Slap a Ho-ssa

As if Marian Hossa didn't bury the knife deep enough into his former Pens teammates last summer, he's at it again, slighting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin again by deeming his new soulmate Pavel Datsyuk the "best all-around player in the world."

Best friends forever, or until this summer when the Wings realize they can't pay 12 superstars.

I can see what Hossa was trying to say, Datsyuk is honored every year as the top defensive forward in the league, and is in the top five in scoring this season. Datsyuk is good, don't get me wrong. I'd rank him among the top-ten forwards in the game. He is another in a long line of uber-talented Russian forwards in the league. I've had the "pleasure" of watching Datsyuk up close, twice this season and in last year's finals, and I must admit, while he is a legit superstar, to rank him the best is a bit lofty. He defensive standing benefits from the clutch-and-grab style of hockey he utilizes like the rest of his Red Wings teammates, which I could have sworn the league did away with after the lockout. It's as if the refs forget what an interference penalty is when the Wings are on the ice. He's also played on a team that every year has the highest amount of talent in the league. When you're playing with the likes of Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Yzerman, Hossa, Rafalski, etc. of course you're gonna put up stats. In actuality, he's never scored over 100 points in a season and has only reached 30 goals in a season twice. He's greatly benefitted from being a Red Wing and playing with superior talent year in and year out. You can take this as jealousy, hate, whatever, but it's the truth. I'll be the first to admit that Crosby is overhyped, but it's not his fault. He's not the one who anointed himself "The Next One" the Canadian media did that for him. It's not like he's the one out there every night tooting his own horn, and yet the man receives more hate than al-Qaeda.

I love New York.

The main thing that gets lost in all of this is the fact that Datsyuk is 30 years old. He didn't reach his potential until after the lockout, four years deep into his career. Crosby scored 102 POINTS as a 18-year old on a garbage team filled with washed up scrubs, and Ovechkin was putting up 50 goals on a team that was even worse. Pavel Datsyuk has never felt the pressure of carrying the team on his back like Crosby, Malkin, or Ovechkin. If he has an off night, he can just let one of the other "superstar" Wings step up and cover for him. If you really wanna see what Datsyuk is made of, let him switch places with Crosby or Ovechkin. Put him in Atlanta and let's see what he's really made of.