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Post by lm on Apr 15, 2014 22:11:22 GMT -5
NHL Playoffs: Sidney Crosby has carried Pittsburgh Penguins this far. Can he carry them to another Stanley Cup?Stephen Whyno, Canadian Press | April 15, 2014 5:12 PM ET sports.nationalpost.com/2014/04/15/nhl-playoffs-sidney-crosby-has-carried-pittsburgh-penguins-this-far-can-he-carry-them-to-another-stanley-cup/ Sidney Crosby won his first Stanley Cup and at age 21 and his first of two Olympic gold medals at 22. This season, he led the Pittsburgh Penguins to a division title, won the scoring race and is favoured to be the NHL’s most valuable player. Yet that’s not enough. “He’s really got this essence about him … that makes him constantly feel like where he is, is one step behind where he’s going and where he needs to be,” trainer Andy O’Brien said. “I think it’s just a real unique quality that makes him Sidney Crosby.” Crosby earned his second Olympic gold in Sochi three months ago, but now he’s almost five full years removed from the first and only Cup he has ever won. He insists these playoffs don’t feel any different that previous years, only now he has experienced more spring disappointments since 2009. “Just because you want to do it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Crosby said of winning the Stanley Cup. “I think that makes you appreciate it, but at the same time, it motivates you to know that as much as you can kind of put forward to give yourself that chance, give your team that chance, you’ve got to do that.” Crosby tends to be at his best when his team needs it, something evidenced by his 104-point season while the Penguins dealt with injuries to Evgeni Malkin, Pascal Dupuis and James Neal, among others. The 26-year-old Cole Harbour, N.S., native had a direct part in a league-leading 43% of Pittsburgh’s goals on the way to first place in the new Metropolitan Division. Crosby doesn’t know if this has been his best season — he won the Hart Trophy in 2006-07 with 120 points — but he is proud of staying healthy and being consistent. Teammates can’t help but be impressed. “His expectations are so high, but he’s been able to be so consistent and he’s been able play [almost] every game, and that’s not sometimes easy when guys are checking him hard and stuff like that,” forward Jussi Jokinen said. “I think just for being so consistent and being part of so many key goals and key plays for our hockey team has been fun to watch.” Crosby isn’t much for labels like best player in the world — “it’s different for everybody what they see.” It seems his mind has to tick like that, even while confident, because it’s not hard for him to find things he can improve. “It’s not at all. I feel like there’s always something you can improve on, always something you can learn,” Crosby said after a recent morning skate in Pittsburgh. “That’s kind of the fun part. I think as a player it’s more about what you can learn and how often you can kind of bring that each and every night. I think that’s kind of the challenge for everybody.”  The challenge for opponents is matching that, as Crosby tries to follow in the lead of players like Steve Yzerman, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, who made a habit of trying to get better as their careers progressed. That’s easier said than done because of what a lot of people around the game like to call “hockey I.Q.” Crosby is just a step ahead. “He’s not thinking out there,” former Philadelphia Flyers defenceman and Canadian Olympic teammate Chris Pronger said. “He’s already ahead of you. He’s already seen the play four plays ahead. He already knows where he’s going. You don’t.” Add to that Crosby’s powerful stride and ability and willingness to play defence and he’s quite the handful. “He’s a well-rounded player, which makes him harder to play against because normally you can frustrate the offensive guys when you force them to play defence,” Pronger said. “They don’t want to.” O’Brien, a Toronto-based trainer who also works with NHLers Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, John Tavares and Canadian national-champion figure skater Patrick Chan, has known Crosby since he was a teenager and sees a person mindful of the “opportunity he has in front of his mind all the time.” “That weighs into every decision that he makes,” O’Brien said. “If somebody invites him for a golf game, the first thing he thinks of is: ‘Is that going to interfere with my workout the next day? Am I going to be tired? Am I going to be dehydrated?’ And he may take the steps and make those sacrifices to make sure that he’s prepared at everything he does.” Crosby is again prepared, this time for the Penguins to go into the playoffs against the Columbus Blue Jackets as one of the favourites to come out of the Eastern Conference. They’re in that spot in large part because what was been able to accomplish during the regular season. But as much as he’s counted on by coach Dan Bylsma and the rest of the team, Crosby doesn’t consider that a reason to feel a heavier burden on his shoulders. “I don’t know if because I’ve had a good regular season if that changes the expectations in the playoffs or not. I think they’re there,” he said. “I’ve had a good year. I don’t really gauge the height of the expectations. I feel like they’re high and I think the main thing is I put them pretty high for myself, anyway. … “I think that as far as I’m concerned, I need to make sure that I play well that time of year. That’s the most important time of the year for the team.”
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Post by toya on Apr 28, 2014 13:12:57 GMT -5
blog.triblive.com/chipped-ice/2014/04/26/yohe-the-truth-about-crosby-and-leadership/#axzz2zpW4qGfpYohe: The truth about Crosby and leadership April 26, 2014 by Josh Yohe Good afternoon, During the past 72 hours, I have literally received dozens of emails and Tweets about one specific topic: Sidney Crosby’s poor leadership skills. It seems that, in this era, if you go four straight playoff games without scoring a goal – and going back to last postseason, it’s actually been nine straight for Crosby – you’re a poor leader. Crosby does deserve a heavy dose of criticism regarding his recent play. There is no question about this. His leadership, however, isn’t really an issue. In fact, suggesting that Crosby is a poor leader is merely a lazy excuse for his recent play. I’m one of few people who cover Crosby daily, so I think I’m pretty well equipped to analyze his leadership skills. Here’s what I see. = Crosby is always one of the first players on the ice at practice, and is always one of the last players off the ice. His work ethic is rarely exceeded by fourth liners in practice, let alone star players. He consistently sets a good example. Many young players – Olli Maatta in particularly – have told me stories this season about Crosby taking them aside to make sure they understand the system and their respective roles in certain situations. = Crosby isn’t especially vocal by nature. Neither was Mario Lemieux. And like Lemieux, Crosby isn’t a phony. He doesn’t run his mouth daily to the press or speak to teammates so regularly that it becomes a bore. However, a number of players have commented to me this season that Crosby has spoken up at appropriate times, more than in other seasons. Crosby, in response to a question from my colleague, Rob Rossi, while we were in Columbus, said he will speak when something needs to be said in regards to the Penguins’ troubles with the Blue Jackets. = Crosby, unlike many of his teammates, has never backed down from dealing with the media following difficult losses. A handful of Penguins typically speak following losses. Only a handful. Crosby is always in that handful. Yes, he’s the captain, but trust me when I tell you that all captains don’t speak after games. Or even before games. Crosby never backs down from the heat. = It is commonly believed that true “leaders” in hockey score big goals in big games. I don’t really buy this theory, but in case you do, let’s look at this objectively. Who scored the gold medal game-winning goal in Vancouver? Who scored on a breakaway in the gold medal game-winning goal in Sochi? Who pumped life into the 2008 Stanley Cup Final against Detroit by scoring twice in his first home Stanley Cup Final game? Who scored the game-winner and set up another in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, the game that told the Penguins they were better than the Red Wings? The game-winner in a shootout in the first ever Winter Classic? Or, how about the opening goal in Game 7 in Washington in 2009? Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Yeah, almost all of those moments were five years ago.” This might be true. But the clutch gene – call it leadership if you must – doesn’t arrive in waves at age 21 and then suddenly disappear. = Back in March, on during the trade deadline period, I was with the Penguins in San Jose. On the morning following the trades, most of the Penguins were on their way back to the team hotel. Word had spread that Lee Stempniak and Marcel Goc were mere minutes away from arriving at HP Pavilion. Most players, creatures of habit on game days, went about their business of leaving for the team hotel. Crosby, however, still needing to shower and head back to the hotel, waited patiently outside of the locker room until the new players arrived. He wanted to make sure they were immediately welcomed by the team’s captain upon arriving. But, you know, Crosby hasn’t scored this series. So, he’s a bad leader. Right. Here’s what I think … I think Crosby is dealing with confidence issues now. It’s rare for a 26-year-old, future Hall-of-Famer to stop believing in himself, but maybe we’re seeing some of that right now. And there might be a reason. Crosby has never been the same player since sustaining a life-altering concussion in 2011. You all know the story. Crosby is finally healthy again, but his style is a little different now. He’s still great, still the world’s finest player. No one is disputing that. But his game is a little different now, a little less reliable. Crosby was once a bulldog who would charge to the net numerous times a game. We don’t see that so much anymore. He’s still great on the boards, but he hasn’t “Spezza’d” anyone in a while, has he? No, he hasn’t. He’s more of a perimeter player now. He prefers to stay at the top of the right circle on the power play now where, frankly, he isn’t as good as his natural habitat, down by the goal line. Why has he turned the puck over so much on the power play lately? Because playing that perimeter game doesn’t come as naturally to him, and because it’s more high-risk by nature. He’s not terrible at this style of game, obviously. He easily won a scoring title playing this way. His reinvented game is still wonderful. But in the playoffs, pretty goals don’t really exist. Crosby the bulldog scored so many of his goals in those dirty areas, and while he doesn’t dodge the dirty areas, he doesn’t seem to dominate them the way he once did. So, if you choose to be critical of Crosby the hockey player, go right ahead. It might be deserved. But criticizing his leadership skills is more ignorant than anything. Jonathan Toews is a great leader because he scored that overtime goal against St. Louis last night, right? Well, how do you explain Toews scoring exactly one goal in Chicago’s first 20 postseason games last season? Does this mean Toews was being a bad leader last season? What if Detroit would have beaten the Blackhawks in overtime of Game 7 last season, with Toews finishing with one goal in 13 playoff games that spring? How would the hockey world have judged him then? Crosby’s legacy is on the line beginning tonight. He’s a Hall of Fame lock, and clearly the best player of his generation. If he wants to someday be in a class with Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Rocket Richard – you know, the best players who ever lived – then he needs more championships, and need to start scoring against teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets. We all know this. Crosby knows this. Calling him out is completely fair. But let’s call it like it is. This isn’t about leadership. In fact, leadership in sports is such of a stupid concept. It barely exists. Teams on the same page, teams with talent, teams willing to work hard, are the teams that usually win. Leadership? It’s just a made-up word, especially in hockey. Broadcasters always talk about “great leadership” after someone scores a goal. Really? Maybe great players just score goals sometimes, and the idea of leadership doesn’t really factor into the equation. Is blocking a shot a sign of leadership? Is sacrificing your stats for the betterment of the team a sign of leadership? That’s more like it, if you want to make an argument. But Crosby is paid to score and set up goals. And he’s not doing that right now, so he’s a bad leader? Sorry, I don’t buy it. Rather, this is a great player who has temporarily and slightly – check out his number since December – lost his way. I suspect he will find his way, maybe even tonight. Great players always do. And if he does score tonight and lead the Penguins past the Blue Jackets, will that make him a great leader again? - Yohe Read more: blog.triblive.com/chipped-ice/2014/04/26/yohe-the-truth-about-crosby-and-leadership/#ixzz30CpyQ6GpFollow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
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Post by pucksandchucks on Jun 10, 2014 14:53:00 GMT -5
Wayne Gretzky stands up for Sidney Crosby
By Mike Brophy Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 | 01:26 PMSidney Crosby was the first to admit he did not play well in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hey, it happens. Wayne Gretzky, considered by many to be the greatest player in hockey history, is not worried about Sid the Kid at all. Gretzky took his lumps during his career and survived, and reckons Crosby will do the same. "That's part of being the go-to guy," Gretzky said. "You get to hold your hands out and accept the flowers when you are successful and you'd better be able to stand there and take the heat when things aren't going your way." After leading the NHL in scoring with 36 goals and 104 points in 80 regular-season games, Crosby looked tired and worn down in the playoffs, during which his Pittsburgh Penguins were bounced in the second round by the New York Rangers, losing in seven games after holding a 3-1 series lead. Crosby managed just one goal and nine points in 13 post-season games. "Sidney has played a lot of hockey over the past four years, maybe more emotional hockey than any player in the history of the National Hockey League," Gretzky said. "He has been in the Stanley Cup final ... the Stanley Cup playoffs ... maybe the biggest game in Canadian international hockey; an overtime game and he scored the winner. "He went to Russia, the first time we sent our best players to Russia since 1972. And to play the way Canada did, at the level it did, it's tough. "It's mentally draining. I think it's more mentally draining than it is physically draining because these guys are in such great shape. "He'll be fine. A couple of months off and he'll bounce back." 'Proud that he stood up' Crosby faced his critics after the Penguins were eliminated and didn't sings the blues. "I was really proud that he stood up and said he didn't play great and he wasn't hurt," Gretzky said. "I'm kind of tired to listening to players at the end of the playoffs making excuses that they weren't physically at 100 per cent because nobody is. "Everybody plays with injuries. One year, Kevin Lowe played the entire playoffs with a cast on his wrist with a broken wrist. "That's part of it. This time of year, you hope you can overcome that exhaustion by the emotion and excitement."
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Post by jordyn on Jun 23, 2014 20:38:24 GMT -5
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Post by ladylucky17 on Jul 13, 2014 19:45:37 GMT -5
I didn't know where to put this, but I guess I'll throw it in here.
I've always been curious.... Does anyone know what Sid's parents did for a living before he went to the NHL??
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Snarky
Snarky's Group
I solemnly swear I am up to no good :)
Posts: 370 
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Post by Snarky on Jul 13, 2014 19:59:27 GMT -5
I do believe his mother worked as a cashier at a grocery store and his dad was the facilities manager at a law firm (which I assume means he was in charge of the janitorial/maintenance).
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Post by lm on Jul 17, 2014 19:54:17 GMT -5
 TBT |
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molly
Rookie
I'm a Calgary Flames fan but I also like the Penguins and the Stars. I watch Canadian football.
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Post by molly on Jul 23, 2014 14:30:01 GMT -5
This isn't actually an article, but a remembrance from a local hockey radio/tv play-by-play and reporter guy who interviewed Brandon Sutter in Red Deer last week. After the Brandon interview reporter was remembering all the times he had met and talked to Sid over the years. He recalled the first time, when Sid was probably about 13 years old. Reporter recalled that at one tournament, Hockey Canada had a specific PR person assigned to Sid because so many media people wanted to talk to him. He was so busy doing media that Hockey Canada finally cut Sid's access and told the media he would no longer be available. Trouble is, they forgot to tell Sid. One day after a practice he wandered into a meeting room, where reporter was packing up or getting ready for a broadcast and said, "Is anybody asking for me?" Reporter, thinking quick, said, "Yes, I am." He had quite a chat with Sid, talking a lot about all the pressure on him away from hockey. At age 13, he already knew that expectation was big and he accepted it as part of the price he had to pay to play hockey. He didn't complain or wish it was different; it was part of the life he was choosing and he was willing, right from the start, to put up with it. I know he still says that, but I sometimes wonder if he wishes it was different for him. He makes me think of the book The Portrait of Dorian Gray, about a guy who sells his soul to the devil so he can stay young forever.
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Post by lm on Jul 23, 2014 18:45:10 GMT -5
This isn't actually an article, but a remembrance from a local hockey radio/tv play-by-play and reporter guy who interviewed Brandon Sutter in Red Deer last week. After the Brandon interview reporter was remembering all the times he had met and talked to Sid over the years. He recalled the first time, when Sid was probably about 13 years old. Reporter recalled that at one tournament, Hockey Canada had a specific PR person assigned to Sid because so many media people wanted to talk to him. He was so busy doing media that Hockey Canada finally cut Sid's access and told the media he would no longer be available. Trouble is, they forgot to tell Sid. One day after a practice he wandered into a meeting room, where reporter was packing up or getting ready for a broadcast and said, "Is anybody asking for me?" Reporter, thinking quick, said, "Yes, I am." He had quite a chat with Sid, talking a lot about all the pressure on him away from hockey. At age 13, he already knew that expectation was big and he accepted it as part of the price he had to pay to play hockey. He didn't complain or wish it was different; it was part of the life he was choosing and he was willing, right from the start, to put up with it. I know he still says that, but I sometimes wonder if he wishes it was different for him. He makes me think of the book The Portrait of Dorian Gray, about a guy who sells his soul to the devil so he can stay young forever. I agree. He takes the responsibility of being in the NHL and the face of the league so seriously - it is almost like he made a deal with the hockey gods when he was young that if they let him be in the NHL he'd take everything that went with it. We all do that but he actually followed through. The only thing that makes me feel better is that it will never be more intense for him than it is right now at his prime. Whatever he does when he's retired the spotlight will never be as bad as this. It'll never go away though. |
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Post by lm on Jul 26, 2014 19:24:17 GMT -5
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Post by pucksandchucks on Aug 7, 2014 14:23:13 GMT -5
Rossi - A birthday wish for Crosby The lowest level of the Pittsburgh airport is where Sidney Crosby first experienced his NHL home. Clear on that Day 1 was that he was a lot more ready for this chapter of his life than we were. Clearer was that he had already known what it was like to be peoples’ reason for happiness, and that he might get to know theirs more than his own. Surely on that day he could see the mass of reporters that awaited him. There were at least a couple of dozen of us. The Arrival was witnessed as he took an escalator ride to retrieve baggage and meet Penguins brass. Certainly he would think us mad. Some of us were. I may have been. Most of The Arrival I cannot remember, though there is this: Backed almost against a wall by a semicircle of reporters, looking into the bright light of a wall of camera lights, a teenager anointed as a savior seemed to already know the best – if not most interesting – answer to every question that came his way. Within 15 minutes he had won over most of the room. Within 25 he had shaken hands with everybody in it. Within 45 he was gone, off to take that magical ride we Pittsburghers take for granted. The guess is that Crosby remembers one thing most about his first day in Pittsburgh. Not the airport media scrum, but the wow-gosh wonder that hits everybody the first time this city appears from the orange glow of the Fort Pitt Tunnels. Crosby turns 27 today. People that claim to know him say he has not changed, but I suspect they are wrong. I also suspect the only people that really know him are the ones that have before he became the Sidney Crosby that belongs to a hockey world. Perhaps a life in the spotlight hasn’t hardened him, but I do wonder how much he has enjoyed being Sidney Crosby these past few years. I suspect he would prefer to just be. Claiming to know anything is stupid for a journalist. It invites retraction. Allow me to play the fool, please. Crosby will be the athlete about whom I am telling people for the rest of my life. This is not because he has granted me special access. This is not because we have developed a special working relationship. This is not because of a goal he has scored, a play he has made or a championship he has won. This is because from The Arrival to now and through his last shift in the NHL, Crosby will have been the most popular, hated, scrutinized and important player in his sport – and being able to contribute to that narrative is simply my having been in the right place at the right time. It is also one that I have never taken for granted, even in the worst of times since The Arrival. There have been worst of times, too. However, there have been some pretty good ones, as well. Best to keep most of them to myself. On this birthday, I wish Crosby the one thing I am not sure he has yet found: happiness that is his own.
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Post by jordyn on Aug 14, 2014 20:32:04 GMT -5
This may not be the right place to put this, but I wasn't sure where it should go. This is an article about Sid helping an MMA fighter from Cole Harbour dealing with a concussion. www.sportsnet.ca/mma/ufc/sidney-crosby-reached-out-to-concussed-ufc-star-tj-grant/“[Crosby] got in touch with me through a mutual friend,” Grant explained. “Nice guy, reached out, gave me some information and kind of told me about his situation and he recommended I go check this place out. I’m really appreciative of him taking the time. I know he’s a busy guy. It meant a lot. “We’re just a few years apart in age and grew up in the same town, so you just kind of know some of the same people and he took the time to reach out. It speaks a lot to the kind of human he is.” |
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Post by fergie on Aug 15, 2014 19:59:13 GMT -5
ttp://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/sidney-crosby-says-right-wrist-healing-well-1.2738166
Sidney Crosby says right wrist healing well
Centre looking forward to meeting new faces at training camp
Pittsburgh Penguins star centre Sidney Crosby's right wrist appears to be on the road to recovery.
The reigning National Hockey League MVP said Friday he's pleased with the way his wrist has responded to treatment over the summer and is anxious for training camp to begin as the Penguins try to recover from their second-round collapse in the playoffs.
"It's good," Crosby said. "You want to see how things progress throughout the summer once you start skating and get back to that regular routine. You want to see how it reacts so I'm happy with the way it's gone."
Crosby led the NHL with 108 points on his way to a second Hart Trophy as the league's top player, but scored just one goal in 13 playoff games as Pittsburgh fell to the New York Rangers in seven games after blowing a 3-1 lead. He insisted in the aftermath he was healthy only to reveal he'd been dealing with the wrist for the latter part of the season.
The 27-year-old considered surgery before opting to wait and see if further treatment would produce the desired results. He looked just fine skating alongside fellow NHLers Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, Jonathan Tavares and Kyle Okposo of the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs' David Clarkson under the direction of trainer Matt Belfry.
Crosby likened the workouts to "hockey school" because it allows players to focus on fundamentals and individual skill work, an opportunity the long slog through the regular season doesn't often provide.
"It's just refreshing things, relearning things as you can," Crosby said.
Front-office restructuring
When Crosby returns to Pittsburgh before camp begins next month, he'll find the landscape far different than the one he left in May. The team fired general manager Ray Shero and coach Dan Bylsma as part of a massive front office restructuring after the franchise failed for the fifth straight season to reach the Stanley Cup final.
The Penguins tabbed former Carolina GM Jim Rutherford to replace Shero. Rutherford went through a lengthy coaching search before settling on Mike Johnston, whose first job running the show in the NHL will be in a crucible where any spring that doesn't end with a championship is a disappointment.
"We're going to have some new faces in the dressing room trying to get that momentum and get a fresh start," Crosby said. "We're not happy with the way things ended last year."
Crosby doesn't believe the expectations need to change even though defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen and all-star forward James Neal left in the offseason.
"The organization is committed to winning," Crosby said. "We have opportunities as players to be successful every year. As far as the team is concerned, I think we're in a great position to win every year. We'll do our best to do our part."
The camp also gave Crosby a chance to hang out with rookie of the year and good friend Nathan MacKinnon. Both former No. 1 overall picks hail from Cole Harbour, N.S.
Crosby is well versed in what it takes to cope with being deemed a franchise saviour, not that MacKinnon needs much help after scoring 63 points and helping the Avalanche back to the postseason for the first time in four years. "I can relate to a lot of things he's going through," Crosby said. "He's handled it pretty well. You see the way he's playing the first year with the Calder Trophy. He's just going to get better. It's a matter of being there for him."
© The Associated Press, 2014
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Post by lm on Sept 8, 2014 18:30:11 GMT -5
Sidney Crosby has something to prove
NEW YORK -- In a season of unprecedented change in Pittsburgh, it would seem that nothing is a given. Not even the presence of Chris Kunitz skating along captain Sidney Crosby's left side as he has for the past three or four seasons.
Rookie head coach Mike Johnston, who takes over for longtime head coach Dan Bylsma -- who was fired in the offseason -- might well keep one of the most productive forward pairs in recent years skating together, but Crosby isn't taking anything for granted. But the defending Hart Trophy winner as league MVP told ESPN.com Monday that he's looking forward to the challenge that the team's changes will bring when training camp opens in less than two weeks.
"I think the thing that I take from the changes and all that stuff is coming into this camp, probably for the first time in a long time is everyone has something to prove, and whether Kunie and I play together," Crosby said. "[W]e don't know that and it’s up to us to go and kind of earn that right and basically prove ourselves individually and see kind of where they see us fitting in.
"But I think that can probably be a good thing for us.
"You kind of need that hunger and you need everyone to compete, and I think that gets the best out of everyone."
The Penguins were upended in the second round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers in spite of owning a 3-1 series lead.
It marked the fifth straight season in which the talented Penguins were knocked off by a lower seed in the playoffs. The loss cost GM Ray Shero and Bylsma their jobs, and high-scoring winger James Neal was dealt to Nashville at the draft for Nick Spaling and Patric Hornqvist.
Top defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen both signed with the Washington Capitals as free agents.
New GM Jim Rutherford brought in Christian Ehrhoff and forward Steve Downie to plug some of those holes as the Penguins set about trying to redefine their identity and become more difficult to play against.
But Crosby insisted the changes aren’t so much about altering the third and fourth lines because no one knows for sure who will end up skating on those lines.
"So, talking about that bottom six, I don't think anyone can sit here and tell you exactly the third and fourth lines are going to look like," Crosby said. "You might have some ideas but there are some open spots there and it’ll be up to guys to kind of show and prove where they fit."
As for the wrist injury that secretly plagued the Penguins captain during the playoffs, he refused to offer that up as an excuse for delivering only one goal in 13 postseason games. The wrist did not require surgery and is now completely healed.
"I think that everyone deals with stuff in the playoffs, so to kind of sit here and blame that, like why I only had one goal, I’m not going to sit here and blame my wrist," Crosby said. "I think that as far as faceoffs and that kind of thing, there was some challenging things I had to try and kind of fix that way and get around having to do certain things.
"But that's something that everyone has to kind of deal with," he added. "I'm not going to use that as an excuse. I think everybody has to deal with certain things. It’s something that unfortunately that I had to go through."
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Post by jordyn on Sept 11, 2014 19:56:53 GMT -5
www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2014/09/11/Sidney-Crosby-dealing-with-changes/stories/201409110269
Sidney Crosby dealing with changes
By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
He is not, Sidney Crosby admits, particularly fond of change. He prefers things to be stable and familiar and predictable. But he also understands that failure and disappointment have a price. And that sometimes, it can be steep. While Crosby didn’t necessarily anticipate an offseason quite as chaotic as the one the Penguins experienced this summer — when general manager Ray Shero, coach Dan Bylsma and assistant coaches Tony Granato and Todd Reirden were fired and a number of established players left the organization — he figured a fifth consecutive playoff loss to a lower-seeded opponent might have major repercussions. “I knew, obviously, everyone wasn’t pleased with the way things happened,” Crosby said after an informal workout Wednesday at Consol Energy Center. “At that point, you don’t know what’s going to happen and you know there are going to be changes, but to what extent, I didn’t really even think about it. “I knew everyone was going to have to answer for it, so to speak. It’s just something you have to deal with when you don’t win, and the expectation is [high]. It’s never a fun time.” Bylsma has been replaced by Mike Johnston, who will be Crosby’s fourth coach in the NHL. He broke in under Eddie Olczyk before playing for Michel Therrien and Bylsma. His relationship with Johnston is in its embryonic stages, but Crosby seems impressed by the way Johnston has approached his first few months on the job, citing the new coach’s “calm demeanor” and the way he has tried to connect with his new players in the offseason. “We’ve met a couple of times,” Crosby said. “I think he just wants to get to know all the guys as much as he can. “Hockey is all the same language once you get on the ice, but I think he wants to get to know guys personally. It was great by him to do that.” How Johnston will mesh with his personnel, including Crosby, on a professional level remains to be seen. It also is impossible to predict the exact impact newcomers such as defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, forwards Patric Hornqvist, Steve Downie, Blake Comeau and Nick Spaling, and goalie Thomas Greiss will have in the 2014-15 season. Crosby said he expects all to make meaningful contributions “in their own way,” but pointed to Hornqvist as one who might prove to be an especially valuable addition. “When you think of playoffs and grit, I think Hornqvist is a guy who’s really tough around the net, competes really hard,” Crosby said. “That’s the way we all need to play. “The more guys who compete and battle for every inch out there, the more chance you’re going to have good results. The way he competes every night, if we have a lot of guys doing the same thing every night, you give yourself a pretty good chance.” Although the Penguins haven’t reached the Stanley Cup final since winning a Cup in 2009, Crosby said he doesn’t think they’re “very far, to be honest” from competing for a championship. “We definitely have to find a way to get over that hump and be more of a playoff team,” he said. “We did a really good job a couple of years ago of getting to the [2013] conference final, then didn’t raise our game to that next level when we needed to, when teams get better and better with each round.” The Penguins, he said, must learn to raise their play when the stakes go up — “Elevating your game when it needs to be elevated is something that winning teams, that’s a characteristic they have” — and he suggested that perhaps the franchise’s summer of upheaval will make that possible. “I’m a guy who doesn’t like change,” Crosby said. “It’s never easy. But, when I look back at different experiences I’ve had, sometimes change has ended up working out to be pretty good.”
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Post by jordyn on Sept 11, 2014 19:59:45 GMT -5
This is an article about Nathan MacKinnon, but it gives some insight about Sid, his training and his relationship with Nate. sports.yahoo.com/news/nathan-mackinnon-wants-to-be--dominant--after-spending-summer-training-with-sidney-crosby-200325764-nhl.htmlNathan MacKinnon wants to be 'dominant' after spending summer training with Sidney CrosbyBy Nicholas J. Cotsonika In the gym and on the ice, the kid would let The Kid go first. Nathan MacKinnon would watch Sidney Crosby start whatever exercise or drill they were doing. He would study his technique. He would study his intensity. And then he would try to match them. But on the hill, it was a race to the top. “I’m sure he’d say it, too,” MacKinnon said, smiling. “I’d beat him pretty bad running up the hill. That’s something where I’d push him. On the track or running up hills, I’m pretty quick, I guess. He gets pretty fired up. He’s got these short, wide legs, and I’ve got these long legs.” Laugh. “He uses that as an excuse sometimes.” For so long, MacKinnon has followed Crosby. He grew up in the same place (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia). He attended the same school (Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.). He went in the same spot in the NHL draft (No. 1 overall), going to the Colorado Avalanche in 2013 after Crosby went to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005. Now he shares the same trainer (Andy O’Brien). View gallery . After claiming the Calder Trophy, MacKinnon spent the summer working out with Hart Trophy winner Sidney Crosby. … They spent this summer side by side – MacKinnon, the reigning winner of the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year; Crosby, the reigning winner of the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. They worked out together in Los Angeles and Halifax and Estero, Fla., and Vail, Colo., and they formed a deeper bond. MacKinnon, who turned 19 on Sept. 1, seems like a younger brother. He looks up to Crosby, who turned 27 on Aug. 7. He copies him. He competes with him. He loves to beat him up the hill and razz him about being over the hill someday. “When you see a guy three, four times a week and on weekends and stuff – hang out, get dinners all the time – you become close with him,” MacKinnon said. “Or you hate the guy, I guess.” Laugh. “We’re pretty good friends,” MacKinnon continued. “I try to keep him young, because when he’s 30, 33 or whatever, I’ll be in my prime. He says he’s nervous for that.” MacKinnon said he added about 12 or 13 pounds of muscle while keeping his body fat the same, about 6 or 7 percent. He’s listed at 195 pounds but said he weighs about 208 now. Scary thought for the rest of the NHL, considering how explosive he was before filling into his body. “Having to chase him around on the ice has probably been a good thing for me, too,” said Crosby, looking as chiseled as ever himself. “He’s pretty eager and full of energy.” * * * * * MacKinnon made it look so easy. He entered the NHL at 18 – a young 18. He moved in with veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere and lived out of a suitcase for weeks, until his mom visited and unpacked for him. He would forget to bring a toothbrush and toothpaste on the road. He would need his teammates to get him to the bus on time. Yet he racked up 24 goals and 63 points, leading rookies in scoring, showing off tremendous speed and skill. He went on a 13-game point streak, breaking the NHL record for 18-year-olds set in 1979-80 by … Wayne Gretzky. His teammates teased him by calling him “Wayne” or “Wayner.” That made him uncomfortable. At first. “He would never say, ‘I’m Wayne,’ or anything like that,” said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. “But I think he liked it a little bit.” Why wouldn’t he? “It was cool,” MacKinnon said. “It was the only Gretzky record I’ll ever break.” View gallery . MacKinnon got his first taste of the NHL playoffs last spring, bowing out in first round versus Minnesota. (AP … MacKinnon can come off so casual, so oblivious, like he doesn’t realize this is the real world, this is the NHL and this is supposed to be hard. He doesn’t seem to worry. He doesn’t seem to overthink. He doesn’t seem to feel pressure. “When he was in the midst of breaking Gretzky’s record, he could have easily taken a step back and been thinking about, ‘What am I really doing here? This is crazy,’ ” Landeskog said. “But Nate-style, he just keeps going and just keeps going and just plays, and he’s so relaxed. It’s great, and it rubs off on all of us. It’s that swagger that you need to be a great player.” But MacKinnon will tell you it wasn’t as easy as it looked, and he didn’t have as much swagger as it seemed. He was unhappy with his start (three goals in 23 games), even though he could have made excuses in addition to his age: He bounced from position to position, playing all three forward spots, and never had consistent linemates. “I don’t think I was playing with much confidence,” MacKinnon said. “I was scared to make plays, scared to mess up. The switch kind of flipped after Christmas. I just figured I need to start playing my game.” Although he felt he played well in the middle of the season, he was unhappy with his finish (two goals in 24 games). “I don’t think it was as good a season as everybody’s saying it was,” he said. “Obviously I had to learn some stuff. There were a few bumps in the road. … “I expect more out of me. I feel like I can really take the next step this season. I had a year of growth, but now I need to prove that I can be a dominant player in the league more than last year.” * * * * * MacKinnon trained with Crosby a little bit last summer. They did some running on the track. They skated. But this summer, they did a lot more together, especially in the gym. Two weeks in Los Angeles. About two months in Halifax, with a week in Florida and a finale in Colorado. O’Brien has several NHL clients and designs a program for each individual, tailored to his needs and goals. Crosby was trying to cut weight. MacKinnon was trying to put on weight. Some days, they did their own thing. But for the most part, they did the same thing. View gallery . Look out, NHL: MacKinnon is bigger, stronger and more confident heading into his second pro season. (USA Today … In the gym, they would train in a skating position – lunges, squats. They would do a lot on a single leg. “Because in a game,” MacKinnon said, “you’re never really on two feet.” You need to train the muscles the way they will be used. “Our trainer’s so smart,” MacKinnon said. “Obviously with Sid, he’s been working with him for 12, 13 years, whatever it’s been. He’s so good at everything. You see on the ice how low he is, how powerful. He’s the best in the world. I just try to keep up in the gym.” Outdoors, they would sprint on the track and climb the hill. On the ice, they would do a lot of hand drills, and they would work on body positioning. A key to Crosby’s game is how he buzzes down low. He and MacKinnon would practice getting in front of defensemen, keeping them on their backs, protecting the puck. “I like training with somebody – especially Sidney Crosby,” MacKinnon said. “He’s such a workhorse in the gym. I just try to follow that. … “He’s always doing extra stuff. He’s always on the treadmill. Even after a tough workout, he’ll be running. Even before, he’ll get there early. It pushes me to do the same thing.” MacKinnon did extra on his own, too. He hasn’t gotten a place yet – he’s still so young he’s living with his parents in Halifax and will live with veteran Max Talbot in Denver this season – but he built a deck in his folks’ backyard. The deck faces trees and a lake, but it wasn’t for relaxation. “It’s a cool view when I shoot,” MacKinnon said. MacKinnon would take a bucket of 100 pucks and fire at a beat-up goal (until he got a new one), trying to score on the cutout of a goalie, working on fundamentals. He put up netting to keep stray pucks from flying into the water. He’d be out there a couple of hours a day, as if he were 9, imagining he was an NHL star, not 19, an NHL star already. “I felt like I really improved this off-season,” MacKinnon said. “I feel great. I think I’m going to make the next step this season.” |
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Post by lm on Sept 16, 2014 10:00:42 GMT -5
www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=730156&navid=nhl:topheadsCrosby ready after summer of change for Penguins Tuesday, 09.16.2014 / 3:00 AM / Five Questions With… By Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior Writer Five Questions With…Sidney Crosby returned to Pittsburgh last week, joined his teammates on the ice for informal practices leading up to the start of training camp this week and then proclaimed his wrist healthy and himself ready to start the 2014-15 season. When the captain arrived in town most everything around him looked familiar save for a few new teammates, except so much about his Pittsburgh Penguins has changed. The Penguins have a new general manager (Jim Rutherford), a new coach (Mike Johnston), new assistant coaches (Rick Tocchet and Gary Agnew), and a new philosophy about how to play and how to make their way through the 82-game grind that is the NHL's regular season. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby says his wrist is healthy and he's ready for the season, one that features a new coach, general manager and philosophy after an offseason shakeup. (Photo: Andre Ringuette/NHLI, Joe Sargent/NHLI) A lot of what Crosby and his teammates did under former coach Dan Bylsma and former general manager Ray Shero now has to change. The Penguins still can be called the favorite to finish first in the Metropolitan Division, but how they go about trying to win their third consecutive regular-season division title will be different. Crosby touched on the new philosophy in Pittsburgh, Johnston and the team in an interview with NHL.com during the League's annual Player Media Tour in New York last week. I have heard you say that the team needs to enjoy the process of the regular season more than it has. I have also heard that come from other sources, including Jim Rutherford and Mike Johnston. How, in Pittsburgh, where all that matters is what you do come playoff time, can you enjoy the process of the regular season more? Doesn't everybody care only about what the Penguins do in the playoffs?"It's not easy to win. You have to enjoy competing and not necessarily welcome adversity, but when it does happen you have to understand everyone goes through it. And just because you're facing or dealing with something in January it's not the end of the world. Every team deals with certain things. You can't play Game 1 [of the regular season] and then get to Game 1 of the playoffs; it doesn't work like that. So I think just being a little bit more patient … the seasons go by so quick. I'm going into my 10th year and I've played on some really good teams, and there are a lot of other teams that would want to be in our shoes. Obviously we haven't won lately, but we've been in good position. Appreciate that and make sure you do your best to make the most of your opportunities. It goes by fast, so keeping that in the back of your mind is a good thing." What changes in philosophy do you expect under new coach Mike Johnston?
"It's hard to say. All 30 teams want to play the same way. When you think about it, I think every coach would want puck possession, would want to play fast, would want to be good in your own zone. That's the formula for winning games, and what Mike is going to try to do is probably no different than any other team is going to try to do. But I think how well we're going to do it and how consistently we're going to do it is going to be a big part of it. "He wants to play with speed. He wants to hold onto it and make plays. That's stuff you want to do, but there's another team that wants to get the puck too, so you've got to find ways to do it well." Do you feel comfortable yet that you know enough about Johnston and know him well enough that you also know what to expect from him when training camp opens?
"I think you have to have an open mind because, one, there are going to be some new things and you're going to have to figure out what they are. And then, I think, two, individually you have to find out where you have to work on things that are going to help you be productive within that system. It's two things, grasping what it is he's teaching and in your own way transferring that over to your own game and finding out those little details you have to sharpen up."As a centerman, last year we used the wings a lot going through the neutral zone and you're used to getting the puck at a certain spot. Well, if we're going to play a different way now, as a center where do I have to be to be open to get the puck? Those little things will be adjustments, but I've always loved learning and finding new ways to create offense. Hopefully that will be the case here, that I'll be able to learn some new things and allow that to help me be a better player." Did you do any homework or research on Johnston after he was hired?
"Not much. I mean, there were a lot of people who had crossed paths with him, and he's actually from Nova Scotia, not too far from where I grew up. He spent a lot of his time out west after university so I hadn't actually met him. For me, it's nice to hear things and there was always a lot of encouraging things said about him, but I always like to meet somebody and get to know them. With camp and all that stuff we'll get to know him more and more. His demeanor seems pretty calm and I'm sure that will transfer over on the bench. But with that being said, it's always nice to go through things and get a feel for somebody that way." Johnston visited you in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, this summer. He went to Russia to meet with Evgeni Malkin. He went to a lot of places across the globe to meet with players. What does that tell you about him? And as a player what does that mean to you that he came to you?
"I think it's a great thing. It was almost like he was on tour there for a while. It was cool because there were a lot of guys who recognized that. I felt like I was getting a text every day almost from someone who had met with him and had a really good meeting, and most of the time I don't think they talked that much about hockey. From what I gather he was just trying to get to know guys so that when we get to camp that side of things, getting to know guys, was out of the way and he could just coach. I think that was a great move by him and I'm sure the guys will be a lot more comfortable coming into camp knowing that whatever they have to do they have a pretty good idea of what's expected."
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Post by jordyn on Sept 16, 2014 15:47:55 GMT -5
espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/11536619/nhl-sidney-crosby-pittsburgh-penguins-hands-season-tickets-fansC'mon in for a visit, Sidney CrosbyThe superstar made the rounds Monday, showing his true self to Pittsburgh fans
By Shelly Anderson | Special to ESPN.com PITTSBURGH -- The temptation, of course, could be to ratchet up the charm, break out the political correctness, paint on a squeaky-clean veneer. Sidney Crosby seems smart enough to do those things. And what better setting than when he and several of his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates spread out across Western Pennsylvania every year just before training camp to participate in a promotion that has morphed into something of a ritual? Yet Crosby doesn't feel the need to be "on" when he shows up at a couple or three homes to deliver season tickets to Penguins customers. "It's easy to be myself," Crosby told ESPN.com Monday after making stops at two homes in the suburbs north of Consol Energy Center. "This is me. I would walk into my buddy's house or my family member's house the same way. I just probably would not ring the doorbell." Those who aren't necessarily in Crosby's corner -- any Philadelphia Flyers faithful still reading at this point? -- might have a difficult time absorbing the Rockwellian scene of the reigning NHL scoring champion and MVP sitting comfortably at someone's dining room table, visiting and gladly signing a pile of Penguins items, as he did Monday in the home of Reuben and Molly Bianchin. This is not the picture of an ultracompetitive hockey player dubbed by some as a whiner. Neither is it a looped recording of interview answers that have earned Crosby the behind-his-back nickname "Sidbot" in some quarters. In these interactions with fans, he doesn't just pet the family dog; he asks about the pet's name and age. He doesn't just accept a homemade chocolate chip cookie; he points out with boyish defiance that the team will have body-fat testing in a couple of days. "You're genuinely appreciative, and it's the least we can do," Crosby said. Those who spend some time around Crosby know that he is polite and patient and has a good sense of humor. Most fans don't get a chance to hang out casually with him and get a glimpse of that personality, hear him laugh, and notice that he asks them almost as many questions as they ask him. To make sure people are home, the Penguins have to spoil the surprise to some extent by calling ahead after they randomly pick several season-ticket holders for the special deliveries, although the recipients don't know which player is coming. It has become common for parents to pull their children out of school for the chance to hang out with a Penguins player. With the kids, Crosby is particularly attentive. He told the Bianchin brood, "I love going to the rink. Still do." Crosby seemed delighted that the three youngest of the family's four children -- all three of them boys -- had been or are Little Penguins, a learn-to-play program that bears Crosby's name, is partly sponsored by him, and provides all equipment and lessons. Seven-year-old Tyler Bianchin took the initiative and shyly asked Crosby if he wanted to play hockey in the driveway. Of course he did. Crosby is hockey's most famous center, but when he's playing with kids -- or pickup hockey with his longtime buddies, as he did when he took the Stanley Cup home to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, in 2009 -- he prefers to play goalie, the position his father, Troy, played. He began to maneuver for that spot Monday: "Who usually plays goalie? Want me to play goalie?" He was rebuffed by one of the boys because they wanted to see him shoot, but in no time Crosby had successfully but nicely cajoled his way into the net -- after making sure the boys would be shooting balls, not hard pucks. "They're pretty oblivious," Reuben Bianchin said of the scene. "Probably, I don't know how many years from now, when they look back on it, they're going to be blown away." In recent years, Crosby has driven his Range Rover to these ticket deliveries. On Monday, he was part of a small caravan of team officials and a scaled-down media contingent that headed to his second stop, the home of Marty and Lisa Kirsch. Crosby hesitated more than once before he let himself be directed to park in the family's driveway. The last thing he wants to be is presumptuous. Inside, Crosby settled into the family room and did the autograph thing. Then came the photos. Like a scene from a wedding, Crosby posed with various family members and combinations of people. Most were taken in front of the fireplace, but years from now, Julia Kirsch, 11, will come across one of the selfies Crosby took of the two of them sitting on a dark leather couch -- he thoughtfully snapped several, maneuvering the Kirsch's phone between each shot to try to get the angle and the lighting just right -- and see his big smile and her petrified expression. After Crosby said his goodbyes to the Kirsch family, they couldn't stop themselves from inching outside behind him, and so the conversation continued in the driveway. Crosby met their retriever, Wilbur, and Marty Kirsch passed along a few last stories. The Penguins have been doing the ticket delivery promotion since 2007. That year, Crosby pulled up in a rented Jaguar to the home of grandmotherly Alice Kilgore. She was shocked to see Crosby but became famous around Pittsburgh the instant she told him, "I don't think you'll win the Cup this year. Not yet. Maybe next year." And so it came to be, and in 2009 Crosby made the only return visit in the team's ticket delivery history when he showed up at Kilgore's house with the Stanley Cup. Kilgore made Crosby blush when she asked if he had a girlfriend and whether he liked older women, then planted a big smooch on his blushing cheek. The Crosby stops have gotten circus-like since then, with TV cameras and curious neighbors waiting on people's lawns before he arrives. "You can still enjoy it," Crosby said, "but I kind of miss that element of just walking up to someone's door and them having no clue." If there's a whiff of adventure, you can count Crosby in. "I can remember the first couple of years; I barely knew my way around Pittsburgh at that point," he said. "I remember getting lost going to some of these houses. It was only supposed to be 20 minutes and it would take me 40, and I finally get there and I'm not sure I'm at the right house. "That was a fun part of it."
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Post by jordyn on Sept 16, 2014 15:52:53 GMT -5
triblive.com/sports/penguins/6799027-74/crosby-penguins-fans#axzz3CkTS52Y3Crosby appreciates his relationship with Penguins fans
By Josh Yohe Sidney Crosby delivered season tickets to an unsuspecting family Monday, just like he does every year. He'll keep signing autographs after practices and games, too. His appreciation for Pittsburgh fans, he insists, is something that will never change. “Definitely not,” Crosby said. “We're lucky that we play in front of sellout crowds every game, but I think whether you're sold out every night or not, you always have to show appreciation for the people who come out and cheer you on.” The Penguins and the NHL have asked Crosby to be the face of their respective franchises for almost a decade. He hasn't made a habit of declining requests. Crosby delivered tickets to season ticket holder Reuben Bianchin's home in the North Hills on Monday. Several other Penguins, including Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Kunitz, Brandon Sutter, Rob Scuderi and Craig Adams, took part in the annual ticket delivery. “I like doing stuff like that,” Crosby said. “It's a nice thing that we're able to do this. I think it's the least we can do for how much we're supported around here.” Crosby reflected on his relationship with Pittsburgh fans following an informal but well attended pre-training camp workout Monday at Consol Energy Center. The Penguins open camp Thursday. While Crosby, the NHL's reigning MVP, is very much focused on the upcoming season, he took a moment to identify a seemingly obscure moment that sold him on Pittsburgh fans. It was April 17, 2006, and the struggling Penguins were hosting the Islanders in the home finale of Crosby's rookie year. Crosby hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his career on that night, but the game was otherwise irrelevant. He still recalls the fan response vividly. “That's one of the best memories of my career,” Crosby said. “My first year, we weren't always sold out. But we were on that night. We were 29th in the league, one of the worst records in the league. But I'll never forget that night. It was a pretty amazing atmosphere for a team that wasn't going to be in the playoffs.” Crosby is known to be especially accommodating to autograph seekers following games and practices, especially for children. Last season in Calgary, while the rest of his team had filed onto a bus following the last game of a lengthy road trip, Crosby walked up a hill to sign autographs for a group of fans waiting for a glimpse of hockey's most famous player. Crosby's teammates often marvel at the attention he receives, the requests he grants and the easygoing way in which he comports himself. “He's an incredible talent,” Scuderi said. “But he also comes from a very humble background. I think it shows. He doesn't mind doing stuff like this. “The team calls his number to do a lot of stuff in the community, and I really don't think he minds. It must be very hard for him to keep the schedule that he does. He knows how to manage his time and how to treat people.”
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Post by lm on Sept 24, 2014 19:25:57 GMT -5
www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightning/content/tampa-bay-lightning-coach-guy-boucher-has-stories-about-penguins-star-sidney-crosbyTampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher has stories about Penguins star Sidney CrosbyTampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher knows Penguins star Sidney Crosby as and "extremely humble guy," as well as "a soft-spoken respectful individual." "You'd never know this guy has grit," Boucher added. "You get him on the ice and he's a fireball out there." Boucher in 2004-05 was an assistant coach for Rimouski of the Quebec junior league. Crosby was in his second season for the Oceanic. Five years later, they will face each other Wednesday at the St. Pete Times Forum. But this is a rivalry that has stayed very friendly. In fact, Boucher on Monday spent a good 10 or 15 minutes after Lightning practice telling stories about Crosby. This is one of the nice parts of the job, listening to two people, on opposite teams, recall stories and explain the respect they have for each other. Boucher told of how Crosby, now one of the faces of the league, would ask Boucher to cross-check him "from one hash mark to the other because he wanted to practice the battle skills." Then there were the times he said Crosby would come to the rink on days off and get the Zamboni driver to let him in so he could skate on his own. But his favorite story was one about Crosby off the ice as Rimouski returned home after a road game and saw people lined up at the arena to buy playoff tickets. "Probably the most amazing thing I've seen of him was when he was 16 years old," Boucher said. "We were going into the playoffs and we were coming back late, and there were a lot of people outside. The people had stayed overnight to get tickets. He didn't say anything. He went to Tim Hortons and got muffins and donuts and juices and coffee for everybody and shook everybody's hand and thanked them for being there, so that was different." Crosby on Tuesday said he was not the only player to participate. "We used to have fans sleep overnight and wait for tickets to go on sale," Crosby said. "I got a few players together and thanked them. "We were pretty thankful for the support we had in junior, and Guy and the whole coaching staff we had in Rimouski were a big part in developing the players and making sure we learned things on and off the ice as well." "He's always been very mature," Boucher said of Crosby. "At 16, you couldn't believe he was 16. He never went out. He never drank. He wouldn't eat any sugars. His desert was yogurt-covered raisins. He didn't drink Coke; total, total dedication. It's desire, commitment to pay the price every day." And Crosby's recollection of Boucher? "I remember doing a lot of one-on-one stuff on the ice," he said. "He always worked a lot of the skill side of things. He worked individually with guys a lot. ... And everybody is different. He understands that and that everyone is motivated in a different way. He does a great job of understanding that and applying it."
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Post by jordyn on Oct 10, 2014 17:39:17 GMT -5
www.thescore.com/news/600756
Sidney Crosby's unique shooting style baffles goaltenders
 The mantra of the hockey goal scorer is simple: they don’t ask how, they ask how many. Whether it’s a Steven Stamkos rocket, a Wayne Simmonds rebound, or a Patrick Kane stickhandling party, they all count. Sidney Crosby doesn't have hockey’s hardest shot by any stretch - we’ll give him league average, if a scosh better - but since he first took to NHL ice in 2005, only Alex Ovechkin scored more goals (Crosby’s two-goal performance to open the season pushed him ahead of Jarome Iginla, who has 275 over that same span). For the vast majority of his career, Crosby scored goals with his brain. He’s a lurker, a thinker, he relies on hockey sense to find pucks to tap home. But as a player with true passion for the game, he works on his deficiencies, and now has his shot to where he’s started scoring more on clean looks. For that, he can thank the progression of his lightning release. In hockey, “release” is the time in which you go from handling the puck to the time it’s off your blade (which is why when someone says “release” in regards to a one-timer they’re talking gibberish). Most players have to get set, feel that puck on the mid-heel of their blade, and maybe give it a little pull before getting it off. Crosby is willing to trade a few MPH to get the puck to the goalie before he’s expecting the shot, which is why it looks like Crosby often “gets lucky.” Look at his first goal last night. Gibson “should have had that,” right? But this is the trend. Shooters offer clues to goaltenders that it’s trigger pullin’ time. The top shoulder drops a few inches, the backs of the hands roll down, and the upper body adopts a slight lean. With that, the stick flexes. Those signals are like the green light that comes on at the batting cages before the ball spits out with that satisfying *shoop* sound. That’s when goalies get set. Crosby, better than anyone else, has cut that out of his shot presentation entirely. It’s almost a chip shot. He uses a separation between the puck and his blade, meaning he “hits” the puck, more than he whips it. Part of the reason for this? He uses a near-straight blade, which also affords him hockey’s best backhand. There’s almost no way, or at least no reason for him to roll the puck heel-to-toe on his shots, given there’s no hook to help him out. When you combine these things with his uncanny vision, you've got goaltenders thinking about a few things at once, and suddenly the puck's on top of them. It probably doesn't hurt that he could knock the diamond off a wedding ring from a zone away, either. So while he may not have that pure fastball, he doesn’t need one. You can be great without the smoke.
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Post by jordyn on Oct 12, 2014 8:06:01 GMT -5
www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/crosby-puts-to-rest-debate-about-whos-best/Crosby puts to rest any debate about who’s best
CHRIS JOHNSTON OCTOBER 12, 2014, 12:55 AM TORONTO — Sidney Crosby does not just kill a conversation. He interrupts things mid-sentence, flips over the table, cuts all power to the room and leaves you as confused as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs attempting a breakout. It is just two games into the Pittsburgh Penguins season and there is already no oxygen — no life — left in the hottest of hot takes from last spring. Indeed, that tortured discussion about who had displaced Crosby as the best hockey player on the planet seems like nothing more than hot air right now. After two dominant games, six points, and an immediate return to his normal spot at the top of the NHL’s scoring table. The only thing Crosby should really have been accused of last May was a run of bad luck. For all of the attention his one goal in 13 playoff games garnered, many conveniently overlooked the fact he directed 38 shots on goal. This is a man who has scored on 14.6 percent of his shots during 647 career NHL games. Realistically, what were the odds of him continuing at a clip of 2.6 percent if the Penguins hadn’t blown a 3-1 series lead against the New York Rangers? While the emotional baggage of another playoff disappointment had long since subsided by the time Crosby arrived at Air Canada Centre on Saturday, the memory of what was said about him had not. Not unlike many of the all-time sporting greats — Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods jump immediately to mind — Crosby seems to be able to turn perceived slights into fuel. And over 120 minutes of hockey he has energetically gone about moving past his most pointed round of criticism yet. There was no doubt about who would be named first star after Pittsburgh’s 5-2 dismantling of the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Crosby was all over the ice. He scored a ridiculous goal and set up two others. He batted pucks out of the air and caused turnovers and took one backhand shot that could rival the average NHL wrist shot. The Penguins built up such a comfortable cushion by the third period that coach Mike Johnston was able to use his captain sparingly. There is, after all, a long way to go. If there was any doubt about the fact that Crosby was in mid-season form, it should have been dismissed with his third goal of the season. He found Kris Letang at the point on the power play and headed straight for the net. When Letang’s shot ricocheted off the end boards, Crosby went down on one knee to scoop the puck into the top of the net from a ridiculous angle. It was almost like a chip shot in golf. The hand-eye co-ordination required was off the charts. It was the kind of play where you might be inclined to say that Crosby was simply in the right place at the right time. However, to argue that is to ignore that he’s been in the right place at the right time for a decade. Mentally, No. 87 seems to be in a good place right now. After the failed expectations and the house-cleaning the Penguins endured over the summer, the new season has brought a new perspective. “Losing that series last year was pretty heavy,” Crosby said Saturday. “I think it took a long time for that sting to go away. … Just being able to turn the page and start fresh, I think that’s exciting, knowing that everything else is in the past.” That includes the misguided talk about Crosby no longer being the best. We’ve been through this before. All of that chatter in Sochi about Crosby’s ineffectiveness sure looked silly when he secured Canada’s second Olympic gold in four years by going backhand-deke on Henrik Lundqvist. One of the big talking points around Crosby early in his 10th NHL season is his advancing age. Scott Oake got a chuckle out of the 27-year-old in a pre-game interview on “Hockey Night in Canada” when he asked about some refusing to let his Sid the Kid nickname die. There are so many young stars to watch in the sport right now — hello John Tavares and Steven Stamkos — and someone will eventually wrestle the crown away from Crosby. It happens to every superstar. But if there’s one thing we’ve seen already this season it’s that the time is not now.
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Post by jordyn on Oct 13, 2014 15:52:07 GMT -5
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Post by jordyn on Nov 12, 2014 13:44:09 GMT -5
www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/sidney-crosby-the-kid-grows-up-nhl-20141112Sidney Crosby: 'The Kid' Grows Up The Pittsburgh Penguins captain on growing up, showing off and the NHL's next generation By Steve Lepore | November 12, 2014 Once again, the Pittsburgh Penguins are enjoying a successful, drama-free start to the 2014-15 NHL season. A month in, they're 10-3-1, atop the Metropolitan and third in the Conference in points. All's well in the Steel City – and with hockey's biggest star, Sidney Crosby. Given the Pens' lack of chaos, you could forgive some for overlooking "Sid the Kid" – who's 27 now – until he puts up five assists in less than two periods of play against Buffalo. And then you realize you he's once again leading the NHL in points, and on pace for the first 130-point season since 1996, when two guys named Lemieux and Jagr did it on the same Penguins team. He's still the best hockey player on earth. Before Tuesday night's game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden – which didn't go too well for Crosby and Co. – "the Kid" spoke to us about new Pittsburgh head coach Mike Johnston, the NHL's mission to cut down on concussions and his continued experiments with facial hair. I see you're trying out the mustache again… Yeah, yeah. It's come a long way [laughs], which is kinda funny to say, but a ton of guys are doing it, so yeah, it's fun. How has the start of this season been different from previous ones? Just a lot of new things, you know? Coaching staff, a lot of new faces on the teams, systems as far as everything on the ice, so you kind of have to adapt to a new way of playing a bit. It's been a lot of change, but with that, you kind of force yourself to learn a little bit faster and focus a little bit more, so it's been good. What has Mike Johnston brought to the team? He's talked about our defense joining the rush a lot. When you look at that – the kind of presence they've had in rushes and being able to join in the plays to create odd-man rushes – it's pretty noticeable, and being able to put a lot of teams back on their heels with the speed we have. Our defensive guys are able to make plays, and they've kind of adjusted to doing that. Let's talk about the game you had the other night in Buffalo – when you're at five assists and the score's not close, do you start thinking of ways to challenge yourself? Like "How many can I put up?" When you get up to that point, you definitely want to see what you can get to, because it's not something that happens a lot. When you're talking about two-or-three [goal lead], it's different. Depending on the score, guys get a different role – maybe guys get an opportunity on the power play that they might not have had – you balance out the lines and things like that. But in that situation, yeah, I think you get a little more hungry, you don't always get opportunities like that.
When you're able to get a good start, it definitely helps. When you're able to go out there, first shift, and your legs feel strong and you're making plays and everyone seems like they're sharp, I think you kinda get the sense that if you execute well you can have some chances. Fortunately, we were able to get a couple [goals] early and feel good about it.
It's been three years since you suffered your first concussion; are you still noticing small improvements in your health?
I haven't thought about it for a long time. Unfortunately, when you're going through that, you're always trying to wait and see the improvement or when things finally get better. Going through that for such a long period of time, I think it's nice just to not think about it, that's been the case for a long time now.
How do you feel about the league's efforts to protect players and combat head-shots?
I think it's come a long way. It's a physical game, and you're not going to be able to take out every single hit. It's part of the game, and that's what we love about it. You love that ability to compete and be physical. But I think that they've really paid attention to it, and I think there's definitely a level that everyone's familiar with now. They understand where it needs to be. I think you've even see the amount of those [hits] go down in the last little while, which is a good thing. Guys will figure it out, the game's still really physical, you see those big hits still, and guys are hopefully able to play longer. I think it's been good.
What advice would you give to prospects like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, who are dealing with the same kind of hype you did?
Just enjoy it. I look back at junior hockey and think about all the great memories I have, all the friends I made. It went by quickly. In my case, it was two years; this is [McDavid's] third year. It's easy to kind of think about going pro, and people are talking about you every day, but just enjoy being an 18-year-old kid and your friends and all the things that come along with that. That goes by quick. I feel like yesterday I was in his position, and now this is my 10th year.
What do you think about NHL players returning to the Olympics in 2018?
I've had two great experiences, so it's hard to think that we wouldn't. I think it's been great for hockey. But obviously, with trying to make things work here, there's a lot of stuff they have to consider, but I think everyone who watches enjoys it and knows how good it is for hockey. I'm sure if they can find a way to make it work, we'll be there. It's gone really well.
Would you rather win a third gold medal or a second Stanley Cup?
The Olympics are every four years, so maybe you only start to think about them when they get closer. The Stanley Cup? Every summer, every day when you're training that's the goal, that's what you're thinking about. There's no cap on it, you wanna win it every year just like everybody else. Obviously, we had the opportunity to do that in '09, and it would be nice to do it again some time soon
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Post by lm on Nov 15, 2014 14:58:05 GMT -5
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Post by jordyn on Feb 3, 2015 20:52:12 GMT -5
Sidney Crosby finds balance in life in the spotlight
www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/penguins/2015/02/03/sidney-crosby-interview-pittsburgh-penguins/22813009/
CANONSBURG, Pa. - Days before the 2005 NHL draft, when 17-year-old Sidney Crosby was interviewing with all 30 teams, the New York Rangers asked him the mother of all questions.
"They asked, 'If we could give you a pill that you could take that would guarantee that you would be part of a Stanley Cup-winning team and a Olympic gold medal team, but you couldn't live past age 25, would you take that pill?'" Crosby recalled, laughing at the memory.
Crosby knew the Rangers were trying to ascertain whether he would be willing to do anything for his team. "But it was such a weird question, and I remember thinking, 'How do you answer that?'" he said.
The question appeared to have no acceptable solution, like the ending of the movie War Games when the computer determines the only "winning move is not to play."
But Crosby is a player, and players play.
"I wouldn't take the pill," he told the Rangers, "because I plan to win more than one of those."
Crosby's answer was both perfect and prophetic. Now in his 10th NHL season, Crosby has two Olympic gold medals, one Stanley Cup championship, another trip to the Final, two NHL scoring championships, one goal-scoring title, five 100-point seasons, two Hart trophies (MVP) and two Ted Lindsay trophies (players' MVP).
He has been the player that scouts expected him to be, and the ambassador that the NHL needed him to be. Crosby delivers on the ice and does as many interviews and appearances as a league has a right to expect.
"I don't think it is possible to do more for a league than Sid has done," said Pittsburgh Penguins President David Morehouse.
Crosby arrived in the NHL right after the canceled 2004-05 season. Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Crosby were third and sixth in the scoring race that first season, and it was clear they could do for the NHL what Larry Bird and Magic Johnson did for the NBA. Both players have been instrumental in helping the NHL grow, but the success of the Penguins and of Team Canada has forced Crosby to do more of the heavy lifting as a spokesman.
"I feel like he is well thought-out and he has a good care level for the game and the fans," said Nashville Predators general manager David Poile.
No one at the NHL office has to worry about Crosby making a misstep on Twitter because to him, that form of social media is a one-way street. He travels down that road to find information, not to provide it.
"I'm pretty old-fashioned," Crosby told USA TODAY Sports. "I never feel the need to say where I am. Because I do a lot of interviews, people might believe I want my opinion heard. But I don't ever feel a need to share my opinion. This just comes with the territory."
Crosby has patience with the puck on the ice — and with his off-ice obligations. He is impressively accessible for a player of his stature, especially when you consider he has been treated like a rock star in Canada since he was a 17-year-old playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
At a young age, he had a mature grasp of what it meant to be a star. In 2004, he told USA TODAY Sports that the hardest thing for him was balancing his obligation to sign autographs for fans with his desire not to inconvenience teammates who had to wait for him.
How many teenagers think like that?
"Just because you receive extra attention doesn't give you the right to (disrupt) your teammates," Crosby said. "You have to be mindful of that. That never changes. You have to keep things in perspective."
Some athletes bristle at tough questions, or joust with the news media about questions being asked. But that's not Crosby's style because it's not his personality.
"When you are asked a question, that question reflects someone else's opinion," Crosby said. "And my opinion may be different than their opinion, but it's not the place to get into an argument over my opinion and your opinion. They are trying to do their job the best they can, and I have to do my job by answering the question the best I can."
He is far more likely to mix it up with a Philadelphia Flyers forward than to end up in a verbal sparring match with the media. But he has empathy for players who do have squabbles with the media, such as Toronto Maple Leafs star Phil Kessel, who recently called a reporter an "idiot" after a hostile exchange.
"We've all been in that situation where you see where the angle of the question is going and you don't agree with it," Crosby said. "What I saw in that was people being human. Obviously, you don't want that to happen, but I don't blame (Kessel) because of the position he was put in. At the same, the person asking the question is doing their job. To me, it was just human nature taking over. "
Not everything works out the way Crosby wants, but he seems to give considerable thought to what he says and does.
"At some point, how you act is just who you are," he said. "I may not always have the most exciting answers, but that's who I am. I can't change that."
Teammates and adversaries marvel at his ability to balance all of the commitments he has a captain, player, league representative and someone who wants to enjoy his life.
"He does a good job of separating," said New York Islanders captain John Tavares. "He has a lot to deal with on a daily basis and a lot of it is away from the rink, but once he steps on the ice, you see that's where he is most comfortable."
Tavares, who played with Crosby at the 2014 Olympics, hasn't not seen any evidence that Crosby's off-ice workload affects his performance on the ice.
"His focus is always there," Tavares said. "He never seems to be tired. … He always seems to be at his best."
Crosby, though, never has a day off from being who he is.
"Win or lose, Sid has to face the music all of the time," Penguins teammate Pascal Dupuis said. "Half of us, if we lose, we get undressed, and try to get out of there as soon as possible. But Sid stays and answers the question."
As the face of the league, he has his share of critics. The comment section of stories about Crosby usually has plenty of fans complaining that he gets too much attention or that he "whines" at officials to get calls. The latter is a complaint that all top players hear.
"I would say that I am aware of it," Crosby said, laughing. "It's hard to ignore 18,000 boos in some places … that's the way it is, and I don't know if there is anything you can do to change that."
Dupuis said opposing fans might boo Crosby, but they can't stop watching him every time he is on the ice.
"The booing is a tribute to how talented he is," he said.
Crosby can't go anywhere in Canada or Pittsburgh without being instantly recognized. Dupuis says Crosby has to take to the back alleys in Canada to enter a restaurant without creating a commotion.
"He gets interrupted four or five times, every course," Dupuis said. "We can see why everybody loves him because he treats everyone with respect."
Even with that, Crosby has managed to maintain some level of privacy. The main reason: He's not a true man about town.
"I'm probably not going to a movie at 7 p.m. on a Friday night," he said, laughing. "But even if I didn't play hockey — let's say I was a firefighter — I wouldn't probably go to at 7 o'clock show on a Friday. If I'm going to a movie, it's going to be in the afternoon, on a Monday, when it is a little quieter."
He offers another example. "When it comes to Christmas shopping," he said, "I don't like being in a mall after Dec. 10, whether I play hockey or do something else. That's just who I am."
Remember that Crosby's salary averages $8.7 million, and yet he lived with Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and his family for several years because he enjoyed the family atmosphere. Even today, his home is a couple of blocks away from Lemieux.
Pittsburgh perfect for Crosby
Pittsburgh and Crosby seem perfect for each other. Lemieux, plus Steelers greats Jack Lambert, Franco Harris and Lynn Swann settled in Pittsburgh because people there appreciate their superstars, but they give them some space.
"It is not a pretentious place," Morehouse said. "Here, you say what you mean and you mean what you say. You are who you are and Sid has always been like that."
Crosby grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, a town of about 25,000 residents.
"I think New York is an awesome city. I have a good time there, but I couldn't see myself living there. It's so busy. It's not what I'm used to," he said. "I'm not New York, but I wouldn't want to be on a farm somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I'm not that guy either."
Morehouse said the story of Crosby is he is the same person away from the rink that he is on ice.
"That innate ability to see things that others don't see carries over to all aspects of his life," he said.
Crosby saw a need to get more youngsters involved in Pittsburgh youth hockey and came to the team with an idea of outfitting 1,000 youngsters head-to-toe with equipment every year. He has been doing this for seven seasons and has put his own money into the endeavor.
"He does more things that you don't hear about because he doesn't want you to hear about them," Morehouse said.
He said when you get to know Crosby you realize immediately that he was raised right.
"He is not flamboyant. He's quiet. He doesn't like a lot of attention," Morehouse said. "He takes his shoes off when he comes into your house. His manners are impeccable."
After a decade in the NHL, Crosby says he feels good about what he has accomplished, but is hopeful of doing much more. He's 27, meaning he likely will play another decade or longer.
"There is always the thought of wanting more," he said. "You look at some opportunities you had that you didn't take advantage of. That's kind of what pushes you to be better, to get to the next level."
Bad medical luck
Crosby's accomplishments are more remarkable when you consider he missed the better part of two seasons with concussion issues. Plus, he had a broken jaw that cost him a scoring title.
He has had bad medical luck, even this season, when he missed three December games with the mumps despite being well vaccinated against the virus. A lower-body injury kept him out of the All-Star Game.
"I've had a few bumps along the way, going through the concussion stuff," he
said. "At the time, it seemed really difficult. But in the end, I think it gave me a different perspective on things."
Crosby has had some bumps on the ice, too, scoring five points in 10 games in December. He had a much better January with 14 points in 11 games and is six points behind in the scoring race.
More important to Crosby, the Penguins are playing a new puck-possession style, and have added several players designed to make the team more competitive in the postseason.
"I want to think we will (play differently)," Crosby said. "In order to do that, we have to learn from previous playoffs.
"At the end of the day, it's still on us as players. You can talk about your system, but it's not an X's and O's thing. You have to go out there and compete."
The 10 seasons has clicked off very quickly for Crosby. He recalls Lemieux's youngest children, Austin and Alexa, helped him unpack and now they are inching toward adulthood.
"When I got (to Lemieux's home) I had no clue," Crosby said. "Once I got there, I remember thinking I was lucky to be there because there were so many things I had to take care of ... and then I had my learning curve fast-tracked because Mario was around. That was cool."
One of his objectives is to spend his entire career with the Penguins, as Lemieux did.
"That's a pretty tough thing to do these days," Crosby said. "Players move around a lot now. But I would definitely like to do that."
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Snarky
Snarky's Group
I solemnly swear I am up to no good :)
Posts: 370
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Post by Snarky on Feb 24, 2015 12:29:27 GMT -5
That gives me the warm fuzzies
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Post by crystal86 on Feb 24, 2015 19:52:16 GMT -5
Gosh he is so sweet is he real lol? He's an amazing person!!
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Post by jordyn on Apr 15, 2015 7:34:29 GMT -5
triblive.com/mobile/8154192-96/crosby-net-series Penguins star Crosby is looking for net effect heading into playoffsBy Josh Yohe If there is an enduring image from last spring, it is that of New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal treating Penguins center Sidney Crosby's head like a pinata during the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series. Staal played a more physical brand of hockey against Crosby than perhaps any defenseman before or since, but Crosby is undeterred heading into Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Thursday at Madison Square Garden. “It's no secret,” he said. “I've got to go right to the net.” Crosby always has been at his best around the net, specifically in terms of scoring goals. His best goal-scoring series came in 2009 in a showdown with the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin. Crosby scored eight times in that series — six coming from within 10 feet of the net. His game appeared to change after missing time because of a concussion. He worked more on the perimeter in later playoff series, especially on the power play. Before his concussion woes, Crosby produced 82 points in 62 playoff games, a clip of 1.32 points per game that has been surpassed in the postseason only by Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. Since then, Crosby has produced 32 points in 33 games. With the playoffs approaching, some changes in Crosby's game appeared. While he's never been fearful of barging toward the net, he's been living there more in recent games. While he played on the right wing half-wall on the power play much of the season, he now is stationed down low. The tactic has worked: Crosby has eight goals and 20 points in his past 18 games. “That's a good thing to see him at the net,” said defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who sees no difference in Crosby now compared to when they first played together in 2008. “He's the best grinder in the world. And he's at his best when he's a grinder. Often you see third- and fourth-liners who want to make life difficult for defensemen. That's their ultimate goal, to kill defensemen and time. But not him. He's the opposite. He's able to use quickness and his physical presence to make plays when he's down low.” Crosby is quiet by nature, and while that might not be changing completely, he appears to be more vocal than at any point in his career. He gave a speech before the Penguins played Buffalo with their playoff lives on the line. Crosby has been demanding the most out of his teammates in recent days. “His intensity right now is incredible,” right wing David Perron said. “He's making people better players. It's the way he's leading right now. At times, I've gotten caught off guard by the things that he says. He's so prepared right now, so intense. He wants people on his level, and he wants to win this series.” Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said he sees a difference, too. “Sid wants it right now, you can tell,” Fleury said. “He's even been tough on me in practice, trying to score constantly on me. He's intense right now. He's ready.” The low point of Crosby's career arguably came last spring, when he registered one goal in 13 postseason games. Against the Rangers, he scored once but was unable to muster a goal in the three final games of the series, all New York victories. The Rangers' blue line took liberties with him. “It's pretty fresh in my mind,” he said. “They're going to play the same way.” Crosby, who his teammates say is more assertive than ever — “First guy here in the morning and last to go home, which is nice to see from your captain,” Blake Comeau said — isn't flinching. “We fought hard for the last week or two just to get into the playoffs,” Crosby said. “We've got to fight to get to the net, too.”
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ashe
Rookie
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Post by ashe on May 18, 2015 13:43:10 GMT -5
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