More than three months before he captured the second Stanley Cup of an increasingly illustrious career, Sidney Crosby reflected on how quickly time has passed since he first hoisted the game’s greatest prize.
It dragged during the scary time when his career was thrown into disarray by a concussion, but otherwise the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said the NHL seasons have flown by.
“I think that every year that goes by it seems like those are opportunities you have to win and you look back on that experience and how special it was and you want to do it again,” Crosby said in an interview back in March, reflecting on the seven years that have passed since 2009, when a 21-year-old Crosby last led the Penguins to the Cup.
“It’s not easy, but I think that it’s fresh enough or it’s still there in my mind where I definitely want to do it again.”
Crosby capped off one of the finest seasons of his career and reclaimed his place atop hockey’s elite in leading the Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup. A slow start riddled with doubt, anxiety and a coaching change quickly faded as Crosby surged with a brilliant second half that saw him score more points than anyone after Jan. 1.
His ascent continued in the post-season, as Crosby finished with 19 points in 24 games en route to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
He overwhelmed San Jose early in the Stanley Cup final, stubbornly controlling the puck, fighting off defenders with sudden reversals in direction, creating scoring chances aplenty for himself and his teammates.
Crosby set up Conor Sheary in Game 1 for the second Penguins goal, whipping a forceful backhand pass from his position along the left wall in the Sharks zone. It was a full display of the talents which have made Crosby a force from the day he entered the league in 2005.
It was the vision that allowed him to find Sheary all alone on the opposite end of the ice and the wicked pace of the pass, a backhand with such force that the only place it seemed destined to land was on the stick of Crosby’s five-foot-eight rookie winger.
Crosby, now 28, played nearly 21 minutes in the 3-2 series-opening win, won nine of 16 draws, fired four shots, landed an assist and controlled the puck incessantly.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan described him as a “force” all night, a threat to score or put pressure on the opposing defence every time he stepped onto the ice.
“He has that twinkle in his eye, I think,” Sullivan said. “He knows that we’ve played extremely hard to get to this point. When he plays that way, I think he inspires the whole group.”
Inspiration was evident in Crosby’s approach the next day when he attended an optional Penguins practice.
The Cole Harbour, N.S., native was joined on the ice by scratches and one other regular, fourth-liner Eric Fehr. He was among the first out and lingered afterwards to refine his shot and faceoff skills.
“I don’t think he’s as good as he is by accident,” Sullivan said. “As long as I’ve been associated with this league, I don’t know that I’ve been around a player that has the same work ethic as Sid does as far as that insatiable appetite to just try to get better and be the best. I think that’s why he’s as good as he is.
“I think it also sets a standard for our team when your captain and your top player brings a work ethic to the rink every day like he does,” added Sullivan. “He certainly makes my job as the head coach a lot easier as far as demanding the type of standard we need to in order to be successful.”
It was the stuff of mythology and the legend only grew the next day when Crosby called the shot that would give the Penguins a Game 2 overtime victory, again on a goal by Sheary.
“Sid came up to me before the draw and told me to line up on the wall,” Sheary said after the 2-1 win. “We hadn’t really done that before. He said he’s going to win it back and (Kris Letang) is going to find me in the soft area there.”
The play transpired as scripted.
Crosby beat Joel Ward on the draw, pushed it back to Letang who found Sheary in precisely the “soft area” Crosby imagined.
The only thing he left out, Sheary said, was that the shot would go in.
Sharks centre Logan Couture ignited a firestorm when he said after the game that Crosby cheated on faceoffs, the media-driven chatter overshadowing Crosby’s perfectly executed play.
“He’s just better than everyone else,” San Jose winger Tommy Wingels said of Crosby. “His vision out there, his work ethic, his skills, his passing, his commitment to both offence and defence, he’s just a complete player so you always have to know where he is out there.”
Facing Crosby requires extra vigilance and ever-changing tactics, Wingels said. He could make you out-think your plan of attack. Defend him one way and he’s smart enough to adjust accordingly.
“Maybe certain situations you’re really aggressive, certain situations you play body, others you focus on your stick,” Wingels said. “You’ve kind of got to show (players like him) different avenues because a guy like him he’ll read on you quickly.”
Crosby, who had two assists in the Cup-clinching Game 6 victory, says he doesn’t compare his feats to those of other hockey greats. He just tries to be his best and hope that’s enough.
What Crosby seems to recognize is his place as one cog, albeit an incomparably important one for the Penguins, in the complex wheel of a team. To win, his efforts have to be compounded by strong play from others, much as it has this spring with those like winger Phil Kessel and 22-year-old goalie Matt Murray emerging alongside trusted veterans like Letang and Evgeni Malkin.
Crosby’s seven-year road back here was rocky. A handful of playoff disappointments. A pair of fired coaches. The grim uncertainty of a concussion that left his career in doubt. A broken jaw.
And now a second Stanley Cup.
“I don’t think there’s any storyline it has to follow as long as you can get back there and win,” Crosby said. “That’s all that matters.”
