Shining in Silence

On Thursday, Sidney Crosby won the Hart Trophy. Crosby is the NHL’s second teenage most valuable player. In 1980, Wayne Gretzky garnered the Hart. He was 19 years, and 7 months. Crosby is 19 years, 10 months. This season, Crosby tallied 36 goals, 84 assists, and 120 points.

Twenty-seven seasons ago, Gretzky racked 51 goals, 86 assists, and 137 points. According to New Jersey Devils Goalie Martin Brodeur, the aforesaid inspires comparison. “The fans love him,” Brodeur said. “Everybody seems to be on his wagon, and that's well deserved. He's going to be like Gretzky in making the NHL a better sport.”

Crosby is a phenomenal talent. Unfortunately, his profession is decaying. The NHL is inadequately marketed, poorly contrived, and scarcely discussed. They realize this. The NHL has attempted reinvention. They have failed. Crosby is a shimmering talent. Sadly, he will never captivate America. His brilliance is futile.