Pittsburgh Penguins: Crosby is Better than McDavid, But Who Cares?

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 24: Connor McDavid
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 24: Connor McDavid

The Pittsburgh Penguins played the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, and the main narrative was Sidney Crosby vs. Connor McDavid.

The game put the two best players in the game, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby against Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Both generational players and the two best players on earth.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

This has been a game that’s been hyped up for a while. Just before the season, most rankings placed McDavid ahead of Crosby as the new king of the game. Many debated, was McDavid, only 20 years old, really that much better than Crosby already? Doesn’t Crosby’s accolades and years of dominance mean anything?

About Last Night

Well here’s where I want to butt it. After last night’s performance, I gotta say, nobody can beat Crosby. It was a close game with McDavid scoring one for the Oilers, but the Penguins ultimately picked up the extra point in a 2-1 overtime win. Crosby may not have scored like McDavid, but cmon, Crosby gave it his 100% and flew like nobody else on the ice, at least in my opinion.

In my mind, Crosby is still the best player. Yes, it may be close, and yes, McDavid may have just beat out a prime Crosby for MVP while being 10 years younger, but Crosby still dominates the game like nobody else. He brings wins for his team especially, which is what you look for in the best player alive. He’s also really darn good.

Let’s Stop the Narrative

Why do we fuel the narrative though? I know we’ve had a good rivalry in the last few years with Crosby vs. Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. That rivalry made a lot of sense, being the two were close in age and division rivals. However, I just feel like we don’t have to push this narrative.

Yes, Crosby and McDavid are the two best players in the world. Yes, it’s fun to watch them play and even more fun to watch them face off against each other. But the consensus is pretty split. The two are both great in their own ways and we should simply enjoy watching them play.

I’ve seen too many arguments and horrible takes come about regarding each player. Let’s just let the two players play and see who’s the best after a few years.