Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins captain Sidney Crosby named one of the best athletes of the century!

Episode Date: July 18, 2024

We all know Sidney Crosby is one of the GOATs, but a new ESPN ranking of the top 100 athletes of the 21st century puts his name amongst the greats. Patrick and Hunter talk about where Crosby ranks, if it's correct, and why there aren't more representatives from the sport of hockey as a whole. Also, since we've reached the quiet part of the NHL offseason, they jump in their time machines and fast-forward to the 2025 offseason when the Penguins will have a bunch of cap space and the UFA class will have plenty of talent. Could the Penguins be players next offseason for one last run? Finally, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk spoke with reporters on Thursday, and Patrick and Hunter believe it could be a big bounce-back year for the newcomer. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!IndeedStill searching for a great candidate for your company? Don’t search, just match–with Indeed.Claim your SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT now at Indeed.com/LOCKEDON. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed. eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM and add a big win to your summer bucket list!FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here in Pittsburgh, we know that Sidney Crosby is one of the greatest of all time, but now he's getting some of that recognition on a national stage. Hunter and I are going to talk about that and more right after this. Your Locked-on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Hello and welcome back to another edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp. You can follow me on Twitter at Synonym 4Wet.

Joined as always by my co-host Hunter Hodes. You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can give our show's account a follow at L.O. underscore Penguins. And we thank you for making this your first listener watch of the day, because we're your team every day. And don't forget that we are free and available wherever you get your podcast. Before we get going today, today's episode is brought to you by Fandul. make every moment more.

As the playoffs wind down, the sports stops sporting the way we like them to, but this summer, Fandall is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily. That's right. There's something for everyone every day all summer long. Visit fandle.com to get started. So Hunter, been a big discussion in all of sports the last couple of days that ESPN dropped their ranking of the top 100. athletes of the 21st century.

And wouldn't you know it, Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, finds himself on that list. Now, not a very hockey heavy list with them. Crosby is just one of three NHL players or hockey players, should I say, to make the list. He is ranked 22nd out of 100 by ESPN's list. joining him on the list from the National Hockey League at number 54 is Alex Ovechkin, the guy who he has been tied to for his entire career. And then at 98th on the list is Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. I suspect if they do this list again in 10 years,

Connor McDavid will be much higher in the rankings than 98th. But remember, this is the 21st century. It's only been nine seasons for Connor McDavid. so a lot of runway left for him to improve his legacy. But this is the Locked-on Penguins podcast. We're here to talk about Sidney Crosby and his placement on the list. You guys all know his achievements and his accomplishments, which ESPN lays out in full.

He was on the NHL 100 team. He's won the Rocket Richard twice. He's won the Art Ross twice. He's won the Hart Trophy twice, the Lindsay Award twice, three Stanley Cups, two consmites, and he's 10th all-time in point. with 1,596. So Hunter, I'd say pretty well deserved.

Yeah, number 22, I think is a very fair place on this list for Cindy Crosby. You could easily argue top 20 for him. But look at the people in front of him. I mean, this is very good company people. I mean, for God's sakes, right in front of them, Aaron Donald, one of the best players I've ever watched for as long as I've been. At Hill's high school alumni. He went to the same high school as I did.

Aaron Donald's awesome. I mean just in front of him, Lewis Hamilton for racing, Patrick Mahomes already with three Super Bowls at number 18. He's probably going to keep climbing that list as he goes forward in his career. Shaq, Tim Duncan, Katie Ledecky, Tom Brady is obviously in the top ten. Honestly, I would kick off this list with Tom Brady being number one. But hey, I don't work for ESPN overall. I get why they did with Michael Phelps, but I would have Tom Brady number one. But in terms of just this for the Penguin City, Crosby, 22, with the people that I've mentioned in front of

as well as some others. I think that's pretty fair. You can pick and choose who you take Crosby over with some of the people in front of them. I think top 20, I would definitely argue for him overall, maybe even top 15, because considering he's a top five player in NHL history, in my opinion, and can still accomplish even more, by the time, excuse me, he ends his career. But right now, for as bad as this list is, and trust me, people, this list absolutely stinks. I kind of think they nailed it with Crosby being 22, but I would probably put them inside the top 20. I would say this about their list. I think one through 25 they nailed.

If you look at the top 25, it's very good and very accurate. The rest of it from 26 to 100 is just, they're doing summer content. Let's be honest, it's July. And we are in the one dead period where there's no sports at all save for the WNBA. excuse me, but none of the four major men's professional sports are going right now because we're coming out of the MLB all-star break. So they're just looking for something to put out there. But I'll say this about where Sid is. You look at that the 21 people above him.

It's either team sports that have more of an emphasis on the individual, think basketball or football, where a quarterback or one player can make. much more of a difference in the outcome of the game than say hockey where at the absolute most your best players playing just over a third of the game and for the other two thirds they're on the bench. That's the problem with these types of lists though. Like it's so hard with individual like sports like in example, singles for tennis, for example, you know, Roger Federer's up there, Jokovic Nadal, Serena Williams is also

ranked really high. It's just hard to like separate the individual versus the team. aspect. And I think that's why this list overall is just really freaking bad. Yeah, it's, it's really tough to do that. But then I also spin it this way. Putting Sidney Crosby, a hockey player in the top 25 is, it shows what an impact he's had on the sport as a whole. Because like what I was saying, you know, you're only playing at the most a little over a third of the game in your primes. And even then, it's hard to have a true significant impact consistently.

Yeah, you can have a bunch of four or five point games as a hockey player, but you don't see that anymore, especially not in the 21st century. You don't see players scoring at ridiculous rates. We're starting to get back to that with guys like Connor McDavid, but for the most part, since the year 2000, I mean, you only see a handful of four, five or more point games and they happen so few and far between. So then you think about Sidney Crosby being put 22nd, and you look at the impact he's had not just on the Pittsburgh Penguins, bringing three more Stanley Cups, a bunch of individual awards, being the catalyst for keeping the team in the city when it looked like there was a very real chance they were going to move. And just the overall impact he's had on the sport itself, because since the day Craig Patrick, and even before that called his name at the NHL draft, he has been the guy who.

has put the national hockey league on his back and brought it back into relevance since the lockout. He was dubbed as the next one and he has lived up to the hype and then way more as well. It's always awesome when someone is dubbed as, oh yeah, he's this, he's this next great thing. And then he exceeds every single expectation out there. Cindy Crosby is that exact player. And he still has plenty more to go. I know he's obviously in the back nine of his career, but he's going to pass. Joe Sackick on the all times points list, probably this season.

He's at 1,641, number 9. Crosby's at 1,596. And probably by the time his career ends, Crosby's going to pass Mario Lemieux, his number 8 at 1,723. After that, it's his idol, Steve Eisenman of 175. He'll have at least a chance, an outside chance, of finishing top five in NHL history in points if he keeps producing the way he's been producing these last couple of years for the next season,

two or maybe even three after that. He's not done adding to his legacy, but just everything he's accomplished, the Olympic Golds, all the individual awards, the three Stanley Cups, the World Cup of Hockey, there's another Olympics that's coming up very soon. He'll have every opportunity to go even higher up on this list the next time they put one out again. He probably should be a little higher up right now, but he will definitely be even higher on this list and deservedly so by the time his career ends whenever they bring out

another one of these lists. I will say this, and I know it's almost sacrilege to say on a Penguins podcast. I'm surprised Ovi was only at 54 because you think about just, especially in the last five years, everything that he has done, including having a very, very realistic chance to catch Wayne Gretzky's goal record, something that it seemed untouchable. It seemed like it was absolutely impossible that anybody was. was going to even get close, let alone possibly break it. Now, again, it does get back into.

It's very hard to put a list like this together because you're ranking a bunch of athletes together, some who are totally individual swimming, golf, tennis, racing, and then basketball where you have way more of an impact. But you just think about the overall impact Alex Ovechkin has had on hockey and just the sports lexicon in general, because you think about the last two. years. Hockey even being back on ESPN has still had a very difficult time breaking into the mainstream. But what is one of the things that has broken through Alex Ovechkin going after the all-time goals record? Yeah. And I mean, he's going to get it by the time his career,

his NHL career likely ends, excuse me, after these next couple of seasons are up. I would be kind of, I wouldn't even say kind of. I would be stunned if he did not get the goal record by the time his career, his initial career ends. And I do think the next time another list comes out, he will also at least be in the top 50. He should be higher considering everything he has accomplished in the NHL. And I understand there's not that many NHL players on there to begin with just because I know there's a lot of great players in other sports. But I still do think, man, there's got to be some more national representation on there as a whole. There is so much talent in this league right now. And It needs to be, I think, focused a little more on for the next list whenever that comes out to.

I think it will be the next time they do this just because, like you said, we're in an era now where we've had, we've seen so much talent enter into the league. And a lot of those players are at the only, only at the start of their careers. So right now, you know, you think about it, this list starts in the year 2000. A lot of these guys have been in the league less than five years. So you think the next time ESPN goes to do this, you're going to see a lot more hockey representation, especially because this new generation of star isn't like Sidney Crosby where they are solely focused on hockey and they're just completely, I'll say it, boring outside of hockey. These guys have personalities. They're going to be able to carry the league into a new era because they're more media trained.

They're more willing to put their personalities forward, which is something that we often forget sports are entertainment. and if you have ambassadors to the league who aren't just robots for the sport, it makes the league more popular. So I agree with you. I think the next time this comes around, we are going to see more hockey representation. But you look at the league from 2000 to now, I think the three guys who are on it definitely deserve to be on it.

And I think in 10, 15 years, we'll see a lot more hockey players on it. But I will say just for players that could be on it, since this is from 2000, saw Mike Patrick Kane, everything he accomplished in Chicago. one of the best American-born players, I think, in the history of the NHL, in my opinion. Heck, also someone also like, and I may get a little bit of crap for this,

what about Henrik Vanquist of the Rangers, man? I know he didn't win the Stanley Cup. Trust me, I get it. So hold your pitchforks back. But this is still one of the 10 best goaltenders in NHL history, in my opinion. Yes, it was always fun to piss him off on the ice. But when he was on, there really weren't many goalies in the last. league, if not any, that could touch him when he was in his prime overall. So I guess I was surprised

that those two were left off the list. Someone like Lundquist, one of the best goals he's ever. And Patrick Kane also arguably the greatest American born hockey player ever. Yeah, that's all very fair. But this is the point of this list. We get to argue about them and give our takes on them. And then we forget about it in three days. But that will do it for this first segment. We looked at the past with the top 100 athletes list. So in our next segment, we're going to look at the future and some of potential UFAs that could be on the market next summer. But before Hunter and I do that, we've got to tell you about our first sponsor.

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100 list in the first segment. So why not jump into a time machine again and take a look into the future. Today on Sportsnet, Ryan Dixon wrote an article entitled The Top 25 UFAs available in 2025. So Hunter and I, we're going to bring this into the Penguins realm a little bit because as we've been saying on this show, we know who the two biggest UFAs after this coming season are for the Penguins. And that's Sidney Crosby, who we expect anything. time now we'll sign an extension to remain with the penguins for the rest of his career, as well as Marcus Pedersen, who we don't know what they'll do with him yet. We don't know if there will be an extension or if he will be traded in season for assets.

That is yet to be seen. But we also know that going into next season, Kyle Dubus and the Pittsburgh Penguins will have nearly $30 million in cap space. And there are some very interesting UFAs that could be available should they not re-sign with their current clubs next off season and Hunter. I know there's one that you have been licking your shops at. So I'm going to let you take it and let the listeners do a little bit of dreaming like we're doing right now.

I will say just to start, it's very unlikely that all of these players get to next July 1. A lot of these players or a good chunk of them, I think, will be extended by their current teams. For example, you know, we have to see what happens with Mitch Marner, potentially John Savaris, Travis Kineckney. But one player on this list that really stood out to me is Brock Besser of the Vancouver Canucks. He's been involved in trade rumors at times

throughout his career in Vancouver. A couple of them at times were involved with the Penguins, especially during the deadline when Ron Hextall was there. They had a bunch of, I think, things cooking up, but obviously nothing came to fruition with the Penguins and the Canucks. But Besser, he was awesome this year. 40 goals in the regular season, seven more in the playoffs before,

obviously the blood caught issue, forcing him out. But he would be so much fun to watch if he were on the Penguins. Yes, it would require a lot of term. It would require a very high AAV. But as of right now, the Penguins will have more than enough cap space

to fit him in. He's also below 30, so everyone would love that overall. And just seeing him in the top six next to of Gunny Malkin or Cindy Crosby, man, that's a good thing to dream. about, isn't it, Pat? It really is, though I'm with you that a lot of this list, I don't think make it to free agency

next summer because they are extremely talented, extremely valuable players. Now, I know that with a rising salary cap and another team coming into the, well, another team, quote unquote, in Utah coming into the NHL, those could play some big factors in the market works over the next couple of years just because there's more opportunity for more money. There's a now you go from having Arizona who did not have the money to really entice big name free agents to a team like Utah who their ownership not afraid to spend money, not afraid to go to the salary cap and they're building something that looks like in the next few years could be a very competitive franchise. So that could also entice a lot of players to go to free agency.

but I think about a guy like Besser, I think about a hockey operations president in Jim Rutherford who does not like for the most part letting his guys go. Brock Besser is a player who I see him in Patrick Alvin getting locked up to term, keeping him around because that's a good team in Vancouver, man. And they've got a very bright future. And Besser should be a huge part of it. You also have somebody who's come up for us for the Penguins in the past because he, like we know is in the final year of his contract his name has been dangled out in trade talks and that's

nikolai eelers and this guy i don't like this is an ultimate wildcard i mean before i even get into some of the numbers and statistics with him this is a huge wild card because we've seen with winnipeg we really don't know what their i don't want to say what their plan is because they consistently put a good team together but you know we pretty much thought that mark schifely and connor Hellebuck were gone. We thought that they were going to be out the door and all of a sudden they get signed to big extensions. We figured Patrick Linae was going to be a huge part of their future for the foreseeable future. They flip them to another team. So they're a huge wildcard, but you look at a guy like Eilers and he had himself a solid year this year with 25 goals, 36

assists. He is a very solid left winger. And if that's a guy, if he makes it to market, he should be one of your first calls. Oh, 100%. I mean, there have been some rumors about Eilers being in talks to go to Carolina at various points this off season, but so far nothing has come with that. And no, I really hope he does not go to Carolina because I don't need Eilers lighting it up down there with the hurricanes, even though I think that move makes a lot of sense for Eric Tolski and the hurricanes. But the Jets are such a weird team because everything went right for them this past season. They get into the playoffs, but then they still get bounced fairly quickly. is everything going to go right for them this upcoming season?

That's what they're going to have to weigh when it comes to this decision with Eilers. I mean, Fire the Penguins, I'd be calling Winnipeg no matter what about Eilers this off season to see if you can somehow get a deal done just because, I mean, that would be an awesome fit next to Sidney Crosby and Ryan Rust on the top line. But if he does make it to market next year, yes, I would be giving him a call, seeing what I could offer him term wise and money wise, just because he will be one of the better goal scores on the market. for next year anyway. Now, if you want a very raty option, I think maybe the ultimate rat, Pat,

Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers is a UFA next year. You've talked a lot about this team getting more bastards on it. Sam Bennett, I think, is the ultimate rat, the ultimate bastard. He can score. He's fine defensively. He'll get in your face. He would instantly, I think, become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. Yes, he definitely plays dirty. Don't get me wrong, people. He's had plenty of various dirty moments with the Panthers ever since he got there. But I know Penguins fans, and I know they would fall in love with that player very quickly if he got to market and if the Penguins were interested in him as well. Yeah, that'd be a huge get.

And you kind of sort of beat me to the punch on that one. There's a trio, including Sam Bennett, of Florida Panthers who are going to be unrestricted free agents going into next season. And along with Sam Bennett, there's Carter Verhegey. and Aaron Eckblad. And the thing that kind of keeps me from believing there's a chance any of those guys may get to market is that going into next year, the Florida Panthers have $22.5 million in cap space and just about everybody except for those three that they would like to keep

for the foreseeable future is locked up. So they're not going to have too much of an issue getting a lot of those guys back. They are going to have to make some cuts just because of the, way they're paying a lot of players, but they're a team that they have proven along with Florida being a no income tax state that they have built a culture now under Bill Zito, under their ownership. It's a place players want to be, want to stay and want to win. I know everybody will get all up in arms about, oh, these no tax states, these no tax states. Well, go look at the teams that are in them. They're teams that have created winning culture.

and have created great organizations. It's not just, it used to, Florida used to be the one where guys went to hide. That's not the case anymore. Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators,

Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars. These are all teams that have built winning cultures. You add in that extra incentive and suddenly guys want to go or stay there. Yeah, they'll have the money to pay all of those guys if they really want to. And even if there are somehow,

like up against it at least a little bit, even though the cap is going to be going up, they'll find ways to get around it. Every NHL team knows how to do that. Another player on that list, Travis Keneckney of the Philadelphia Flyers, though I do think the Flyers are going to assign him to a big extension this past season.

33 goals, 68 points overall. I don't think the Flyers want him going to market, but if he were to get to July 1, yes, I know he's a flyer, but he would also be quite fun, I feel like, in a Penguin uniform. He also, pretty physical player, he'll get in your face. We've seen him and Evgeny Malkin have some battles over the years.

We've seen him in other players being battles over the years. He's a fun player to watch in his own right. That's very much a dream scenario. Heck, most of these I feel like are very dream scenarios, but I figured I would throw him in the mix as well. Yeah, honestly, despite him being a flyer, I would not hate the penguins, no pun intended, taking a flyer on him if possible.

But like we said, a lot of this is pipe dream because you look at the top names in the UFA class a year out. Most of those guys get extended. They like playing with the teams they're on. So we probably won't see any of these guys in penguins uniforms, though we can dream. But that will do it for this second segment. When Hunter and I come back, speaking of free agents, we got to meet one of the Penguins' free agent signings today in Matt Grizzlic. We'll talk about what he said and what we'll talk about what he said. we can expect from him this season, and we will do that after we tell you about our next sponsor,

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FanDul, official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. All right, welcome back to the Thursday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. And thank you, as always, for tuning in and making this part of your daily routine. I'm Patrick Damp, joined as always by Hunter Hodes. And it was meeting day for one of the Penguins' UFA signings, and that's defenseman Matt Grislich. And the big theme of his introductory quote unquote press conference, because this wasn't at a podium at the Lemieux complex or PPG paints arena. It's something we've all been doing since the pandemic. It was over Zoom. He spoke with reporters in a video conference. And the big theme of this

meeting with Matt Grislich was that this is a gigantic full circle moment for Grizzlick. He was drafted at PPG Payne's Arena, then Kinsall Energy Center. in the 2012 NHL draft. He made his NHL debut with the Bruins against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored his first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and now he is a Pittsburgh Penguins. So Hunter, I liked a lot of what he had to say today, because this feels like to me a player who's looking at last season as an aberration

and is looking to put it behind him and do some very productive things in a penguin's uniform. first off, now we just need his first goals of Penguin to be against the Bruins, right? Is that how this works, I think, at this point? But yeah, just based on the quotes that I saw, he sounded like someone who is ready to put last year behind him and it feels like he has something to prove. He feels like last year was not him and that he wants to go out there and get back to the way that he was playing a couple of seasons ago when, I'll say this for the 5,000 time, he was one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, if not the most underrated overall.

And his underlying numbers were also great. He was not happy with the way he played last year in Boston. I mean, heck, he was scratched for almost all their playoff games this past spring. And he's ready to go out there and get a fresh start with the Penguins. Hopefully he's able to do that. Again, you know, one-year contract below $3 million. He wasn't that good this past season. But, hey, he's betting on himself to bounce back.

and I'll obviously give him every shot in the world to do that. Yeah, and the quote that stood out to me was he said, quote, I was forced to go on LTIR, so I had to miss 10 games. It was a little tough getting back and adjusting to the speed again. I wouldn't attest at all to the injury. I just think I lost a little bit of confidence along the way. And I think as a player, it can be really tough to regain that midseason. And quote, so like we said, that sounds like a guy who looks at the way he played last season

is not at all satisfied with his game, knows he can get to another level. And a guy we've been talking about since he was hired by the penguins is David Quinn. And there is a lot of familiarity there for Matt Grizzlik. Matt Grisly played for him in college from 2012 to 2016. So we're really, I hate to say it, we're putting a lot of hope in David Quinn being able to help this defense. but you think about some of the successes he's had with defensemen in his stops in the NHL, the defenseman he helped produce and develop at the collegiate level,

who have gone on to be very productive NHL defensemen. I think this sets up for the penguins to have a bounce back year, especially on defense. So I'm very curious to see what Grizzlick does and what this defense does as a whole. Yeah, I sure hope so. I mean, David Quinn is going to have his work cut out for him overall with this. gig, you know, fixing the power play, getting Ryan Graves back up to speed. That's a big one getting Matt Griswick also back up to speed after he had a down year this past season. Eric Carlson

overall, again, we already discussed him on Wednesday, but can he take another big step this upcoming season with the Penguins? It's going to be fascinating to see how David Quinn can try and, I guess, work some magic with all of these things going on around him. Yeah, so overall, I mean, I'm really excited to see. This press conference did a lot to get me more excited for Matt Griswick. Our listeners know, you know, both of us were kind of neutral on this signing. We thought, you know, hey, he might have his best hockey behind him. This might be another situation where they sign a guy who comes in and underwhelms.

But just by the way he's conducting himself, the way he's talking, I have higher hopes. Now, I wouldn't say high hopes, but definitely have higher hopes now for him. I think this could be a very productive relationship between him and the Penguins, but we will see and we are going to call it on this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Again, we appreciate all of you guys tuning in. And tomorrow, because it's Friday, Hunter and I are once again going to open up the mailbag. We'll put out a call for questions here on YouTube, as well as our social media platforms. So any questions you got, penguins, hockey, you name it, send it our way.

Hunter and I will take those questions on our Friday episode. But for the Thursday episode, I am Patrick Damp for Hunter Hodes. Thank you, as always, for tuning in. And Hunter and I will be back with a fresh episode on Friday.