Fansided

One player from each NHL team who should be on the NHL 18 cover

By David Rouben

Nov 2, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) prepares to throw pucks to the crowd after the game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) prepares to throw pucks to the crowd after the game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) carries the puck into the offensive zone against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at the PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) carries the puck into the offensive zone against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at the PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby

There’s no use listing all of Sidney Crosby’s accomplishments because there are so damn many. Nobody’s debating whether he’s the best player in the world, yet for some reason, he’s never gotten love from EA. However, they did put his closest rival on the NHL 07 cover after his Calder winning season.

It’s ridiculous to think that that’s what lit a fire under him, but Crosby deserves his own cover by now after setting himself apart from the rest of his generation. And with Connor McDavid threatening his perch at the top, Crosby is off to one of the best starts of his career by scoring 10 goals in his first nine games.

The only thing about Sidney Crosby that’s more baffling than him not getting an NHL cover yet is the fact that he’s only played in one All-Star Game his entire career. The NHL’s All-Star Game is a joke, as evidenced by John Scott’s inclusion in it last year. But there’s a pretty simple explanation for every year that he didn’t get included.

2006 was his rookie year, there was no game in 2010 or 2014 due to the Olympics, he only played 22 games in all of 2012 (yet still had 37 points), and 2013 was a lockout-shortened season. 2016 was the only year that he truly got snubbed, but that might be because he usually picks up an “injury” that only lasts during All-Star Weekend when he is selected.

The biggest problem with the NHL, and the reason why it’s well below the other three North American sports, is because they don’t market their stars enough. Just this season, they didn’t put McDavid and Crosby’s first ever showdown on national TV, and they scheduled it on election night. And when Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly was asked about not marketing individual rivalries, he simply said “Our sport is the ultimate team sport.”

With the NHL making an effort to only include “bona-fide” players in the All-Star Game, they should try and prevent things like fake injuries from occurring during All-Star Weekend. EA also needs to have Crosby on an NHL cover because he’s long overdue.

By not trying to be a star-driven league, the NHL is only hurting itself. And with this new influx of young superstars entering the league, they’d better start course-correcting if they’re serious about trying to grow the game.

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