Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby may not draw the most pleasant of memories from fans of the Detroit Red Wings. After all, he and his teammates became public enemies after their stunning defeat of Detroit in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final at Joe Louis Arena.
However, despite the on-ice rivalry (that’s certainly subsided in recent years), one would be wrong to deny the sheer talent that Crosby has displayed over the course of his NHL career, which recently hit the milestone of 1,000 career games.
Following the game, Crosby told a story dating back to his rookie campaign of 2005-06, which was the final year of the playing career of Steve Yzerman, who had sent a special congratulatory message to Crosby prior to the game:
“Yeah it was really special. You know he was a role model for me growing up, loved the way he played the game and carried himself…. I remember my first year I was really excited to be playing against them and at the time he had an eye injury and he didn’t play that night. And I remember getting on the bus after the game and I got a call and it was from him just saying that he’d wish he had been able to get out there that night and play against me. Wished me all the best and good luck.”
Crosby is a 3-time Stanley Cup champion, has won multiple personal accolades, and was a key member of Team Canada’s gold-winning squads in 2010 and 2014, both of whom were served by Yzerman as GM.
– – Quotes via HockeyFeed Link – –
