Sidney Crosby and Canada vs. Evgeni Malkin and Russia offers Pens fans poison pills

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 9:27 AM EST

Perhaps the game of the tournament is taking place tonight in the quarterfinals, as Team Canada meets Team Russia. Coming into the Olympics the two teams were seen to be "#1" and "#1A" by all observers due to the strength of their rosters, yet both stumbled slightly in qualifications, so thus this matchup is not going to be the expected gold medal showdown.

It also offers Penguin fans a difficult choice: cheer for Team Canada and their first line center in Sidney Crosby? Or cheer for Team Russia and their first line center Evgeni Malkin and top defenseman Sergei Gonchar? Either choice has some poison pills: cheering for our neighbors to the north means you'd be hoping that Penguin-enemies Mike Richards and Chris Pronger advance. However, if you root for Mother Russia, you're hoping to see Alex Ovechkin put a notch in his hat at Crosby's expense.

Vancouver is the latest battleground in the Crosby v. Ovechkin war for supremacy. Crosby leads in head-to-head wins, playoff wins, Stanley Cups, while Ovechkin has more overall points, Rocket Richard's and MVP's. Amazingly both have an almost identical NHL point/game average, with Crosby holding about the narrowest of leads (1.353 to AO's 1.346). One of the two rivals will leave the 2010 Olympics medal-less because of this game, and the other may be one his way to another feather in his cap.

Evgeni Malkin's an interesting guy to watch in general, but especially since he's on the other side for a change in the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry. Always the man in the shadows, Geno's play could go a long way to determining the winner. Quietly, entering the medal round, Malkin (5) was tied with Crosby in points, both of whom were one up on Ovechkin (4).

No matter the result, the Pittsburgh Penguins figure to get a disappointed center back for the rest of the season. Hopefully it'll prove to be an extremely motivated form of disappointment to fuel another long playoff run.

Poll

Pensburgh nation, who do you WANT to win tonight in the Canada v. Russia game

Canada (sorry Geno and Sarge)

287 votes

Russia (sorry Sid)

62 votes

Doesn't really matter, just hoping the game lives up to the hype

93 votes

442 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I am sorry for Geno and Sarge (who I’ll cheer for when the puck’s on their stick) but I hope Sidney prevails in this game.

Pensburgh.com

Gary Roberts was born in a log cabin in North York, Ontario that he built with his own hands weeks in advance.

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 9:29 AM EST reply actions

Also, something to consider:

If Canada loses, you’d think this is really going to piss Crosby off and make him even more driven to do well this spring and beat Ovechkin and the Capitals (as well as everyone else in the SC playoffs).

If Russia loses, how quickly does Malkin put this disappointment in the rear-view mirror? Does he sulk or slump a little? He’s a professional and I’m sure won’t just be "going through the motions", but it’d doubtlessly be a big-time emotional blow for him (or anyone) to not win a medal when you’re expecting/hoping to get no less than gold.

For the Penguins sake, they may be better off if Russia wins. A pissed off Crosby + a confident Malkin was a big portion of last spring’s success.

Pensburgh.com

Gary Roberts was born in a log cabin in North York, Ontario that he built with his own hands weeks in advance.

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 9:43 AM EST reply actions

On the other hand, Malkin picked it up after everyone criticized him in 2008 playoffs So a pissed Malkin may also help! Crosby is Crosby. I think he wants to separate himself from AO by winning as many Medals/Cups as possible and set the record straight in any comparison.

by nut1976 on Feb 24, 2010 11:40 AM EST up reply actions

I agree. I think it would be worse for the team if Crosby came home with a gold medal and Malkin came home with nothing.

by Cari on Feb 24, 2010 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

+1

You beat me to the punch of a pissed off Sid and a confident Malkin..

by daburgh73 on Feb 24, 2010 9:49 AM EST reply actions

Hah, darn, guess I should have left it out there a little longer to see if anyone else would have gotten that angle.

Pensburgh.com

Gary Roberts was born in a log cabin in North York, Ontario that he built with his own hands weeks in advance.

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 9:49 AM EST up reply actions

Same.

I would have been pulling for Geno over Sid anyway, but a sulking Geno isn’t pretty, and that just puts it over the top.

Avalanche fan stuck in Penguin territory.

by Richard R on Feb 24, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions

It was just Germany, but Canada was impressive last night. The Richards-Morrow-Toews was great, and Russia does not have a third/fourth line to match up with them. Should be an awesome game.

As for Sid being pissed off, I really don’t think he needs any extra motiviation, he’ll be plenty motivated either way.

by et_pitt on Feb 24, 2010 9:54 AM EST reply actions

Even the Nash-Getzlaf-Perry line looked really good too. But USA doesn’t and didn’t have the lines to match up with them either and we saw how that turned out! I really hope Canada wins though.

by packallday555 on Feb 24, 2010 10:35 AM EST up reply actions

Gotta go with Crosby and Canada on this one. I like Geno and Gonchar but that still doesn’t change the fact that Ov is on the team. As silly as it may sound it would be a pain in the ass to deal with all the Crosby ney-sayers if Canada loses to Ov and Russia.

by packallday555 on Feb 24, 2010 10:36 AM EST reply actions

Just can't root for Russia

Not sure how any American really, truly can. If you were born prior to 1990 I think it was programmed in your brain while you were in the womb to hate them.

by catesinator on Feb 24, 2010 10:37 AM EST reply actions

Yep. They really screwed up 6th grade social studies when they had the coup and the berlin wall came down. Everything I had learned about the world map in eastern europe and southern asia had to be relearned. Remember the spot on Gorbachev’s (sp?) head?

by PensFan024 on Feb 24, 2010 10:45 AM EST up reply actions

I was born in 1974, and I married a Russian. Please don’t make assumptions for everyone else.

As for the game itself, I will be cheering on Russia alongside my Beloved. I will try to forget that a win by Russia means good things for Ovechkin and bad things for Crosby, though the commentators are going to make sure that nobody can possibly forget. The “confident Malkin/pissed-off Crosby” theory other people here have posted makes me feel better about it.

I do wish this could be for the gold so all the Penguins involved in this matchup get a medal. Really, I’ll be cheering for no injuries or hard feelings among the Penguins.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.

by GreenEyedLilo on Feb 24, 2010 10:55 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, as long as Ovie doesn’t decide to go knee on knee with Malkin, Crosby, and Gonchar all at once, pens fans should be happy either way.

Avalanche fan stuck in Penguin territory.

by Richard R on Feb 24, 2010 11:05 AM EST up reply actions

as long as Ovie doesn’t decide to go knee on knee with Malkin, Crosby, and Gonchar all at once

Jesus, Richard, don’t give the guy any ideas!

Pensburgh.com

Gary Roberts was born in a log cabin in North York, Ontario that he built with his own hands weeks in advance.

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 11:10 AM EST up reply actions

At least Fluery will be safe up in the press box…

Crap, don’t let the T-shirt cannon fall into the wrong hands!

Avalanche fan stuck in Penguin territory.

by Richard R on Feb 24, 2010 11:14 AM EST up reply actions

Or if the Kansas City Royals are involved, hot dogs!

( I could totally see Fleury reaching out of his box to try and catch a launched hot dog)

Pensburgh.com

Gary Roberts was born in a log cabin in North York, Ontario that he built with his own hands weeks in advance.

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 11:23 AM EST up reply actions

LOL

just got a visual of that

by CGNC on Feb 24, 2010 4:50 PM EST up reply actions

I’m an American and I’m cheering for Russia too. Even if the Soviet government was once “the enemy” there is no reason to hold that against ordinary Russians, their hockey team, or their hockey fans. I hope Malkin, Gonchar, and your spouse have a good day!

by Cari on Feb 24, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions

Even if you were born in 1984, you root against Russia. Natural.

Bleeding blue and white and black and gold.

by raimman on Feb 24, 2010 3:41 PM EST up reply actions

I dont want to hear “yea Sid has a cup but Ovechkin has a gold medal” go canada.

by genomachine-O on Feb 24, 2010 12:13 PM EST reply actions

I was going to bet on this game

but I stayed away from it. I can’t pick a side. Hopefully it turns out to be a good game (Canada is the favorite btw)

by BDON911 on Feb 24, 2010 12:57 PM EST reply actions

Given your history from the earlier rounds, I’d say that’s a pretty good idea :)

Pensburgh.com

Gary Roberts was born in a log cabin in North York, Ontario that he built with his own hands weeks in advance.

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 24, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions

Also

I think Canada wins this game.

by BDON911 on Feb 24, 2010 12:58 PM EST reply actions

Hope Geno gets a trick but Canada wins

I can deal with Richards and Pronger advancing and possibly winning medals, because neither will be viewed as the leader of their team. If Russia wins, no matter how much Geno has to do with it, Ovie will be touted as the hero. I can’t stomach that.

by PensAreYourDaddy on Feb 24, 2010 1:05 PM EST reply actions

Geno had 2 goals and an assist in the last game, but all the media could talk about was Ovechkin's hit on Jagr.

by lcpens on Feb 24, 2010 2:03 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah the media gives Ovechkin all the credit because they don’t know anything about hockey except “Crosby verses Ovechkin.” It’s ridiculous — but it’s also partly because Malkin has stayed out of the spotlight voluntarily. Still they should know better.

by Cari on Feb 24, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Even when Russia wasnt playing against Sid I had much difficulty cheering for a team with Ovie and as much as I would love to see all the Pens players with a medal, its not going to happen. So Malkin having an excellent game with Sid getting the winner would make me smile.

by Francis10#1 on Feb 24, 2010 2:33 PM EST up reply actions