No player in any sport is immune to criticism, certainly not when they’re playing on the biggest stage. Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby could be criticized for any number of things — he is, after all, human…right? Right.
But during the Penguins’ conference final series with the Tampa Bay Lightning — one in which he scored three game-winning goals — Crosby’s work ethic and leadership were questioned by some reporters, leading to Elliotte Friedman speaking with Greg Wyshynski Monday on the Marek vs. Wyshynski podcast about just that.
“[Toronto Blue Jays 1st baseman] Carlos Delgado once said to me that, ‘All you [media] think that leadership is going into the room and yelling at people and saying ‘play better,'” said Friedman. “[Delgado said] leadership is coming prepared to play every day, always being in the right condition and leading on the field. I think Sidney Crosby brings that kind of leadership.”
Crosby is tied for eighth in playoff scoring with six goals and 15 points. He’s recorded nine points on the power play, scored the aforementioned three game-winning goals against the Lightning and has won 51.5 per cent of his faceoffs. He’s also, of course, previously led his team to two Stanley Cup Finals, in 2008 and 2009.
“I don’t know who I feel worse for, him or us, that we got robbed of two of his prime [playing] years,” said Friedman. “People rip on Sidney Crosby because he lost two years of his prime. If he had been able to play instead of being injured, my belief is nobody would be ripping Sidney Crosby.”
The Penguins forward played in just 63 combined games over the course of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons when he was between 23 and 25 years old and suffering from concussion issues. He also missed 12 of 48 in the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
“The best line I ever heard about Crosby is that he’s a superstar with the attitude of a fourth liner, and I still think he’s that guy,” said Friedman.
Crosby has one Stanley Cup to his name but in some ways, his legacy as a hockey player comes into question. Why weren’t his Penguins as dominant as the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings in the post 2004-05 lockout era? What would one more success or failure in the Cup Final do for his lasting reputation among his peers and fans?
“It’s massive for him,” said Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston on Hockey Central at Noon Monday. “A lot of us wondered if [winning the Cup] would ever happen [for him] again. At times, the window for teams closes quicker than you think and there was reason to wonder about the Penguins early this season.”
Pittsburgh struggled out of the gate, firing head coach Mike Johnston but eventually finishing strong while Crosby was named a finalist for the Hart Trophy.
“He’s in his third final which is one more than Mario Lemieux,” said Johnston. “But to win two Stanley Cups would put him in pretty exclusive territory.
“I think his legacy is complete if he stops playing tomorrow — he’s got Hall-of-Fame credentials with what he’s achieved — but this is a huge moment for him and you can see that he understands it.”
