PSR Showdown
Which player is more indispensible to the Penguins - Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin?
By Sam Carchidi
Philadelphia Inquirer

Sidney Crosby

My assignment was clear-cut: In 350 words, tell us which player is more indispensible to the Penguins - Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Crosby or Malkin?

An unfair question, some would say. After all, how do you pick between Ali and Frazier, between "Entourage" and "The Sopranos," between Halle Berry and Jennifer Aniston?

Pushed into a corner, Crosby gets the nod because he changes games quicker than any NHL player not named Alex Ovechkin.

In Philadelphia, my home base, Crosby is a villain. His appearance triggers derogatory chants-accompanied by an obliging organist-and he is one of the few visiting players who is booed every time he touches the puck.

It is the ultimate compliment, of course.

Philly fans know, first-hand, about Crosby's brilliance. In 26 career games against the Flyers, he has scored a ridiculous 46 points - his highest total against any NHL team.

Yes, that sways me in comparing him to Malkin, but there is another trait that can't be measured by stats.

Let's just say Crosby has IT.

IT is not easy to explain. But IT is easy to understand when you watch athletes like Albert Pujols, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady perform with all-knowing confidence. And dominance.

For Crosby, IT is the energy he brings to the game with his irrepressible style. IT is the innate ability to turn a game in the Penguins' favor during the most critical of times.

It's no accident that the puck always seems to find Crosby's stick in game-deciding situations. That's what happens when you have IT. And that's why he's the Penguins' captain.

The game-winning goal always seems to be created (or scored) by him. The slick "How-did-he-see-him?" pass always seems to come off his stick to give a teammate a great scoring chance. Crosby is a much better in face-offs than Malkin and much better at getting under opponents' skin. In short, he is a perpetual pest on the ice, a player opposing players hate to face because he has a knack for making the game-turning plays that made Bobby Clarke famous.

And that, folks, is a compliment of the highest degree.