Sidney Crosby - Part 1

 

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins and is in his 19th NHL season. Crosby can be described in many different words. Exceptional. Talented. Resilient. Generational. Champion. He has been one of the main faces of the league since entering in 2005-06 and hasn't slowed down even at the age of 36. Crosby has totaled a number of awards throughout his legendary career and is actively climbing the ranks of the NHL's all-time points list, sitting in 12th. Crosby's career has been a roller coaster, so let's dive right in:

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Rimouski Oceanic

Crosby began his junior hockey career in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League), playing for Rimouski Oceanic. He was just 16 years old entering his first season, coming off a very impressive season at Shattuck St. Mary's, totaling 72 goals and 90 assists for 162 points. He was hyped up to be the next "Great One", and he did not disappoint. His first season saw him tally 54 goals and 81 assists for 135 points in just 59 games. In the teams' 9 playoff games, he put up another 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points. He took home an absurd number of awards, including the QMJHL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and CHL Player of the Year.

Crosby's second season saw him improve immensely from the previous one. He had been known around the world and had been the favorite for the 1st overall pick in the next NHL Draft. Crosby put up 66 goals and 102 assists for 168 points in just 62 games. In 18 playoff games and a Memorial Cup appearance, he put up 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points. Again, he took home a number of awards, including the QMJHL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Playoffs MVP, and the CHL Player of the Year. He also helped lead his team to a QMJHL Championship.

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  Rookie Season (2005-06)

As is it was projected, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Crosby 1st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. This pick meant a lot to the city of Pittsburgh, as of only a few years prior, they were on the brink of relocation. Pittsburgh had struggled getting fans into the building because of a struggling team and needed something for the city to get excited about. Crosby was ultimately "the guy" that was going to do that, as well as future stars such as Marc Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin.

Crosby's rookie season in 2005-06 was one of the more impressive seasons a rookie has ever put up in the NHL. It always helps when there is an NHL legend like Mario Lemieux to help you out, as it was Lemieux's final season in his career. Crosby scored his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins on October 8th, 2005. Crosby also added 2 assists in the game, a 7-6 overtime loss. He took off from there, as he won the Rookie of the Month in the month of October. Crosby finished the season with 39 goals and 63 assists for 102 points, breaking the franchise record for assists and points as a rookie, as the previous record was held by teammate Mario Lemieux back in 1984-85. He finished 6th in the NHL scoring race, and 2nd in rookie scoring and for the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) voting. The one player in front of him in both categories was Alex Ovechkin, and it was just a preview of the rivalry between the two for years to come. Crosby also became the first rookie to have over 100 penalty minutes as well as 100 points in a single season. 

First Career Goal

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               2006-07

Crosby's sophomore season saw him excel, and collected a career high in points that still stands to this day. He recorded 36 goals and 84 assists to finish with 120 points. That number of points was good enough to win the Art Ross Trophy, which is awarded to the player with the most points during the season. He was the youngest player in NHL history to win the award, and the youngest scoring champion in any major North American sports league. Crosby got some help from incoming young phenom Evgeni Malkin, as the duo was awarded the title, "The Two Headed Monster", because of the success they had together. Crosby also took home a few other individual awards, winning the Hart Trophy (League MVP), and the Ted Lindsay (Most Outstanding Player), and became the youngest player to win the Lindsay Award. He was also named to the NHL's First All Star Team, also becoming the youngest player to be named to that. He helped propel his team to the postseason for the first time since 2000-01, but lost to the Ottawa Senators in 5 games, where Crosby recorded 5 points in that span.

             2007-08

After just his 2nd full season, Crosby was named captain of the Penguins at just 19 years of age, making him the youngest captain in NHL history. This season saw Crosby miss some time due to an ankle injury that he suffered in mid-January. Despite that, he still recorded 24 goals and 48 assists for 72 points in just 53 games, which would've put him on pace for 110 points if a full season was played. Pittsburgh also took apart in the first ever Winter Classic and took home a 2-1 shootout victory, as Crosby scored the shootout winner.

Crosby helped Pittsburgh to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings. They were taken down in 6 games and fell just 2 games short of engraving his name on the cup as a 20-year-old. Crosby finished the postseason with 6 goals and 21 assists for 27 points, tied for the most with eventual Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) winner Henrik Zetterberg. With a young and relentless Pittsburgh squad, this was just the start of something special for years to come for the captain. He also stood only 6 points away from the 300-point mark in his career.

                   2008-09                                                                             

Crosby increased his point total immensely, a big part of that being the only missed 5 games due to injury. He recorded 33 goals and 70 assists for 103 points, making it the 3rd time in his career reaching the 100-point mark. He also notched 100 career goals, 200 career assists, and 300 career points very early in the season. Crosby and the Penguins replicated the same playoff success as the previous campaign and eased their way back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive year. 

 

 

Pittsburgh ended up winning the Stanley Cup in 7 games in a rematch against the Detroit Red Wings. Crosby’s postseason run saw him scoring 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. It wasn’t enough for the Conn Smythe Trophy, as that went to teammate Evgeni Malkin for his impressive 36 point postseason performance. Crosby became the youngest captain to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, just a few months before his 22nd birthday. This was Pittsburgh’s first Cup since the back to back championships in 1991-1992. 

 

                                                                                2009-10

Fresh from a Stanley Cup, Crosby didn’t slow down in the slightest. He racked up 51 goals and 58 assists for 109 points, notching back-to-back 100-point seasons. His 51 goals still stand as a career high in a single season and was enough to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (Most Goals in the League). It was the first time winning this award in his career. He also took home the Mark Messier Leadership Award for his team and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy. In addition to the league awards, he won the Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year. In the postseason, Crosby recorded 6 goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 13 games. They were knocked out in the 2nd round by the Montreal Canadiens in 7 games. 

Crosby also took part in the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada. He was a crucial part of the Canadian squad, tallying 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points in 7 games. He scored the game winning overtime goal in the Gold Medal game to beat the United States 3-2, sending it through the legs of eventual Vezina Trophy (Goalie of the Year) winner Ryan Miller. Crosby had now achieved a Stanley Cup championship and an Olympic Gold in a span of a year and a half.

Winning goal in the Gold Medal game

     2010-11

Crosby started out on fire during the 2010-11 season, as he was on pace for his best season yet. However, he suffered a concussion at the 2011 Winter Classic from a hit to the head from Washington Capitals forward Dave Steckel. He missed the remainder of the season, and eventually the postseason. He recorded 32 goals and 34 assists for 66 points in just 41 games, on pace for around 56 goals and 130 points (both would’ve been career highs). Crosby also had a 25-game point streak from early on in the season and ending on December 29, 2010. In that span, he recorded 50 points, which was a point per game of 2.00. 

                                                                                    2011-12

The 2011-12 season saw Crosby play a career low 22 games, stemming from the concussions he dealt with over the course of the past year. In those 22 games, he produced, picking up 8 goals and 29 assists for 37 points. He returned to the lineup in November of 2011 in a matchup against the New York Islanders, where he recorded two goals en route to a Pittsburgh win. 

Goal in comeback game

However, Crosby re-gained those same concussion symptoms not even a month later, having a few collisions in a game against the Boston Bruins in December. It kept him sidelined until March 15, 2012, where he continued to play the rest of the season and into the playoffs. 

In the 2012 postseason, he put up 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points in just 6 games, as they fell to their in state rival the Philadelphia Flyers. Crosby kept feeling out his health and getting back to consistent playoff success, with the main goal of getting back to the Stanley Cup Final.

                                                                     2012-13

The 2012-13 season didn’t start until mid-January because of a league wide lockout, so there were 48 games played throughout the regular season. Crosby played in 36 of them, recording 15 goals and 41 assists for 56 points. 

He got some recognition from the league, as he won the Ted Lindsay Award, and was a finalist for both the Hart Trophy and the Bill Masterton Trophy (Sportsmanship). Pittsburgh won every single contest in the month of March, as they went on a 15-game win streak, solidifying themselves as the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the postseason.

Pittsburgh made it all the way to Eastern Conference Finals, losing in a 4-game sweep to the Boston Bruins. During this run, Crosby recorded 7 goals and 8 assists for 15 points in 14 games. He was pointless in all 4 games against Boston, making it the first time of his NHL career that he didn’t record a single point during a playoff series.