Player Focus: #87 Sidney Crosby

I have decided to take a look at one of the current most popular players in the NHL, Sidney Crosby.
 

C.R.O.S.B.Y.


I’ve summarised just a few of Crosby’s achievements below:



Captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby was awarded the honor on May 31^st 2007.  He was the youngest captain in NHL history at the time and succeeded Mario Lemieux. Now in his 13^th seasons as captain of the Penguins, Crosby is the second longest tenured captain in the NHL, behind only Zdeno Chara of Boston.



Rookie sensation in the NHL, Crosby also made an impression in his time in the QMJHL where he was named to the All-Rookie Team and First All-Star Team. He had the most assists (81) and most points (135). Crosby was awarded the league MVP trophy and was named the Offensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Crosby continued to be outstanding the next season in the QMJHL and in his NHL debut season in 2005/06 was also named to the All-Rookie Team and won numerous World Championship awards.



Olympic gold-medalist and Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby, won a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship in 2015. This made Crosby the 26^th member of the Triple Gold Club. Interestingly, Crosby is the only member of this exclusive club to captain all three teams to championships. Crosby was captain of the Penguins for all three of his Stanley Cup Championships and captained Team Canada for its Olympic Gold in 2014 and its World Championship in 2015. Crosby scored the OT gold medal winning goal for Canada in the 2010 Olympics.



Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby now has a total of 3 Stanley Cup Championships. His first came in 2008/09 and Crosby played an especially key role in the later two of the three championships, being awarded the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP on both occasions. Crosby has inspired younger players such as Nathan MacKinnon, a close friend and training partner of Crosby’s in the summer. McKinnon looks up to Crosby in terms of his work ethic, competitive nature and desire to win. These traits of both players, combined with skill, has led to their leadership roles in the NHL and their ability to rack up points at an incredible rate.



Born in Cole Harbour, there is a sign that says ‘Welcome to Cole Harbour, home of Sidney Crosby’ to celebrate the generational player. Crosby was drafted 1^st overall in the NHL on July 30^th 2005 and made his NHL debut in 2005/06. Crosby learnt to shoot in his parent’s basement by shooting pucks into a dryer and now ranks 39^th overall in NHL goals per game. What is even more impressive is that Crosby sits 6^th in all time points per game and the only other active players in the top 25 are Penguins’ teammate Malkin (14^th) and Ovechkin (25^th).



Youngest player in NHL history to record 100 points in his rookie season, Crosby reached 102 points and passed Mario Lemieux who had 100. Crosby reached 102 points in his first season in the NHL by tallying 39 goals and 63 assists. Crosby has continued to create memorable moments throughout his NHL career including on January 1^st, 2008, when he scored the winning penalty shot in the first ever NHL Winter Classic while the snow fell.




So… how did Crosby end up with the Penguins?


The 2004/05 season was cancelled and this meant that the 2005 draft order was determined by a league-wide lottery where every team had a chance of winning Crosby.

The lottery began with each team having three balls and for every playoff appearance in the previous three years or number one pick in the last four, teams lost a ball. Buffalo, Pittsburgh, New York and Columbus each had three balls and so had the best chance of winning Crosby (6.3%).

Of course the Penguins won and Crosby made his NHL debut with the Penguins in 2005 where he remains to this day, not just as a franchise player, but a generational player.




Crosby vs Ovechkin


One of the greatest debates in hockey- Crosby vs Ovechkin. But why are they so often compared?

Due to the cancelled 2004/05 season, two number 1 draft picks would enter the NHL in the 2005/06 season, the 2004 #1 pick, Ovechkin, and the 2005 #1 pick, Crosby. This of course naturally led to the players being compared throughout their careers. Who is better?


Crosby has three Stanley Cups, is a 2-time playoffs MVP and is a member of the Triple Gold Club. He is the second-longest tenured captain in the NHL.

Ovechkin is the eight all time for NHL goals scored and has eight 50 goal seasons (3^rd all time, behind only Bossy and Gretzky with 9). He has 1 Stanley Cup and was named MVP.


Both were #1 draft picks, both are captains, both have won numerous awards in their time in the NHL. Both are deserving Stanley Cup champions and playoff MVPs. It’s no wonder their careers are always compared to one another.