For Canadians, Sidney Crosby is an ice-hockey god.
A superhero with a hockey stick wearing the Maple Leaf on his chest, who came to the hockey-mad country’s rescue four years ago at the Vancouver Winter Games by scoring the golden goal against the US that crowned Canada Olympic champions.
“Sid the Kid,” the all-Canadian boy from tiny Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, with impeccable politeness and magical talent, was the toast of the Great White North.
Photo: Reuters
A once-in-a-generation player who would carry the Canadian flag and hockey hopes of his country for years to come, Crosby’s future seemed as bright as the shiny gold medal that hung around his neck.
However, the architect of one of the greatest moments in Canadian sporting history would spend a good portion of the next two years not in the spotlight, but sitting in the dark, his brilliance dimmed by sport’s latest scourge — concussions.
Just 23 years old when he was flattened by a David Steckel shoulder on Jan. 1, 2011, there were concerns Crosby might never again grace National Hockey League (NHL) arenas. If he did return, concussion experts warned the Pittsburgh Penguins captain may never be the same dynamic force he was.
However, after a long, tedious recovery Crosby heads to Russia, once again at the peak of his powers.
When Canada announced their Olympic lineup to the usual scrutiny and fanfare on Jan. 7, Crosby’s name was back at the top of the NHL scoring table, with 65 points on 24 goals and 41 assists.
As the NHL season moved past the midway mark Pittsburgh was leading the Eastern conference standings and Crosby was on pace for his first 100-point campaign since 2009-2010 and a contender for league most valuable player (MVP) honors.
“It’s a proud moment when you’re named to Team Canada, no matter whether it is the Olympics or world juniors,” Crosby said. “Everyone expects to win gold and that has always been the expectation, and I don’t think that is going to change.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s any easier,” he added.
The youngest NHL captain to hoist a Stanley Cup, a bulging trophy case that includes a Hart trophy (NHL MVP), an Art Ross trophy (NHL scoring champion) and Rocket Richard trophy (goal-scoring leader), Crosby has already assembled a Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
However, for all his honors and achievements, including two Lou Marsh awards as Canada’s athlete of the year, Crosby may well one day be best remembered for his remarkable resilience and saintly patience.
For more than two seasons Crosby wrestled with concussion-like symptoms and the frustration of aborted and failed comebacks.
His indestructible aura shattered, Crosby slipped into seclusion plagued by headaches and dizziness, unable to read or watch television due to a debilitating sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises.
He would spend months consulting with concussion specialists seeking out cutting edge therapy, including treatments in a gyroscope chair not unlike those used by astronauts preparing for space travel.
By the time he was finally ready to play, the NHL was in lockdown mode. Owners locked out players in a bitter labor dispute that chopped last season’s schedule to 48 games.
Until the current campaign, Crosby had appeared in fewer than 100 games over the three seasons since his initial injury.
In a country where hockey borders on religion, Crosby is the pope.
Like Wayne Gretzky before him, he seemed destined for superstardom long before he arrived on the NHL stage.
As Crosby’s game matured so has the man, now a respected advocate whose views on everything from player safety to labor issues matter.
He is also, according to Forbes, hockey’s top earner, pulling in close to US$13 million annually in salary and endorsements.
As wholesome as Canadian maple syrup, the Crosby brand is one of quality.
During the buildup to the Sochi Olympics, turn on a television in Canada and you will not have to wait long before Crosby’s boyish smile flashes on to the screen, pitching everything from coffee to hockey equipment.
The type of young man mothers would hope their daughters would bring home, Crosby has avoided the tabloid spotlight, while leading a seemingly ordinary life.
The No. 1 pick in the 2005 NHL draft, Crosby spent his first years as a professional living in team owner Mario Lemieux’s guest house, personally delivering season tickets to Penguins subscribers.
An athlete Canadians admire, teammates respect and opponents fear, Crosby’s impact on the game now extends far beyond the rinks where he showcases his special talents.
Known simply as “Sid” to Canadians, Crosby is the face of the NHL, a willing role model and the game’s greatest ambassador.
Before arriving in Sochi, Crosby is widely expected to be accorded another honor and named captain of Canada’s Olympic team.
He is to charge onto ice at the Bolshoy Ice Dome when Canada takes on Norway in their tournament opener on Feb. 13, with the captain’s C on his chest just above the Maple Leaf.
“Just looking back to 2010, seeing guys like [Chris] Pronger, [Scott] Niedermayer and [Jarome] Iginla, and the way they led our team, that would be a great honor,” Crosby said.
HSIEH ADVANCES: In the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei was to play in the second round last night, but Taiwan’s Ray Ho exited in the men’s doubles It is more than 10 years since Grigor Dimitrov reached his sole Wimbledon semi-final and back then it still seemed a reasonable bet that the Bulgarian once dubbed “Baby Federer” would win a Grand Slam title. There were semi-final runs at the US Open and Australian Open after that, but it has never quite happened and despite him still being ranked No. 21, it most likely never will. Dimitrov, 34, remains one of the most stylish players on the circuit though, with his elegant single-handed backhand and smooth all-court game a rare reminder of how tennis was before the power merchants turned
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
INJURY TURMOIL: Despite stunning French Open champions Paolini and Errani to advance, Chan was forced to pull out after her partner’s tearful women’s singles defeat Last year’s mixed doubles champions Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Poland’s Jan Zielinski on Monday crashed out of the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, leaving the Taiwanese star focused on pursuing a fifth women’s doubles title in London, while a partner injury forced compatriot Chan Hao-ching to give up on her doubles campaign. Hsieh and Zielinksi, who last year also won the Australia Open title, narrowly lost their opening set 7-6 (9/7), before Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani stunned the former champions 6-3 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The Taiwanese-Polish duo had been dominant in the first two
Real Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund had taken three crazy turns during nine minutes of second-half stoppage time when Marcel Sabitzer chested the ball and sent a right-footed volley toward Thibaut Courtois’ post. Courtois leapt to his right, extended the long arm on his 2m frame and just managed to get his gloved fingertips on the ball, knocking it down. Courtois hit the ground as the ball bounded up. He looked skyward, planted his right hand to regain his balance, grabbed the ball with both hands on the second bounce and fell onto it with his chest. Sabitzer turned
RSS