Number 87 was born on 8-7-87. That means Sidney Crosby turned 35 on Sunday. Can you believe it? Sid the Kid came into the NHL with the Penguins at 18 in 2005. Now he's closer to the big 4-0 than he is to 30? Where does time go?
What a perfect time to reflect.
I was in a dark room at Mellon Arena on July 22, 2005, watching the NHL draft lottery on television. The tension was suffocating before the ping-pong ball bounced the Penguins' way, giving them the right to make Crosby the No. 1 overall pick in that summer's entry draft.
A franchise was saved.
The Penguins wouldn't be here without that fortuitous bounce. They wouldn't have beautiful PPG Paints Arena without it and the NHL lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season but leveled the financial ice for all the clubs.
We like to think of ourselves as a fabulous hockey town. But we haven't always been. We were a lousy hockey town until Mario Lemieux arrived in 1984 and then again until Crosby came along. I have no doubt the Penguins would be in Kansas City.
I remember Crosby stepping up to and staring down the intense scrutiny that dogged him since he was young, an off-the-charts prodigy. It wasn't easy. Some of the Penguins' veterans, perhaps out of jealousy, went out of their way to challenge Crosby early on. It became so bad that Eddie Olczyk, then the coach, had to step in and call out the vets. He is convinced he lost the team because of it. Even though he knew he would be fired, he has said many times he had to do what was right for Crosby. The franchise should be grateful to Olczyk.
The Penguins made Crosby the youngest captain in NHL history in May 2007. He was 19. He has since become one of the best captains in NHL history, leading by example, always the team's hardest worker, always welcoming to new teammates.
"Sid just represents everything that's right about hockey," Mike Sullivan has often said. "His work ethic is off the charts. He's a great leader. He's a fierce competitor. He carries himself with such humility. He represents our sport and the Pittsburgh Penguins with such dignity and class."
Crosby, unlike Lemieux before him, willingly took on the added role of being the face of the NHL. I still can see him in the early days doing interview after interview, in both English and French. He would do just about anything to sell hockey. It was easy for him. I've never known a Pittsburgh athlete who loves his sport more. That's why I can see him playing until he's 45, health-permitting.
Crosby has had so many breathtaking goals and assists that it is difficult to pick a favorite. One goal that stands out for me is his 500th, coming in a 5-4 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 15. There is no team he has tormented more than the Flyers. Another memorable one was his shootout goal on Jan. 1, 2008, to beat the Buffalo Sabres in a blinding snowstorm in the first Winter Classic game.
Of course, there were the championships. The Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017. The Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2010 and 2014. Crosby scored the winning goal in overtime to beat the United States team in the deciding game in the 2010 Vancouver Games. "The Golden Goal," as it will be known forever in Canada. "Sidney Crosby is addicted to winning," Canadian coach Mike Babcock said.
Earlier this summer, The Sporting News revealed it is doing a Mount Rushmore of sports stars for the 13 cities that have four professional teams. We don't qualify for its list because we have just three, but that doesn't mean we can't put together our own list.
I'll start:
Lemieux, Joe Greene, Roberto Clemente and Crosby. The first three are easy. Crosby gets on the mountain by the narrowest of margins over Jack Ham, Franco Harris and the incomparable Mel Blount, who changed the rules of football with his physical play.
While we're talking Mount Rushmores, how about one for the NHL? Again, the first three choices are easy: Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Lemieux. I'll defer to those who watched Gordie Howe's terrific career closely and put him in the fourth spot, but I am not ruling out Crosby sneaking by him.
Crosby's 517 goals rank 39th in NHL history and his 1,409 points are tied for 21st despite him missing more than 250 games because of injury or illness. But he is far from finished. He is signed for three more years. Don't be surprised if, again health-permitting, he plays six more seasons to match the term on good pal Kris Letang's new contract.
Check back with me on 8-7-27.
You know, when Sid the Kid turns 40.
