongly been pinned to Crosby: That he is a snobbish, prima donna. I don’t totally disagree with this assessment, but I still, to the consternation of my fellow fans, consider myself a fan of Sid. This is why “concussion-gate” has been particularly troubling to me.  

I am glad to hear that the specialists on Sid’s recent tour-de-cerebrum, have said they expect Crosby to make a full recovery. The rub is, this will take some time.  That’s where things get fishy. How much time? I’ve heard contradictory reports. Wings fans had to wait (if you wish to call it that) for roughly a year for the return of Andreas Lilja, who suffered from concussion symptoms a’la Crosby.  So the feasibility of a lengthy recovery does not seem to be a complete smokescreen to obscure the vision of the fans and the media. But still.  I wonder.  

Being a blogger and an internet entrepreneur, I spend an enormous amount of time on this fantastic ocean of info and opinion known as the world wide web.  I was completely shocked at how many people believe that the NHL would be just fine without Crosby.  That is utter nonsense.  No one, besides perhaps Wayne Gretzky, has has had the commitment and the willingness that is required to expand curiosity in the greatest sport in the world.  Losing Sid would be unimaginable, especially for those of us who care very passionately about the proliferation of interest in the game in the United States.  We should all wish for Sid, not only to make a full and speedy recovery, but to return to the fine form he had reached in his still young career, and then soar past it. Get well, kid.  

Ian