Sidney Crosby, the superstar center for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is having what could be a hockey season for the ages.
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At age 23, “Sid the Kid” leads the league in points and is on pace to collect 135 this season, which would be the highest total in the 15 years since the great Mario Lemieux put up 161. And his pace only seems to be accelerating: Since early November, Mr. Crosby has notched a goal or an assist (or both) in 18 straight games, posting an average of two points per game.
Mr. Crosby’s projected totals don’t suggest he’ll surpass Wayne Gretzky’s iconic 1981-82 season, when “The Great One” had 212 points and an NHL-record 92 goals. But the NHL’s per-game scoring average is 46% lower than the rate when Mr. Gretzky set his mark. If goals were as plentiful this season as they were in Mr. Gretzky’s time, Mr. Crosby would be looking at finishing the season with 195 points. And if he maintained his current two-point-per-game pace, he’d end his season with a world-beating 223.
Mr. Crosby said he doesn’t believe he’s doing anything differently on the ice. “I don’t feel I’ve changed a lot,” he said. If anything, he believes he has benefited from having a full summer to recover from two intense seasons in which teams he has played on won a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal.
Others do see changes. Bill Guerin, who played on a line with Mr. Crosby during the Penguins’ 2008-09 Stanley Cup season, says he believes Mr. Crosby is maturing. “I think, it’s scary to say, but he’s developing more,” says Mr. Guerin, who announced his retirement earlier this month. “I watch him play the games now and he’s not just dominating, he’s dominating by a lot. I think, before, Sid was a kid. Sid’s a man now.”
Mr. Crosby’s game is built on speed, tenacity in the corners and a willingness to go to the net. He has massive legs, developed over years of intense training that hasn’t tapered off now that he’s at the pinnacle of the sport. His low center of gravity makes him extremely difficult to knock off the puck, and that, combined with his quick first stride, elite speed and ability to turn on a dime, make him a handful for even the most elite defenders.
“Sid’s so unpredictable,” Mr. Guerin says. “The defense doesn’t know if he’s going to shoot or pass, spin around or be on the forehand or backhand.”
Jeremy Roenick, a 19-year NHL veteran who’s now a television hockey analyst, says Mr. Crosby is playing with more grit. Gone is a proclivity to complain to referees when other players take liberties with him.
Last week in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, for instance, Mr. Crosby’s former teammate and close friend, Colby Armstrong, took a run at him. Instead of appealing for a penalty, Mr. Crosby retaliated, earning a two-minute roughing penalty for his troubles.
Upon exiting the penalty box, Mr. Crosby joined the rush and scored his first of two goals on the night, going hard to the net, dodging a Leafs defenseman and scoring on a tap-in. “I’m thoroughly impressed with the amount of grit and tenacity that he’s been showing,” Mr. Roenick says. “His willingness to compete is bigger. His willingness to be physical, take a beating is bigger. He’s constantly in the game.”
While Mr. Gretzky’s records appear safe, that may be due in large part to the free-wheeling style of play prevalent during his early years. In the 1980s, NHL coaches didn’t stress team defense to the extent they do now. Goalie equipment was less bulky, leaving more net to shoot at, and the use of video analysis to dissect every aspect of the game was less common. “Backchecking for the top two lines used to be optional,” Mr. Guerin says. “It’s not like that anymore.”
Mr. Crosby, whose work ethic and drive to succeed are certainly reminiscent of Messrs. Gretzky and Lemieux, said he’s not trying to match the scoring feats of that dynamic duo.
“You look at those records and some of the things they were able to do, and in my mind, whether it’s good or bad, I think some of those things won’t be touched,” he says.
WSJ
