Everybody loves a winner. Well, most of the time they do. Add in young, successful, good-looking and rich and there is bound to be people lining up to protest.

“Overrated”

“Not as good as –insert another player’s name here—“

“Token generic and homophobic quote questioning player’s sexuality”

“Whiner”

“Diver”

“Cheater”

All of the above can be affixed to the stars in every major sport. You can put names like Tom Brady, LeBron James, Yasiel Puig and the NHL’s golden boy Sidney Crosby out there and these are the types of responses you are likely to hear.

It’s a small price to pay when you are the best at what you do. Since entering the league in 2005 as the number one overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Crosby has worked under the weight of incredible expectations. Anointed as the most recent “Next One”, Crosby literally took over the mantle of franchise savior from Mario Lemieux. As his mentor, boss and ironically, landlord, Lemieux helped groom the prodigal center into the face of the new NHL.

Then, along came the horrible NHL marketing machine. The idea of a fresh-faced Canadian kid with an “aw shucks” smile lined up against the “bad guy” with the broken English (and possibly sinister Russian motives), Alexander Ovechkin was the plan. Though it was a moronic effort to make the NHL more interesting to the casual fan, the brilliance of the two young stars made things work.

There was never a rivalry between Ovechkin and Crosby. They play different positions, are rarely matched up against one another and probably got along just fine off the ice. The only rivalry existed because the two players played for good teams and created natural drama while they competed against each other.

Ironically, it ended up being Ovechkin that won the public relations battle with his off-color antics that included disco dancing yacht parties, after hours clubbing and dj-ing, terrible-but-awesome commercials and his general peculiarities. The Cold War was nothing more than a memory or a historical reference point but the Washington winger won the hearts and affections of fans with the gap-toothed smile and his curious if not entertaining utter Russian-ness.

Meanwhile Crosby toiled in Pittsburgh under the watchful eye of living legend Lemieux in the Penguin owner’s box. Evgeni Malkin finally escaped from the KHL to join the team that drafted him in 2004. Kris Letang, drafted two rounds after Crosby in 2005, joined the big club, while Marc-Andre Fleury, the 2003 top overall selection earned his spot in Pittsburgh at the same time. These four would become the core of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

For every highlight reel goal that Crosby produced, Ovechkin was there with another. The celebrations from the rowdy Capitals’ sniper were maligned by Canadian homer Don Cherry but were received as charming if not a touch on the obnoxious side. For a long time it seemed like Ovechkin got a pass for his “playful enthusiasm” but Crosby was being tagged as any number of unflattering adverbs for his intense competitive nature.

Fair or not, Sidney Crosby has a reputation. The downside to a camera monitoring every turn you make on the ice is that number 87 is constantly the focal point. While there may be plenty of other players chirping at officials or other players, the world watches and waits on every dip, dodge, deke or disparagement that comes from the Penguin’s franchise player.

There has certainly been some discussion over Crosby’s ability to stay upright, i.e. the diving, but that seems to be a thing of the past. The health concerns regarding the concussions brought about grave concerns over Crosby’s health and a not-so-subtle reminder of the last “Next One” named Eric Lindros.

I suppose the point of all this is to tell all the Crosby haters to take a step back for a minute. Is it not normal or natural for an athlete to dislike another team? Another player? Don’t we want our heroes to give 100% every shift and look for any and every competitive edge? They are the embodiment of what we want to be, what we wish we were, and who we would be if God had given us that talent. It can’t be “gamesmanship” for Giroux, Chara, Zetterberg, Toews or Getzlaf but petulance for Crosby.

It’s ok to hate Sidney Crosby. Just make sure that you hate him for the logo on the sweater and not the man that he is. Hate him because he will keep your team from winning by being better. Hate him because he makes an impossibly difficult game look easy. Hate him because he’s a Canadian man that doesn’t quite reach six feet tall, but plays one of the most violent sports in the world better than everyone else.

Or, appreciate the greatness every time he steps on the ice, the same way you should when Malkin, John Tavares, Jonathan Toews, Pavel Datsyuk, Steven Stamkos, Claude Giroux or any of the chosen few display their talents. No one else in the world can do what they do. Also, try to remember, it’s just a game.