Larry Fisher

Mark Humphrey/The Associated Press
Team Canada centre Sidney Crosby (87) prepares for a face-off against Finland’s Jarkko Immonen during the first period of their preliminary-round game at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on Sunday. Crosby recorded a power-play assist — only his second point of the tournament through three games — as Canada prevailed 2-1 in overtime. For Canada to repeat as Olympic champions, Sid the Kid is going to need to step up and make more of an offensive impact in the medal round, starting with Wednesday’s quarter-final against Latvia.

We, as Canadians, love our hockey players and, in turn, have an undying love for our golden child — Sid the Kid.

So much so that our media is protecting his abysmal Olympic performance once again this year by tossing out stats like: He hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against?

Umm, we have only allowed two, so that’s not exactly a huge accomplishment.

Dan Nadeau

Now all you Crosby lovers, before you try to find my address and lynch me, know this: I like Crosby and everything he can bring to the ice every single night. But right now, I feel like we, as a nation, have turned this guy into that smoking hot person at high school we have fallen in love with. We put him way up on this pedestal and we are now making excuses for him not loving us back — aka, not scoring.

Crosby isn’t playing awful, but since when have we not relied on our top-line centre to produce points, but to be a shutdown guy?

I guess if the rest of the guys were scoring at will like we did in Vancouver, we could wait for Crosby to get his act together. But when a defenceman is our leading scorer, I think it’s about time for the best player in the world to be the best player in the world and start effing scoring!

Whether rumour or reality that monsieur Crosby didn’t want Claude Giroux on this team so we had to bring Sid’s wingman Chris Kunitz instead, I would say we could certainly use Giroux right about now — especially considering Kunitz looks about as lost in Sochi as that Dori character from Finding Nemo!

I think it’s time for us — and the media — to stop worrying about pissing off Crosby and calling him out.

Dude, you’re a point-producer, not a run-stopper, so start acting like one!

Who knows maybe this blog will go viral and Crosby will see it in time to piss him off, and he’ll get us a hatty against the mighty Latvians — or our neighbours to the south.

Probably not though, plus what’s a beer-bellied never-been like me got on him? Nothing, but sheesh, I know I predicted the Swedes to win gold in an earlier post, but that wasn’t my heart picking, it was my head. And Crosby, much like girls all through high school who I put on a pedestal, I fear that if you can’t find a way to produce, you will break my heart and force me to drown my sorrows in a case of Molson Canadian at 5 a.m. on a Sunday, which doesn’t bode well for someone working on a Monday!

Rant Over, it’s dinnertime and time to watch more mainstream media protect Sid the Kid — his true impact is immeasurable…blah, blah, blah. It’s almost as if they avoid calling him out in fear he may defect to Uzbekistan and play for them next Olympics!

Dan Nadeau is a retired hockey player living the dream through coaching and beer leagues. Good at hockey, better at drinking beers! Follow him on Twitter: @dan_nadeau.