Every hockey player has a childhood hockey hero — someone they try to imitate as they weave the puck back and forth, pretending they’re in a shootout and going for the game-winning goal.
Mine was Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain, who just last week was the first franchise member to play 1,000 games.
Even casual fans of the National Hockey League know the Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia native, whether for his temper tantrums early in his career, his backhand shot that seems to float past the goaltender each time, his iconic matchups with rival Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, or his three Stanley Cups.
Crosby’s significance in the league is evident in how younger stars are measured. Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, one of the greatest forwards in the league, has been compared to Crosby since he entered the NHL in 2015. Both of them have tremendous speed, creative plays that leave defenders baffled, and stickhandling that will make you twist your head 360 degrees trying to keep up.
Colorado Avalanche winger Nathan MacKinnon, also from Cole Harbor, practices with Crosby every offseason and has taken on a style of play similar to the Pittsburgh Penguin.
“You learn from Sid,” MacKinnon said in an interview with NHL.com writer Mike Zeisberger. “He always does extra. He’s the one guy who’ll get mad if it’s not enough work.”
Crosby has come back from numerous concussions, having missed 114 games in his career simply due to head injuries. He has also missed around 80 games to core muscle surgery, a broken jaw, a high-ankle sprain, and other injuries. His tireless work ethic to make it to 1,000 games despite these misses is an exemplary attitude of constantly developing your craft and refusing to quit.
Crosby also contributed to some of the most memorable moments in recent hockey history.
2008, Buffalo: The inaugural Winter Classic game, where the teams play outdoors in football or baseball stadiums in one of the team’s hometowns. Snow was pouring down the entire game, keeping scoring low, so the Sabres and Penguins went to overtime and then a shootout. It was a situation every hockey player dreams of: final shot, game on the line, game on your stick. With the last shot in the shootout, Crosby skated to center ice, picked up the puck and slowly skated down towards Ryan Miller, one of the top goaltenders in the league at that time. In a move that later became Crosby’s staple for shootouts, he stickhandled back and forth slowly, baiting Miller to try and poke the puck away, and then snapped the puck between Miller’s pads into the back of the net. Game over.
2010, Vancouver Winter Olympics: The Golden Goal. Team USA and Team Canada were deadlocked 2-2 going into 5-on-5 overtime for the gold medal. Same two opponents, Ryan Miller versus Sidney Crosby, same outcome as the Winter Classic. In the video, you can hear Crosby yell “Iggy!” at his teammate, Jarome Iginla, as Crosby raced toward the net. Iginla got the puck to Crosby and Crosby did the rest, again beating Miller and winning gold for Canada.
Crosby’s backhand is one of his most iconic moves. Even with the back side of his stick, he is still able to send the puck to the same height as the crossbar, six feet off the ice. Countless times Crosby has skated into the opponent’s zone, stayed low to keep his defender on his left side, and flicked the puck over the goalie’s shoulder and into the net, often with only one hand on the stick.
Crosby was also one of the first players to use an almost completely flat stick — most players will have a curved stick to allow for better snapshots. Not Crosby. He knows the danger of his backhand and his flat stick allows the puck to climb higher than goalies expect — over their shoulders into the net.
Love him or hate him, Crosby has had an incredible 1,000 games with the NHL, and he should be celebrated as one of the greatest players of all time.
Luke Morey is a sophomore studying history.