If Sidney Crosby hasn’t noticed, he is the beloved son of Pittsburgh, much like the Steelers are acclaimed in the same town. The winter months never felt so pleasant, now that Sid the Kid warms up the hockey season to fuel a furnace inside the Consol Energy Center. He is like an intense flame on frozen water, a star on ice, the face of hockey – turning the venue into a playoff-like atmosphere.
Crosby, who missed nearly a year due to a concussion, returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday for his sensational debut in a 5-0 shutout of the New York Islanders at a venue that doesn’t qualify as the Igloo. His return should, therefore, raise fear and be taken into consideration after his exceptional comeback led the Penguins while all eyes were turned directly toward Crosby.
This may have been the week hockey turned relevant, and when the Penguins reclaimed a slew of normalcy, now sufficiently motivated with the healthy Crosby. Now, especially with him back, the Penguins seem lethal – and perhaps – even mightily physical and more energized. Every once in a while, such as his fantastic comeback in his recovery from a severe blow to the head, he reminds everyone that he’s the greatest on ice and marvels in an eye-popping performance.
When Crosby returned to the ice for the first time in nearly a season, after sitting out for 320 days with concussion-like symptoms, the atmosphere almost felt like a Stanley Cup Finals. The reason for this as Crosby is the biggest star in the sport is because he is the most gifted player ever to take pride on frozen water, at least in Canada, where he is an icon virtually flattered by every hockey fan. And as the rest of us are intrigued by the hype, the comeback that built excitement since the announcement, the time has come for Crosby, 24, returning to form and clearly looked healthy.
So what exactly is the big deal?
If so many people are willingly cheering in favor of an athlete, such as Crosby, who hasn’t played since Jan. 5 when he was injured on a hit by Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, then it is clearly discerned that the folks glorifies him. With him back, the game’s popularity itself if, indeed, has ballooned instantly. If he’s not around, absent over time during the season, hockey seems unwatchable and pedestrian.
In other words, Crosby saves the game from itself. At a time when he clearly vindicated that he’s fully recovered from a concussion, with two goals and two assists, he shock off the rust. Very seldom do we see an unbelievable debut from a player after missing almost an entire season. Very seldom do we see a hockey star have an impact the first night in his return after battling with a concussion.
It doesn’t matter that Crosby is probably the only most sensational NHL player in the public’s eye right now by rising as a star when he was just a rookie, and getting the nod to be named the Penguins’ captain at such a very young age. What does matter is that he represents the beauty of hockey, a game that almost died but revived by his presence, heroics and perfection.
The public was utterly in love with his ability to blow by Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald and score his first goal in 328 days. Faced with pressure and burdens, the reality of this was he had been longing for this moment and was brilliant, watching Brooks Orpik beat Islanders goaltender Anders Nilsson after Crosby, of course, fired a well-executed pass to him.
The thing is, it would be an insult to discount the Penguins, a team that can raise the Stanley Cup on ice at the end of the season with Crosby in the lineup. The Penguins, where Mario Lemieux now is the current team owner, is also where Crosby is a superstar and had the kind of unique showpiece, following the footsteps of the Hall of Famer.
The stakes were high, but he wisely took precautionary actions, knowing the way his body would react to concussions. The best news is that Crosby appears to be robust and rejuvenated after his intermission he needed to return to usual form, and he certainly was his normal self Monday night. It wasn’t like he was ideal shooting the puck all over the ice, but he was close to perfect, scoring on his first shot.
This is what builds upon a legacy, one that consist of greatness in just one performance of a dazzling debut – beginning all on his first shot. It was, in many ways, spectacular and refreshing. It was, however, a game where he sent a statement, informing the world that he’s healthy and conscious. It was a great play, in part because it contributed to the Penguins victory, and the nicest scene came on an extraordinary backhander.
It was likely and, again, one of his utmost performances as a hockey superstar, a lovable resident in Pittsburgh and a solid franchise player. Fans love him. Other players love him, too. Much has happened since he arrived to the NHL, with his impact to incredibly popularize and cultivate the Penguins, a team that lifted away from mediocrity to an elite force. The defining moment of Crosby’s beautiful season debut came quickly. It took no time for him to find his touch and be a factor in the game, setting up two goals and scoring on the last goal with his effective backhander.
“A game like tonight, you run on adrenaline,” Crosby said during an interview on Versus. “The next few games it will start to set in and it will be tougher.”
This was all Crosby, setting the tone for his teammates. This was all Crosby, putting his team in position to win. And at the end of the night, the Penguins prevailed. Over a tense, physical three hours of fun, he was hit multiple times, attempted eight shots and won 14 of 21 faceoffs, a splendid effort at home where flashbulbs exploded and the electric reaction made his presence felt on the ice.
Standing near the New York net while the Penguins had the power play, Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic turned and noticed Crosby by his goaltender and sent him crashing to the ice. This wasn’t just a way to fire him up, but a way to alert him and test his body in his first game. After the fall, he quickly bounced back to his feet without having confrontation. He was, as the Islanders never had an answer for the Penguins, the best player out there – competing at the very best of what defines Crosby, subjecting his body to injury to formulate a body of work in the pursuit of another Stanley Cup.
His teammate, defenseman Zbynek Michalek, was brilliant himself and played as a balanced team for the first time this season. This was the disciplined goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, eyeing the puck from every angle and shutting down the net and finishing with 29 saves. Crosby was not the only one to have a striking night, though, and had reinforcements from his teammates. Evgeni Malkin scored a goal and had an assist and Steve Sullivan in the second period scored on a goal, finishing on a terrific passing play from James Neal to Malkin to Sullivan for a tap-in.
But more than ever, this was the greatest hockey star who earned the nickname “Sid the Kid.” This is the capability, the psyche and the talent that set Crosby apart from other players, having a sensational night with two goals, two assists and eight shots on net. Last season, he was the NHL scoring-leader with 66 points in 41 games but took severe hits to the head in consecutive games and debilitated, suffering from dizziness and headaches and having a confused state of mind.
He wasn’t uninspired and he wasn’t unprepared even though he missed a total of 68 games – including playoffs, but ready for the toughest task of his comeback, inspiring the crowd to chant that echoed through the venue. For no one more than coach Dan Bylsma, he feels good about the Crosby craze and somehow he is amazed by it, ready for a double dose.
“It’s a feel I hope to get used to for more than just one game,” Bylsma said.
“Crosby! Crosby! Crosby!
This is an unreal hockey story, not close to the Miracle on Ice, but it ranks with it. Yes, the place was crazy. Crosby was back.
