He's not the "Great One" yet.

Sidney Crosby is not yet able to be called Canada's next great hockey player.

Wow, did that feel good. I suppose I could just stop talking there and I'd feel better, but I think I'll site some evidence first.

I'll start by focusing on the now complete Olympics. Crosby was not the leading goal scoring for team Canada. Seriously, check the site, all the individual team stats are on http://www.vancouver2010.com/. It seems to show that Jarome Iginla was the leading goal getter. Beyond that, despite the call by the TV play-by-play announcer during the shootout victory against Switzerland, "with the game on the line, who else could it be?" I don't know how about any of the other amazing goal scorers? Like Jonathan Toews, last I checked he put in 3 goals in a Canadian World Jr. shootout victory.

Crosby, is a great player, and while I admit that part of my distaste for him comes from the fact that he's on the Pittsburgh Penguins, that doesn't change the fact that he hasn't yet earned every accolade that is being bestowed upon him. There were 2 players on team Canada that were younger than him and every bit as impactful, Jonathan Toews and Drew Doughty. Toews had the most assists on the team with 7, the most points with 8 and the best +/- with a +9. Doughty was tied for the best +/- among defensemen with a +6 and proved amazingly effective when stopping Ovechkin. Crosby had the most ice time amongst the forwards and he had the most shots on net and his +/- was a +2. Perhaps the offensive minded Crosby could've learned something from the gritty and durable Iginla who finished +5 with the same 7 points.

I acknowledge that Crosby is the youngest player to captain a NHL team to a Stanley Cup victory, but unlike a tremendous predecessor in Steve Yzerman, he was almost instantly surrounded by great players to aid in elevating the young phenom to super-human status. Yzerman didn't get much help until much later in his career; not his fault I may add, he just didn't have an owner like Mario Lemieux to invest that much money into the team.

Sidney Crosby seems to play a fairly reserved, opportunistic style. His chief rival, Alexander Ovechkin, plays an aggressive, passionate style; and to that point, Ovechkin beat out Crosby for the Rookie of the Year. Crosby doesn't seem to be able to take a hard hit, let alone dish one out. Ovechking flattened Jaromir Jagr in a way that left the long-time hockey star shaking his head. Now that was good watchin'.

I know that I may be nit-picking. But the sense I get from watching Crosby play is one of entitlement. He seems to expect that the seas will part so that he can be the hero while more proven players know better.

Oh, and as a final parting blow: that penalty shot against Germany should've been taken by Rick Nash. He's every bit as talented a goal scorer and he does it with a lot less help in Columbus then Crosby does in Pittsburgh.