During and after the NHL Lockout, Sid the Kid transcended the game
By Will MacLaren
Sidney Crosby ranks no. 2 on the CHL’s Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years
Of all the places in Canada, perhaps no area emanates as fierce a sense of pride as the Maritimes. So many people and places that are cherished by those hearty folks on the East Coast are considered best kept secrets by the locals. But sometimes, something or someone comes along that is simply too good to keep hidden. As both a player and a person, Sidney Crosby is a prime example.
As remarkable as Crosby has been, much of his ever-growing legend has been accompanied by a healthy dose of impeccable timing. He led an up-and-coming group to Stanley Cup status. He made stars out of several linemates. He yelled “IGGY!” on the ice in Vancouver. It all led to glory. But not to be overlooked was his arrival in the QMJHL and his first experience of being the biggest hockey story in the World.
Crosby’s roadmap to stardom took him from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia to Minnesota and Shattuck-St. Mary’s to Rimouski, Quebec. A major junior hockey draft is typically only a must watch event for the most ardent of followers of those respective teams. Not so in 2003, when Crosby was delivered to the Oceanic with the first overall pick. It turns out it was more than acceptable to believe the hype. Crosby not only led the league in scoring with 135 points, but took home QMJHL and CHL Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honours. He also claimed silver at that year’s World Juniors.
The following year, with the NHL mired in a season-long lockout, the hottest ticket in town was not to be had in Montreal or Toronto; it was the Colisee de Rimouski and the other 15 cities of the QMJHL. Crosby proved to be one of the greatest drawing cards in CHL history, capturing another CHL scoring title and Player of the Year Award, not to mention the QMJHL’s Personality of the Year and Top Prospect Award crowns. His medal at the World Juniors was upgraded from silver to gold and his Oceanic were crowned QMJHL Champions. The playoff MVP that year? It probably goes without saying. The Pittsburgh Penguins were quick to snag Crosby with the first pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
By then the very opposite of a best kept secret, and in yet another uncanny example of perfect timing, Crosby became the face of a post-lockout NHL desperate to promote the best of the game while running significant damage control. Once again, Sid the Kid rose to the challenge; those full ‘Q’ rinks became full NHL rinks. The previously moribund Penguins were contenders within three seasons. And Crosby was their leader, wearing an ‘A’ by the midway point of his rookie campaign and trading it in for the ‘C’ by year three. The legacy of not only being one of the very best to ever lace up a pair of skates but a genuinely good person to boot has endeared him to the wider world of sport.
He’s also a winner, first, last and always. Three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, gold at the IIHF World Championship and a pair of Hart, Art Ross, Conn Smythe and Rocket Richard Trophies are highlights of a seemingly endless resume. Add in more than 650 goals and 1,750 points alongside a record 21 straight seasons of averaging more than a point-per-game, his statistics are rivaled by only those who hold a similar icon status.
The QMJHL has paid respect to one of its all-time greats as well. In the Spring of 2019, Crosby was named the third-best player in league history, behind only Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux. That Fall, his number 87 was retired league-wide. Only Crosby and Lafleur have had that honour bestowed upon them. Crosby himself has returned the favour over the years; after the Penguins Stanley Cup triumph in 2017, he brought the trophy back to Rimouski.
In the end, Sidney Crosby was never meant to be kept secret. And the hockey world is a better place for that.
