The playoff battle between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia has been a long time coming. There is a lot of bad blood between these teams. The captains of each team, Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Sean Couturier of the Flyers, have been through the wringer and back. These two stalwarts have been declaring war on each other for the last 15 years. No matter the standings, these two warriors come to fight each other every time they meet.
With that said, there is a stark difference between the two, which we'll get into in a little bit. Crosby came into the league as the anointed "next one". For the most part, he's delivered. He's won three Stanley Cups for Pittsburgh and is currently seventh all-time in career points. With 37 more points, he'll crack the top five. If he has two seasons like he had this year (71 points), he'll be third overall and within striking distance of second all-time. There is a strong chance he could become the second player to reach 2,000 career points. As far as goals go, he's 54 away from 700. He's won a bunch of awards along the way. Without a doubt, he's a Hall of Famer.
Couturier is not. Sure, he'll be a member of the Flyers Hall of Fame one day. As a first round pick, there were hopes he could be great; and briefly he was. However, he had never entered the NHL with the expectations placed on him that Crosby had. He had come in with the idea he'd be a solid top six center and in that, he's had a successful career. There could be the possibility that his number will be retired. If he stays healthy, as he has been, he should reach 1,000 games played next season and could be the all-time leader for the Flyers there. Next season, he could become the 12th Flyer to score 600 career points.
However, the year and a half he lost due to an injury derailed his career. The one-time Selke winner has lost a step. He's slowed down. He is no longer a top-line guy. John Tortorella saw this last year and cut his minutes significantly, albeit in a cold-hearted way. His offensive production has been way down as a result. Let's be honest, you don't want a slow-moving Couturier matched up with speedsters like Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett as that would slow down their game.
How Couturier is Different
At the trade deadline, just after the Olympic break, Rick Tocchet talked to Couturier. The Flyers had just acquired Luke Glendening off the waiver wire and traded away Nicolas Deslauriers. Tocchet had an idea of placing Couturier on the fourth line with Glendening and Garnet Hathaway to bring stability to a checking line that has been in flux all season. It wasn't a demotion. It was a reassignment based on a team need and it was one that Couturier could fill well. Because of that, Couturier agreed to his new role.
The move has paid off dividends. Couturier has scored six goals in the last 25 games of the year with nine assists. On a checking line! That's 15 points in 25 games in a season where he scored 36 total points. So far in the playoffs, you're seeing the same thing as the checking line has been racking up most of the points. Part of that is how effective Couturier is in the faceoff circle. He's won a lot of faceoffs in key moments of these games; especially in the defensive end of the ice. In return, that fourth line has become a key factor in Philly's three wins over Pittsburgh.
Couturier is a lot like Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes. Their best years are behind them, but they are still well respected around the league and beloved by their teammates. Both players have played on the first line for much of their careers, but are now on the bottom line. However, they can still play well enough to be employed. More importantly, they are still making an impact. They still have value to their respective teams. If things keep going the way they are going, you could see Couturier and Staal match up next week.
So how is this different than Crosby? Easy. There is no flipping way that Couturier would ever, ever, EVER fake an injury by rolling around on the ice to get a BS penalty call. Crosby did that and then was hoisted on his own petard right over to the sin bin for faking it, or as the NHL calls it, "embellishment." Couturier would never debase himself like that. But hey, remember, you can't spell Crosby without "cry" and "sob."
Crosby is a Hall of Famer. There is no doubt about that. The talent level between him and Couturier is huge. No argument there. But if you are talking about players with pure "class"...no question. It's Couturier all the way. No Flyers fan could or would ever tolerate flopping around like that. No Penguins fan should either. Sorry Pittsburgh...I'd rather take the classy guy any day of the week.
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