October 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Sidney Crosby hasn't assisted on an even-strength goal for his wingers through 12 games. Sometimes, the great ones take matters into their own hands. Crosby, more intent on scoring goals this season, was every bit the sniper Wednesday night. He recorded a hat trick in the Penguins 6-1 victory over Montreal at Mellon Arena. "I felt like a fan tonight watching the stuff he was doing out there," said Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 23 of 24 shots to improve his record to 9-1. "He was unbelievable." It marked the fourth hat trick of Crosby's career. He has also registered hat tricks against Philadelphia, New Jersey and in the postseason last year at Washington. Crosby fired nine ..."
October 28
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Penguins center Sidney Crosby has done a lot in his 22 years. He has won a Stanley Cup, a scoring title, an MVP and was a household name in Canada at age 14. Crosby will add to his remarkable achievements Nov. 18, when he carries the Olympic torch in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "It's an unbelievable privilege," Crosby said. "And I'm excited to be able to do it in Nova Scotia. Everyone from Nova Scotia is proud to be from Nova Scotia." Crosby will probably have to miss a practice while carrying the torch. The Penguins play the following day in Ottawa. More than 12,000 people will carry the torch at some point on its journey to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 12. "It's a very ..."
October 25
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Hockey fans are fortunate that Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are new-age megastars - willing to speak up for the good of the sport, even if that means going against the old way of players handling business. With great power comes great responsibility, and Crosby and Ovechkin have accepted this burden. Their big-picture leadership is long overdue for a league that historically has lacked that quality from most of its top stars. Ovechkin, the reigning two-time MVP, set the bar fairly high in September by telling ESPN.com that he would play for Russia at the 2014 Olympics - his native land's first Winter Games - even if National Hockey League players weren't part of the men's ice ..."
October 11
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Toronto Maple Leafs apparently didn't learn anything from the Penguins' last game. For a second consecutive contest, an opponent attempted to physically intimidate the Penguins, and it backfired. Sidney Crosby scored two power-play goals, and Evgeni Malkin added three assists as the Penguins dominated the Maple Leafs in a 5-2 victory Saturday at Air Canada Centre. "I wouldn't want to try to play against our power play," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "Those guys were very impressive tonight." Pittsburgh outshot Toronto, 33-20. Penguins forwards Mike Rupp, Eric Godard and Craig Adams were assessed fighting majors against the Maple Leafs, who possess a number of heavyweights. ..."
October 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Rob Rossi
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People keep asking me if Sidney Crosby seems different since winning the Stanley Cup. Earlier this week, we shared a light-natured conversation about cuts of blue jeans. After the Penguins' opening exhibition game, he cracked jokes about the absurd attention people were paying to his new model of sticks. This past Tuesday, he played the role of psychiatrist to Pittsburgh sports fans by stressing that they shouldn't give up on the Steelers after a 1-2 start. For a guy one of his closest friends once said was so competitive that a word hadn't been created to accurately describe him, Crosby has appeared almost relaxed (by his standard) during Penguins training camp — as if the weight of the ..."
October 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Rob Rossi
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People keep asking me if Sidney Crosby seems different since winning the Stanley Cup. Earlier this week, we shared a light-natured conversation about cuts of blue jeans. After the Penguins' opening exhibition game, he cracked jokes about the absurd attention people were paying to his new model of sticks. This past Tuesday, he played the role of psychiatrist to Pittsburgh sports fans by stressing that they shouldn't give up on the Steelers after a 1-2 start. For a guy one of his closest friends once said was so competitive that a word hadn't been created to accurately describe him, Crosby has appeared almost relaxed (by his standard) during Penguins training camp — as if the weight of the ..."
October 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders franchise prospect John Tavares each posted goal-and-assist games, but Crosby's club is where Tavares can only hope to take his — and the grit of a champion is what separated the Penguins and Islanders on Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum. Third-period rally goals by defenseman Mark Eaton and Ruslan Fedotenko earned the Penguins one point, and they snagged another one in the shootout with consecutive scores by defenseman Kris Letang and Crosby to down the Islanders, 4-3. "It's not often you can play just 20 good minutes and win the game," Eaton said. "We were fortunate to get the win." The Penguins (2-0-0) were fortunate in 2005 when ..."
September 26
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Penguins center Sidney Crosby did not participate Friday in a practice at Southpointe that lasted nearly 90 minutes. Crosby played only three shifts and less than two minutes Thursday in an exhibition game at Columbus. He left the game after experiencing tightness in his groin area and did not return as a precautionary measure, according to coach Dan Bylsma. Crosby has expressed interest in playing Sunday at Detroit in the Penguins' final exhibition game, but a decision has not been made on his status for that contest."
September 8
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Alice Kilgore shrieked when Sidney Crosby strolled into her living room, the Penguins captain wearing his black No. 87 sweater while making a special delivery to the season-ticket holder. "You were right, eh?" Crosby said. "We've got something for you, too, a little extra since you called it." That something little extra? The Stanley Cup. "I'm afraid," Crosby added, "to ask for your prediction." Two years ago, when Crosby delivered tickets to Kilgore's yellow-brick ranch house on Hiwood Drive in the Sleepy Hollow section of Castle Shannon, she was brutally honest when asked if the Penguins would win the Stanley Cup. "I don't think you'll win the Cup this year," Kilgore told Crosby, patting ..."
August 8
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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You've never seen a birthday party quite like this. Tens of thousands of fans decked out in black and gold lined the sunny streets of Cole Harbour and filled the parking lot of the local arena Friday afternoon to welcome back their guest of honor, singing "happy birthday to Sidney" as hometown hero and Penguins star Sidney Crosby rode by in an antique fire truck, one hand resting on the best present he could ask for, the other waving to his adoring fans. "There he is, I see him!" 11-year-old Alexander Rhoddy of Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, said in excitement, clamoring up on a metal barrier to get a better view of the Stanley Cup champion. As the parade came to an end and a video montage of ..."
July 15
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Sidney Crosby is the latest celebrity victim of impersonation. Some fans may think Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby scored an assist for a Minnesota park this week, but neither he nor park officials knew anything about an apparently bogus effort to raise money in his name through a MySpace page. A message sent Monday from the MySpace page, "If You See Crosby," asked for help to raise $3,000 for Phelps Park in Minneapolis. In exchange for a donation, preferably sent via Western Union, "Sid" promised to send a "game-played, autographed stick," the message stated. "That is not Sidney Crosby," Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said Tuesday. "He does not have a MySpace page." In fact, MySpace ..."
June 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Tribune-Review Penguins beat reporter and chapter president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association Rob Rossi reveals his ballot for the Hart Trophy ("player adjudged to be most valuable to his team"): 1 - C Evgeni Malkin, Penguins 2 - C Sidney Crosby, Penguins 3 - G Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets 4 - LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals 5 - D Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins I doubt many fans of the Penguins will find fault with this ballot. I am equally confident fans of the Capitals and Red Wings, whose Hart Trophy finalist Pavel Datsyuk did not appear on my list, will call for my removal from the PHWA voting list for this ballot. "Homer," they will surely say. They couldn't ..."
June 18
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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A galaxy of hockey stars will gather tonight in Las Vegas for the NHL Awards Show at the Palms Hotel, but a couple of newly crowned champions aren't favored to win. Stanley Cup champion Penguins center Evgeni Malkin will be presented with the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league with 113 regular-season points, but he isn't the favorite to win the Hart Trophy (MVP) or Lester B. Pearson Award (most outstanding player). Malkin is part of an all-Russian final group for the Hart, which is selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Washington winger Alex Ovechkin is favored to repeat as winner over Malkin and Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk. Malkin stands a better chance to win the ..."
June 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Mike Prisuta
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Detroit's Jonathan Ericsson, the defenseman with 27 regular-season games and 15 postseason appearances on his NHL resume prior to the Stanley Cup Final, actually played it about as well as he could. It didn't matter. This was Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby flying into the Detroit end, 2-on-1. Ericsson collapsed and blocked Malkin's first attempt at a cross-crease pass. Malkin simply got the puck back and flipped it to its intended target all along -- Crosby. Once Crosby finished with gusto, goaltender Chris Osgood had either lost his liquor license, didn't know whether to cry or wind his watch, or all of the above. What must Ericsson have been thinking at that particular juncture Thursday ..."
June 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Which hockey Hall of Famer came to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's defense for taking Monday off from facing the media? None other than the same man for whom the NHL named its leadership award, for which Crosby is a finalist: The Captain himself, Mark Messier. Messier compared Crosby's demeanor - and DNA - to balance those demands to The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. "I think since he's come into the league, he's been under tremendous pressure to carry the NHL on his shoulders from a marketing standpoint, from a public relations standpoint," Messier said Tuesday at Mellon Arena. "Very few players at his age would have the capacity to do that and, at the same, play at the level he's done. I ..."
June 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Penguins had the day off Monday but made five players available to the media. Captain Sidney Crosby wasn't one of them. That apparently irked at least one out-of-town journalist, who told coach Dan Bylsma it was "pretty out of character" for Crosby not to be available during a Stanley Cup Final, and then asked, "What is it about five or 10 minutes out here with (the media) that he would need a break from?" "Having a game plan for the playoffs, I made a point of saying every day doesn't need to be the Sidney Crosby day," Bylsma said. "There have been days when he hasn't been out here; that was it. We made a choice to give other people a chance to be up here and for you to talk to them. ..."
June 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The statistics indicate Detroit center Henrik Zetterberg, the 2008 playoffs MVP, has been unusually quiet in this Stanley Cup Final. His success can be better measured on the Penguins' score sheets - more specifically, by looking at captain Sidney Crosby's numbers. Zetterberg has silenced Crosby through the first two games of this Final. "This is his standard right here," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I believe he has a will tank deeper than anybody I've ever been associated with. As much as all the other attributes he has, to me, that's his greatest one. His drive train is fantastic." The sixth-year Red Wings center has sacrificed his offensive game to pay more attention to Crosby, ..."
June 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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If anybody is going to break his franchise single-season record of 17 playoff goals, former Penguins winger Kevin Stevens can think of nobody better than current team captain Sidney Crosby. "Especially with the way he's been scoring these goals; most of them are with him in the paint, and that's something I can appreciate," Stevens said Sunday before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. Now a scout with the Penguins, Stevens scored 17 goals for the 1991 Cup-winning club. Crosby was within three of tying that mark before last night. Going to the crease, let alone beating goaltenders from around it, is not as easy as Crosby and Red Wings winger Johan ..."