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Sidney Crosby

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Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a professional ice hockey player for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the first pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and one of the leading scorers during the 2005-06 NHL season finishing 6th in scoring with 102 points (39 G, 63 A).

Contents

Playing career

Amateur years

Crosby was born in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, and began learning hockey in his basement, which his father had painted white and added red and blue lines to replicate a skating rink, at 2 1/2 and began ice skating at 3. At age 7, he gave his first newspaper interview and was already on the radar of the sports press. When Crosby was 15, a reporter from The Arizona Republic asked Wayne Gretzky if a player may some day break some of his records; Gretzky replied, "Yes, Sidney Crosby. He's the best player I've seen since Mario Lemieux."

As a teenager, Crosby showed talent comparable to that when Gretzky, Lemieux and other NHL greats were young, an assessment that has led to the nickname "The Next One." Crosby writes "Darryl87" on both of his gloves; he was nicknamed "Darryl" after scoring 8 points in his first QMJHL exhibition game, a reference to Darryl Sittler, who once scored 10 points in an NHL game.["Crosby reveals his nickname"] by Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 4, 2005.

Partly because of the distraction of fame in Nova Scotia, he spent his sophomore year in 2002-03 at Shattuck-Saint Mary's prep school in Minnesota, where he scored 72 goals in 57 games.

Crosby was drafted first overall in the QMJHL draft on June 9, 2003 by the Rimouski Océanic. He won the scoring title and set a new scoring record for 16-year-olds in his rookie season in the QMJHL, finishing with 54 goals and 81 assists in 59 games. He became a fan favorite around the league and also impressed many with his concerted effort to learn French. 

In 2003, Crosby was the only player under 18 invited to join the Canadian Junior Hockey Team. On December 28, 2003, he scored his first goal of the World Junior Hockey Championship in a 7-2 win over Switzerland, becoming the youngest player ever to score for the team at age 16 years, 4 months, 24 days. The puck from Crosby's record making goal is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.



NHL career

On July 30, 2005, in the first draft under the new CBA, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Crosby in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft with the first overall pick.  It gave Crosby the opportunity to play alongside another hockey great, Mario Lemieux. However, Lemieux would retire after an injury plagued season.


Crosby played his first professional NHL game on October 5, 2005, against the New Jersey Devils, and registered an assist on the team's first goal of the season, scored by Mark Recchi. Crosby's first NHL goal came on October 8, 2005, against goaltender Hannu Toivonen of the Boston Bruins and was assisted by linemates Mark Recchi and Zigmund Palffy. On December 16, 2005, just two months into his rookie season, Crosby was named an Alternate Captain for the Penguins by new coach Michel Therrien.


On April 13, 2006, Crosby broke Mario Lemieux's Penguins rookie assist record, with one goal and three assists in a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers. Lemieux recorded 57 assists in his rookie year. Crosby finished with 63 assists in his first season, a new Penguins rookie record.


On April 17, 2006, Crosby scored his 100th point at the last home game of the season against the New York Islanders. He finished with 102, 2 ahead of Lemieux's 1984-85 rookie team record. Crosby is the youngest player in the history of the NHL to score 100 points in a single season, and only the 7th rookie. Crosby also is the first NHL rookie to record 100 points and 100 penalty minutes in a season. Dale Hawerchuk, who entered the league at age 18 for Winnipeg in 1981-82, is the only player to have had more points (103) before turning 19 or in the year they were drafted.


Overall, Crosby finished sixth in the NHL scoring race and seventh in the NHL in assists. Among Canadian NHL players, he trailed only Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. By comparison, 2004 NHL Entry Draft top pick, 20-year-old Alexander Ovechkin finished the 2005-06 season, also his rookie year, with 106 points.


In 2006, Crosby finished second in Calder Memorial Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year to winner, Alexander Ovechkin.  Dion Phaneuf finished third.


From May 5 – May 21 2006, Crosby participated (and was one of Canada's alternate captains) in the 2006 World Championships, where he became the youngest player ever to win a World Championship scoring title. He tallied a tournament-best eight goals and eight assists in nine games. Also, Crosby was named the tournament's top forward and to the competition's all-star team.


On September 19 2006, Crosby is expected to play in an NHL exhibition game with the Ottawa Senators in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is only 20 minutes from where he grew up.



Crosby's sought after jerseys

Crosby's Team Canada jersey from the gold-medal game at the World Junior Hockey Championship was stolen by an Air Canada baggage handler in January 2005. It was recovered about a week later and was auctioned off for $22,100 for youth hockey charities and South Asian tsunami relief.


For the second time in less than a year, one of Crosby's game-worn sweaters went missing. This time, it was the jersey he wore in his first NHL game against the New Jersey Devils. It was reportedly stolen from the luggage of Sidney’s father during a flight from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. The jersey was later found at the Pittsburgh International Airport between a piece of equipment and a stairwell.


The jersey Crosby wore in his third NHL game topped the bidding of an online jersey auction for Hurricane Katrina relief at $21,010. The second-highest jersey bid came down to little under $8,000.


The black Team Canada jersey that Crosby wore in the 2006 World Championships game against Team USA was auctioned off for $15,087.87.



Criticism

Like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux before him, Crosby has been accused by opposing players and coaches of taking dives and complaining.  


This may have started when Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher delivered a forearm shiver to Crosby's mouth, and later hit Crosby in the mouth with his stick. Neither play resulted in a penalty, but when Crosby re-entered the game later and complained of more abuse which he thought should have resulted in a Flyers penalty, he was sent to the penalty box. [link]  After the game, Crosby received emergency medical care and dental work. Three games later, Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock insinuated that Crosby was diving and later during the game, Flyers star Peter Forsberg made a "dive" motion with his hands.[link] 


In April, during a game against the New Jersey Devils, Crosby received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after having gotten a penalty moments earlier for hooking after having his stick tossed away. Crosby commented on the situation in light of his being perceived as a complainer, saying, "It's known if I say something, I'm gonna get [criticized]."



Quick facts



Awards

NHL

Ice Hockey World Championships

CHL

QMJHL


Career statistics




  
  
 Regular Season
  
 Playoffs


 Season
 Team
 League
 GP
 G
 A
 Pts
 PIM
 GP
 G
 A
 Pts
 PIM


 2001-02
 Dartmouth Subways
 MAAA
 74
 95
 98
 193
 114
 7
 11
 13
 24
 0


 2002-03
 Shattuck St. Mary's
 USHS
 57
 72
 90
 162
 104
 --
 --
 --
 --
 --


 2003-04
 Rimouski Océanic
 QMJHL
 59
 54
 81
 135
 74
 9
 7
 9
 16
 10


 2004-05
 Rimouski Océanic
 QMJHL
 62
 66
 102
 168
 84
 13
 14
 17
 31
 16


 2005-06
 Pittsburgh Penguins
 NHL
 81
 39
 63
 102
 110
 --  
 --  
 -- 
 -- 
 --


 NHL Totals
 81
 39
 63
 102
 110
 
 
 
 
 



Statistics as of end of 2005-06 season



International play

Played for Canada in:




International statistics


 Year
 Team
 Event
 GP
 G
 A
 Pts
 PIM


 2004
 Canada
 WJC
 6 
 2
 3
 5
 4


 2005
 Canada
 WJC
 7
 6
 3
 9
 4


 2006
 Canada
 WC 
 9
 8
 8
 16
 10


 Senior Int'l Totals
 9
 8
 8
 16
 10




Trivia



References





External links




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