Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of Sidney Crosby
AGE |
25
HEIGHT
5’ 11”
WEIGHT
200 lbs.
POSITION
Center
DRAFTED
1st Overall in 2005
Sidney Crosby is one of the most known and most decorated players in the entire NHL. He is not only quick with the puck but knows how to score goals. He knows how to rack up the points as well, scoring 102 points in his first NHL season while playing in 81 games. He definitely has a massive fan base and is well-respected in almost the entire hockey world. He was one of the most regarded draft picks in hockey history, which made the 2005 Entry Draft known as the Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes. Lucky for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they acquired that first overall pick. This is Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of Sidney Crosby.
Like many greats, Crosby started out at a young age. At two years old, you could find him in the basement shooting pucks at the clothes dryer. At three, he was learning to skate. All this leads up to a great NHL career if you keep at it. His father, Troy Crosby, played in the QMJHL as a goaltender, and was drafted 240th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984, but never played an NHL game. Growing up, Sid admired Steve Yzerman while being a Montreal Canadiens fan.
After being drafted, he wasted no timing letting the hockey world know that they needed to be afraid of him. He scored 102 points in almost a full season. He is the first rookie to score 100 points in a season, along with scoring 100+ penalty minutes in that same season. His second season was his best one yet. He recorded 120 points in 79 games. During that season he played in his first playoff series. They lost in 5 games, but shortly following the loss, on May 31st, 2007, Sidney Crosby was named the next captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is the youngest player to ever become captain. But this was no surprise. During the season, the organization had offered him the captain’s job many a times. He refused however and Crosby had this to say,
"“I just thought it wasn’t right for me. As a team, we were playing great and you don’t want to disrupt things like that. Individually, I was not ready to accept that responsibility quite yet. Going through the playoffs and having that experience has probably given me more confidence. I understand there is going to be a lot more responsibility on my shoulders with this, but it’s something I’m ready for, I feel very comfortable with it and I’m just excited to get things going.” (ESPN)"
The 2007-08 season was his first time reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. They played against Detroit, but ended up losing in 6 games. This sparked a fire under m, I’m a Detroit fan, but I have never once liked this. When the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, Sidney Crosby had broke down and cried. People called him “cry baby Crosby” and started wearing Cry Baby Crosby t-shirts. It infuriates me that people could put down a great hockey player like that for showing emotion in a day and age where many athletes are fake and nothing more than actors. My defense is that I would cry, too. Being 20 years old, captain of a good team, and making it to the Stanley Cup Finals against one of the greatest teams and coming just short of accomplishing your dream? Nothing to be ashamed of but also nothing wrong with a great athlete showing a little emotion. Also, knowing that you just lost and are the second best team in the league, is good, but great athletes like Crosby, have a need to show everyone they are the best. What’s the best way to do that? Get back to the Stanley Cup finals and in the process draw a rematch with Detroit.
The following season, the two teams revisited the Stanley Cup Final. Many hockey fans saw this as another no contest for the heavy favorite Detroit Red Wings, but some saw it as a chance for the Penguins to exact sweet revenge and the Penguins ended up winning the Stanley Cup in 7 games. This shut the mouths of many Detroit fans around the world. This may stray a little off topic, but I felt bad for one player, Marian Hossa. He played with the Pittsburgh Penguins when they lost to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup. Then he left to go to Detroit and lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then he moved to Chicago and finally won the cup. I just found it funny that he bounced around like that.
Now Crosby is older and battling concussions, yet he just signed a 12 year $104.4 million contract extension that makes him a Penguin until the 2024-25 season. Shows you how valuable he is to the franchise.
Closing Argument:
Sidney Crosby is one of the greatest captains in the league. There is no doubt that if he can recover from his concussions and get back to 100%, the Penguins and Crosby could easily win another Stanley Cup. He is more than capable as a leader (he’s shown it before) and has the squad to do it, even though they just lost Jordan Staal to Carolina. However they did get a solid third line center in return and two defensive prospects with great potential. This team is still good, but with an unhealthy Crosby, they seem to always fall just a little short. Just look at their series against the Philadelphia Flyers this past playoffs. They couldn’t perform and fell to the Flyers. He needs to be healthy, for his sake and for the Penguins sake. He’s a star and he’s their leader.