Passing the PR Puck - Ovechkin to Crosby

Sid the Kid Officially Becomes Generation Y's Gretzky

Love him or hate him, Sidney Crosby has become the new household name for hockey. Personally as a Ovechkin fan prior to this Olympics, my hat is off to Crosby and his self-made branding. Sidney Crosby, in case you were living on another planet, scored the winning goal, in overtime in the Gold Medal game of the Vancouver Olympics, on Sunday. At 22, he's won everything...literally (World Championship, Olympics and Stanley Cup- Ovechkin has none of the above. He would need a telescope to see Crosby). Winning the gold, although not single-handedly, allows him to truly call himself 'Captain Canada' (but he's WAY too modest for that).  Despite my secret dislike for Crosby, there is no better spokesperson for Canadian Hockey right now. Ok, enough ego boosting. Here's my issue: Crosby has had a ton of media training, been in thousands interviews and is on television everyday; yet he still talks to the media like a robot. Reminds me of Tiger Woods sans all the women.

Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian antagonist to Crosby, is exactly that- Cro-pposite. He has incredible emotion on the ice, loves talking to the media even when the heat is on and above all, he gets away with his antics. Last week, when Canada beat the Russians (something I enjoyed ever so much), Ovechkin pushed a female RUSSIAN fan and smashed some paparazzi camera. What could have been a PR nightmare, Ovechkin cleared up in a matter of seconds. He apologized later but said "he would not focus on failure". Immediately the limelight is off of him since he has that personality. If Sidney Crosby had done that...well, it's just so unimaginable. Probably would hear about it for...about....oh I don't know...eternity!

But who's a better online PR guru?

Here's a fun True or False game I came up with:

1. There are more YouTube videos about Ovechkin then Crosby        T or F

2. Crosby's website has more hits then Ovechkin's                              T or F

3. Ovechkin has more Facebook fans than Crosby                              T or F

4. Crosby has more twitter followers than Ovechkin                            T or F

Answers: 

1. F- Crosby has 9,000+ videos, Ovi only has 2,000+
2. F- Oveckinfans.com has 393, 138 with 602 per day. Crosby's website is under construction officially.
3. F- Crosby has 41,468 Facebook fans, opposed to Ovi's pitiful 7,804 fans.
4. F- Ovechkin has 32,000+ followers, Crosby has 10,000+

The winner of social media goes to tie..well...Sidney Crosby. Does he lose anything in his life?

ANYWAYS, the value of hockey has skyrocketed since the United States made both men's and women's Gold Medal game(s). They actually had some viewership, too! I thought that was an important fact to conclude with. Analyze THAT impact, MRP!

Crosby's Whining = Gold Medals, Stanley Cups, Trophies, Plaques and American Idol (probably)