[PowderedH2O]

Having seen Mario Lemieux play in person at least 50 times, I can say that Crosby learned from the best. Lemieux was a big, bruising player that I saw deliver crushing shots and many dirty hits. But, if someone hit him, oh, it was as if he was some innocent choirboy that was just being bullied. Yes, Gretzky had people to protect him, but Gretzky also did not deliver the dirty shots. Lemieux gave as much as he received. Maybe more.

Lemieux is such a hypocrite. He complains about how Crosby gets beat up, but then he associates himself with guys like Ulf Samuelsson, Matt Cooke, and Brooks Orpik. As a Hurricanes fan, I've witnessed two of my guys get taken out by vicious dirty hits from Pens players under Lemieux's watch. In our Stanley Cup run of 2006, Orpik boarded Erik Cole so badly that it broke his neck, and Cole never was the same player again. Cole was our #2 guy, right after Eric Staal. If that had happened to Malkin or Crosby, Mario would have gone through the roof. If Crosby or Malkin received the dirty hit that Marc Savard got from Matt Cooke, Mario would be crying to Bettman all day long. But, Cooke wouldn't have gotten that shot on Savard if Mario hadn't kept him, even after suspensions for dirty hits to Anisimov and Walker earlier.

In baseball, if a pitcher is a known headhunter, sometimes the opposing pitcher will go after a hitter for the headhunter's team in retaliation. Well, the Pens have had their share of thugs for years, so other teams make sure that they retaliate against the Pens' top asset: Crosby.

I think Crosby is a great player. But, I don't care for his complaining, especially when he is guilty of everything he complains about. I've yet to see Connor McDavid do any of this. I hope he never does. Believe me, if an Edmonton vs Pittsburgh final comes up next year (and it certainly might), this is one American that will be rooting 100% for the Oilers.