Sidney Crosby News: Pro Sports Daily

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March 15

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

columnist Ron Cook

"Only in the NHL, where gratuitous violence among the players not only is legal but encouraged, is it not the least bit preposterous to suggest that a coach hold his star players out of a game for fear of retaliation by the opponents. Really, what other team sport is so barbaric? What other sport has so little regard for the welfare of its players? There's virtually no chance that Penguins coach Dan Bylsma will sit Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin when the team plays in Boston Thursday night. But maybe he should. Could you blame the angry Bruins if they seek a little vigilante justice for the hit by the Penguins' Matt Cooke on their Marc Savard a week ago, a shoulder-to-head blow that ..."

Crosby apparently OK after early scare

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March 15

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Penguins center Sidney Crosby fell awkwardly on his right leg early in the first period of a game today at St. Pete Times Forum against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he does not appear to be injured after returning to the game. Crosby collided with Tampa Bay winger Steve Downie 40 seconds into the opening period. Crosby lay crouched on the ice before he was helped to the bench by a trainer. On the collision with Downie, who was assessed a minor for roughing, Crosby's right leg buckled outward at the knee."

NHL welcomes violence, so look out Sid!

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March 14

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

columnist Ron Cook

"Only in the NHL, where gratuitous violence among the players not only is legal but encouraged, is it not the least bit preposterous to suggest that a coach hold his star players out of a game for fear of retaliation by the opponents. Really, what other team sport is so barbaric? What other sport has so little regard for the welfare of its players? There's virtually no chance that Penguins coach Dan Bylsma will sit Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin when the team plays in Boston Thursday night. But maybe he should. Could you blame the angry Bruins if they seek a little vigilante justice for the hit by the Penguins' Matt Cooke on their Marc Savard a week ago, a shoulder-to-head blow that ..."

Ovechkin, Crosby locked in duel for Rocket trophy

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March 13

Toronto Star

columnist Damien Cox

"Ray Shero has a secret. A bit of a treasonous one. It seems that while Shero was part of the U.S. Olympic management team for the recent Vancouver Winter Games, he may not have been cheering wholeheartedly for the Americans in the gold-medal match against Canada. Specifically, after U.S. forward Zach Parise nearly sent all of Canada into cardiac arrest by tying the game in the final seconds, Shero had some quietly un-American thoughts as he watched the game from his home in Pittsburgh. "When Parise scored, I thought to myself, `Well, that will give Crosby a chance to score in overtime,'" smiled the Penguins GM at league meetings in Florida this week. "Hey, he plays for the Penguins. I'm ..."

Sidney Crosby and Penguins sick of losing to Devils

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March 12

Bergen Record

"From spending two weeks as teammates with Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury on the Canadian Olympic team, Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was able learn a few things about the Pittsburgh Penguins' stars. One was that Crosby and Fleury don't like it one bit that the Devils have had the Penguins' number this season. The Devils will try to improve to 5-0 against the Penguins and gain ground in the race for first in the Atlantic Division in tonight's game at Prudential Center. The Devils dominated the Penguins in winning the first four meetings, outscoring them, 14-2. "They know," Brodeur said of Crosby and Fleury. "It's not like it's not in the back of their mind. They know how well we ..."

Crosby happy to get back his Olympic gear

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March 11

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Penguins center Sidney Crosby is thrilled that the gloves and stick he was using when he scored the overtime goal that won an Olympic gold medal for Canada have been recovered. And now he's perfectly willing to give them away. Crosby said today that if the Hockey Hall of Fame wants that equipment -- which it apparently does, for obvious reasons -- he will have no qualms about turning it over. "If they want it, I'm sure it will end up there," he said. "I think it would be pretty cool to have it there. I have no problem with that.""

Crosby defends saying no to Letterman

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March 11

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Responding to a topic that has grown legs on the Internet, Penguins center Sidney Crosby talked about his decision to decline an invitation last week to present the Top Ten List on the "Late Show with David Letterman." He pointed to a packed schedule that week coming off his golden moment at the Olympics in Vancouver, including March 3, when the Penguins flew to New York for a game the next night against the Rangers and where Letterman tapes his show. "I do my best. That's all I can do," Crosby said Wednesday after the Penguins practiced at Southpointe. "It's not the first year I've dealt with balancing everything. I've had that responsibility for a long time, and I think anybody who knows ..."

Crosby's missing Olympic gloves and stick located

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March 11

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Hockey Canada has found the missing Olympic equipment Penguins center Sidney Crosby used to score Canada's overtime goal in the gold-medal game Feb. 28 in Vancouver. One of his gloves was found by Boston's Patrice Bergeron after it apparently was mistakently packed with Bruins equipment. The other glove and his stick were found among a shipment of equipment in Toronto that was headed to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in Russia. Hockey Canada said the items were inadvertently misplaced, not stolen."

History, missing equipment link Sidney Crosby, Paul Henderson

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March 9

Toronto Star

columnist Chris Zelkovich

"Sidney Crosby and Paul Henderson have something more in common than the fact they both rewrote Canadian hockey history. Neither knows the whereabouts of all of the equipment they wore or used while scoring their historic goals. The stick Crosby was holding when he scored the overtime goal that gave Canada the gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics is missing, along with one of his gloves, apparently scooped up by someone hoping to cash in big time on their historical value. A $10,000 reward has been offered for their return, no questions asked."

Crosby too busy to do Letterman's 'Top Ten'

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March 9

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Sidney Crosby didn't have to come up with the top 10 reasons he couldn't accept an invitation to appear on the "Late Show with David Letterman" last week. It took only one. "His schedule was full," Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, said Monday night. The New York Post this week reported that NHL officials were "miffed" at the missed opportunity to have Crosby -- considered the face of the league -- make such an appearance on the heels of his winning goal for Canada in the Olympic gold-medal game. "I talk to the league on a regular basis, and the league couldn't be more thrilled having Sidney Crosby do all the stuff he does," Brisson said. Crosby was invited to present the Top Ten List on ..."

Reward offered for Crosby's Olympic gear

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March 8

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A Penguins teammate told Sidney Crosby about the $10,000 reward dangled by Reebok Canada over the weekend for the safe return of Crosby's wayward Olympic equipment. He is hoping the offer works. "I appreciate them wanting to help me," Crosby said Sunday after he had an assist in a 2-1 win against Boston at Mellon Arena. The missing items are the stick and gloves he used when he scored the winning goal in overtime Feb. 28 to give Canada a 3-2 win against the United States in the gold-medal game in Vancouver. He tossed them during the immediate celebration, and they were nowhere to be found when equipment was sorted a little later. There are reports that one glove was recovered, but Crosby ..."

Pattern forming for Crosby vs. Ovechkin

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March 7

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

columnist Joe Starkey

"Maybe we've been using the wrong basketball analogy in discussing Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin the past five years. The whole Larry Bird-Magic Johnson thing doesn't work, anyway. Crosby and Ovechkin aren't going to do for the NHL what Bird and Magic did for the NBA in the 1980s. Save for a ratings-smashing Olympic game every millennium or so, the NHL simply doesn't sell in mainstream America. So get over it. This analogy works better: Ovie and Sid as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, respectively (if those names don't ring a bell, be very ashamed and type "greatest NBA centers" into a Google search). Granted, the sampling still is way too small and the players way too young ? Crosby ..."

Orpik, Crosby and Gonchar develop even more respect for each other after experience in Vancouver

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March 7

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"They have been Sidney Crosby's teammates for nearly five seasons now. They have sweated and struggled and celebrated with him. They have absorbed crushing disappointments together, and shared the greatest high their game can offer. But it wasn't until the Olympics that Brooks Orpik and Sergei Gonchar saw Crosby this way. As an opponent. A guy not to be counted on, but to be neutralized. As much as possible, anyway. But perhaps surprisingly, playing against him -- something Orpik did much of in Team USA's two games against Canada -- didn't change their perspective on Crosby or his game. He was in a different role, but everything about him was precisely what they had come to expect. "He did ..."

Trip gives Stars rare chance to face superstars Crosby and Ovechkin

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March 6

Dallas Morning News

columnist Mike Heika

"There might not be two opponents more tied together in NHL history. Yes, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard exchanged elbows 10 to 15 times a year back in the days of the Original Six. Yes, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux defined the NHL's fluorescent days of scoring records back in the 1980s and '90s. But Sidney Crosby, 22, and Alex Ovechkin, 24, are superstars in an era of media explosion. Every move is detailed, every bit of their rivalry is pumped up and laid out before the masses in milliseconds. Want to learn how Crosby's jerseys have been stolen by collectors (twice!), do a Yahoo search. Want to see Ovechkin take a tour of Washington, D.C. on a Segway, go to YouTube. They are the ..."

Rangers rough up Crosby, but 'The Kid' wins again

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March 5

New York Post

columnist Jay Greenberg

"Into thin air has vanished Sidney Crosby's stick, gloves, and the puck that broke America's heart, at least for the few days it cared. During Sunday's gold-medal celebration in Canada, somebody scooped up everything that wasn't nailed down with fingers as slippery as victory had seemed last night to Crosby's Penguins, who had to outshoot the Rangers 23-1 in the third period and overtime to finally beat them, 5-4. Crosby will get his stuff returned on the same day the Rangers get back Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge. The Garden's hockey house has long thought any such blips in a remarkably charmed existence cannot happen to a nicer guy, and then, while the Face of Canada laid on his after ..."

Penguins' Crosby not welcome in Big Apple

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March 5

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Penguins captain Sidney Crosby received a rude reception in his first visit to Madison Square Garden since scoring the winning goal for Canada at the Vancouver Winter Games - and not just by the New York Rangers. The Penguins captain went down to his knees after getting cross-checked on the boards, and that drew Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist out of the net for an exchange of words. That was followed by a scuffle that saw Brandon Dubinsky rip Crosby's helmet off and drew chants of "USA! USA!" followed by a chorus of "Crosby (stinks)! Crosby (stinks)!" "When guys talk on the ice, I like to leave it there," Crosby said afterward. "I didn't like the fact that he came over. It wasn't right. I ..."

Crosby has a defining moment

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March 3

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

columnist Kevin Gorman

"Sidney Crosby already has led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup and Canada to an Olympic gold medal by age 22, realizing two boyhood dreams in a span of eight months. What can he do for an encore? Crosby didn't hesitate to answer. "Win another one," he said. That should come as a surprise to no one. Crosby is one of the greatest competitors to ever play in Pittsburgh - which is really saying something in the City of Champions - but what separates Crosby is that he's also one of the sports world's biggest superstars. That was evident when the player Sports Illustrated dubbed Destiny's Child scored the gold medal-winning goal for Canada to beat the United States in overtime Sunday in a thrilling ..."

Penguins' superstar Crosby sets his sights on another Cup

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March 3

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Call them souvenirs lost. When Sidney Crosby scored for Canada against the United States in overtime of the Olympic hockey final Sunday in Vancouver, he swooped behind the net, reached for his mouth guard, then threw that, his gloves and his stick to the heavens. "When they cleared the ice, I never got my stick or gloves," Mr. Crosby said Tuesday after rejoining his Penguins teammates. "Of all the things, I got my mouth guard back. I don't know where [the other equipment] is. It's one of those things that I don't know how it got away or where it ended up. If I get it back one day, great. If not, someone's got it somewhere." Other than the molded plastic mouth guard, Mr. Crosby didn't ..."

Crosby speaks on Olympic experience

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March 2

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Speaking extensively for the first time since he scored the overtime goal Sunday to lift Canada past the United States in the gold-medal hockey game of the Olympics, Penguins center Sidney Crosby didn't know how to put the experience into historical perspective. "I think that will be up to other people to decide, but for me it was a pretty proud moment," Crosby said during a news conference after the Penguins' morning skate at Mellon Arena. "Being in Canada, playing hockey growing up as a kid dreaming of playing for your country, then being able to do that and having it work out that way, it's still pretty amazing to think about." Crosby traveled from Vancouver to Pittsburgh Monday night ..."

Conquering hero Crosby returns to Penguins

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March 2

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Leave it to a guy who grew up in Cleveland and now draws a paycheck in Pittsburgh to put a proper spin on divided sports loyalties, on what it was like to be an American watching Sidney Crosby deliver Canada an Olympic hockey gold medal at the expense of the United States, and what it was like to be a Penguins player with teammates on opposite sides of Sunday's championship game in Vancouver. "If I can handpick one guy to rip our hearts out, I guess it would be Sid," forward Mike Rupp growled Monday after the Penguins practiced at Mellon Arena. "You know what I mean? I wouldn't really want anybody else to do it." Crosby, usually the darling of this city, morphed into the dearest of all in ..."

'Guys like that find a way'

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March 1

Ottawa Citizen

columnist Wayne Scanlan

"The great ones rise up in these moments, as though only their class of player is worthy. In 1987, Wayne Gretzky passed to Mario Lemieux, ending a classic Canada Cup. At the Vancouver Olympics, Canada's Sidney Crosby had been having -- for him -- a quiet tournament, through six games. But in the game of his life, a titanic struggle against the United States, Crosby made thunder, charting Olympic history in Canada's 3-2 victory in the gold medal game of the Vancouver Winter Games. "I didn't see it go in," Crosby said, of his goal at 7:40 of OT. "I just heard everyone scream. "Every kid dreams of this opportunity -- it could've been anybody else." His teammates disagreed. "There's nothing ..."

Sidney Crosby's Olympic OT goal saves Canada from a nervous breakdown

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March 1

Vancouver Sun

columnist Cam Cole

"Fourteen. Thank you, Sidney Crosby. Thank you for putting the exclamation point on Canada's record 14 gold medals won here, unequalled by any nation, host or otherwise, in the history of the Winter Olympics. Thank you for not taking a shift off, even when you were frustrated at every turn by an American body or stick in your way, all day long. Thank you for following that puck into the corner in overtime after you were sandwiched trying to split the U.S. defence, and thank you for heading for the hole when you left the puck with Jarome Iginla and two American defencemen stuck in the corner. "He was yelling pretty hard for it, so I just laid it in there, hoping I wasn't too late," said ..."

With nation on edge, Sidney saved the day

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March 1

Boston Globe

columnist Bob Ryan

"International Olympic Committee president Dr. Jacques Rogge and International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel moved left to right, alternately placing the gold medals around the necks of the victorious Canadians. When Dr. Rogge reached the last man, he gestured to the crowd, as if to say, "OK, let's hear it. Here's your saviour.'' And with that he placed the final gold medal on No. 87, Sidney Crosby. In the matter of Truth vs. Fiction, it is always advisable to take Truth, plus the points. So how could anyone be surprised that in an hour of monumental national need, the 22-year-old wonderchild with the 42-year-old head blasted the puck past the quasi-impregnable Ryan Miller at ..."

Sidney Crosby saves Canadian bacon, beats Ryan Miller and Team USA to win gold

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March 1

New York Daily News

columnist Flip Bondy

"The Americans had the momentum, the spirit, the young legs, the hot goaltender. They had everything on their side but Sidney Crosby. Everything but the kid with the Hall of Fame career and a loose puck ahead of him on his stick. That puck got away from Brian Rafalski and then, as all of Canada gasped with relief, Crosby swooped in from the left side and shot through the legs of Ryan Miller, who was expecting Crosby to deke, maybe to move to his right. Miller stood straight up, didn't look behind him. "I knew we lost," Miller said. He deserved so much better. The Americans did, too, all of them. Their coach, Ron Wilson, unfortunately turned to an assistant and said on international TV, ..."

Sidney Crosby beats Ryan Miller in overtime as Canada grabs Olympic hockey gold over Team USA

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March 1

New York Daily News

"At the end of an irresistible four-part drama that played out across 68 minutes Sunday, the best U.S. hockey player of the Olympic tournament fell forward, flat on the ice. The puck was behind him. The gold-medal game was over, the Vancouver Olympics were over, and the scoreboard told the terrible truth: Canada 3, USA 2. As a red wall of noise went up all around him, Ryan Miller skated slowly out of his net. "It felt like (bleep)," Miller said. Fifty years to the day that the U.S. won its first Olympic hockey gold medal in Squaw Valley, the Americans battled the premier team in the world to a virtual draw, making a heroic comeback from a two-goal deficit, getting one of the biggest goals ..."

Crosby's Goal Ends Thriller as Canada Beats U.S.

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March 1

New York Times

"The roar first erupted inside Canada Hockey Place and stretched across the prairies of Manitoba, to the shores of Parry Sound, Ontario, to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. Ridiculed by a nation only seven days earlier for its ignominious loss to the United States in a preliminary-round game, Team Canada saved its reputation by ruining a desperate United States comeback with a scintillating 3-2 overtime victory on Sunday to win the Olympic gold medal. Sidney Crosby, Canada's greatest current star, who had not scored a point in the two previous games, wristed a six-foot shot past goaltender Ryan Miller, the tournament most valuable player, at 7 minutes 40 seconds of the extra session that set off ..."

Olympics: Crosby's goal a complex climax

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March 1

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"To hear Sidney Crosby describe his overtime goal, the one that brought Canada's 3-2 triumph over the United States in the Olympic gold-medal game Sunday, it was as simple as could be. "I just shot it," he said. And yet, there was so much more that went into it ... Rewind to the third period. The Canadians, reeling to the finish line just as they did in the semifinal against Slovakia, already had allowed the U.S. to pull within 2-1, and the Americans were coming hard. But Crosby had a chance to seal it, when he sprinted loose for a breakaway against goaltender Ryan Miller. Nothing doing. American forward Patrick Kane, whose speed matches anyone's, caught him from behind, and the puck rolled ..."

Olympic hockey is the best

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March 1

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

columnist Ron Cook

"Did you see that smile on Sidney Crosby's face late Sunday afternoon? It was every bit as big and bright as the one he had when they handed him the Stanley Cup in June. Would you like to be the person to tell him he can't go to Sochi, Russia, in 2014 to defend Canada's treasured Olympic gold medal? Good luck to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman with that. The greatest hockey tournament in the history of the sport came to a marvelous end at the Vancouver Olympics with Canada beating the United States, 3-2, on a goal by -- who else? -- Crosby in overtime. The Kid's legend grows, doesn't it? I'm sure there have been better sporting events with a better finish over the years. Darned, though, if I ..."

Crosby has at least one Pittsburgh fan: Lemieux

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March 1

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Contrary to Sidney Crosby's earlier prediction, he will have at least one fan back in Pittsburgh. After the Canadian team practiced Saturday on the eve of its gold-medal game with the United States, the Penguins' captain said he had gotten a text message from Mario Lemieux earlier in the morning, which read, simply: "Good luck." Lemieux, the Penguins' co-owner, has not attended these Games, but he played for Canada's most recent gold medalist at Salt Lake City in 2002."

Crosby's OT goal lifts Canada to gold

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March 1

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A civic treasure took down the national team. Sidney Crosby, scoring the overtime goal of one of the great games in hockey history, catapulted Canada over the United States, 3-2, for Olympic gold Sunday at Canada Hockey Place. It came with a quick flick of the wrists 7:40 into the extra period, and it cost a valiant group of Americans their greatest triumph since the Miracle on Ice. For the Americans, it brought a silver medal few expected, given the tournament's youngest roster. "Maybe when you're a little older and, when your career's over, this will feel nice," U.S. left winger Ryan Malone, the Upper St. Clair native, said. "But we came here for the gold, and we were right there. We're ..."

Crosby clinches gold for Canada in OT

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February 28

NHL.com

"Paul Henderson step aside. You no longer have the most important goal in Canadian hockey history. Sidney Crosby is the newest sports hero in his country, and isn't that just fitting. Crosby scored 7:40 into overtime at Canada Hockey Place to lift Canada to a 3-2 win in the gold medal game of the 2010 Winter Olympics. He threw off his gloves, jumped into the corner, got mobbed by his teammates and sent an entire country into a wild celebration. "Sid The Kid," who has been Canada's most visible and important player ever since coming onto the scene in 2005, stamped his image into the heart of a nation by ripping a low shot through USA goalie Ryan Miller's legs from the lower part of the left ..."

Sidney Crosby doesn't need to be 'the guy' for Canada

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February 28

Toronto Star

columnist Paul Hunter

"Team Canada has evolved from being Sidney Crosby's team, as it was viewed before the Olympics began, to a team with Sidney Crosby on it. And that is one of the reasons Canada is in position to capture a gold medal on Sunday afternoon, its second since NHLers were allowed into Olympic competition. That's not to diminish how Crosby, arguably the best player in the world, is viewed within the team structure. It was Crosby, you'll remember, who was picked to salt away the Swiss in a shootout and it was Crosby who took the penalty shot that Rick Nash earned against the Germans."

Crosby has at least one Pittsburgh fan: Lemieux

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February 28

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Contrary to Sidney Crosby's earlier prediction, he will have at least one fan back in Pittsburgh. After the Canadian team practiced Saturday on the eve of its gold-medal game with the United States, the Penguins' captain said he had gotten a text message from Mario Lemieux earlier in the morning, which read, simply: "Good luck.""

With new chemistry, Canada routs Germany

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February 24

Toronto Star

"With Canada Hockey Place playing the role of Petri dish, and the defensive-focused Germans little more than annoying bacteria, Team Canada's experimenting finally resulted in some first-line chemistry. Eric Staal was the latest to receive the call on Sidney Crosby's flank, skating to his left while Jarome Iginla reprised his role as right wing sniper on Canada's top unit. The concoction worked. That troika produced three goals in a confidence-building 8-2 elimination game victory against the Germans Tuesday. This tilt was little more than a prelude to Wednesday's much-anticipated Olympic quarterfinal matchup with the Russians (7:30 p.m. Eastern time on CTV). It was a game made necessary ..."

Crosby still optimistic about Canada's chances

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February 22

NHL.com

"Sidney Crosby was obviously disappointed in losing to Team USA 5-3 on Sunday at Canada Hockey Place, but when he stopped to chat with NHL.com moments after coming off the ice, Canada's top player tried to keep things positive. Crosby believes the Canadians played their best game of the tournament on Sunday and just couldn't get a break when they needed it. Nevertheless, he believes Canada improved and in the big picture, that's really what matters at this stage. Here is what Crosby had to say:"

Crosby gets rival Richards as linemate

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February 21

Toronto Sun

"The Olympics make for strange bedfellows. And linemates. In the quest to find some chemistry among a forward line that doesn't have Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau on it, Team Canada coach Mike Babcock is shuffling the deck again for Sunday's big game against the USA. Mike Richards, who has been on the fourth line at times, will get a shot on the left side of Sidney Crosby with Rick Nash shifting over to the right. Richards and Crosby have gone against each other in some heated battles in the playoffs between their teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively, but now they will be trying to find some common ground, or ice. "It's easier to play with ..."

Rivals turn linemates as Richards, Crosby join forces

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February 21

NHL.com

"Fans in Philadelphia may have a collective coronary on Sunday because their captain will be skating on the same line as that other captain. Mike Richards is the newest addition to Sidney Crosby's line, and that's something fascinating altogether considering the rivalry these two Canadians have during the NHL season. "I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about the present now," Richards said. "We're both competitive people and we play hard against each other when we play each other, but we're all pulling in the right direction now for Team Canada." Richards practiced Saturday on Crosby's left side, meaning Rick Nash will move over to the right. He had skated on Crosby's left side for the ..."

Crosby provides some huge relief after Swiss goalie serves up grief

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February 20

Vancouver Sun

"This time Canada's best player was sent out for the shootout. Twice, in fact. Sidney Crosby, Canada's 22-year-old leader and superstar, needed two cracks at Jonas Hiller, the brilliant Swiss goaltender, to pull out a victory for Canada in the shootout. Unlike the NHL, international shootouts allow players to shoot again, in each round, so Crosby got the call after Hiller stopped the first three Canadian shooters, Crosby included. Crosby made no mistake the second time, burying a wrist shot past the stick side of Hiller. It was Canada's first Olympic shootout since Nagano, 1998, when Wayne Gretzky was left on the bench, watching hopelessly as Dominik Hasek shut the door. Not this time. Just ..."

Sid ends our Fright Night with blood, guts and goal

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February 20

Vancouver Sun

"There is a theory, unequivocally endorsed Thursday night by Team Canada coach Mike Babcock, that no team wins anything without suffering a little first. Without a good scare. This is especially popular thinking among teams that blow two-goal leads against Switzerland at the Olympics and require a shootout to win 3-2 against a plucky, relentless team that hasn't finished higher than sixth at a major international tournament since 1924, when it was beaten 33-0 by Canada. Canadians had a fright Thursday. And it was great. It caused cardiac arrest across the nation, cost Team Canada a point in the preliminary-round standings, and fertilized seeds of self-doubt planted at the last Olympics when ..."

Crosby's shootout goal gives Canada edge over Switzerland

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February 19

USA Today

"Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is the chosen one of Canadian hockey. He's expected to conjure up the big play, to thrive in the pressure-filled moments, to score the big goal.Crosby said he has always dreamed of scoring a big goal on a big stage, but he certainly didn't dream it would come on his second-chance shot, or that it would be needed to gain a win against a country with less than a handful of NHL players on its roster. "I was lucky to get a second crack and make the best of it," said Crosby, who scored on his second shootout attempt to give Canada a 3-2 win against a pesky Switzerland team. The shootout win now means that Canada (2-0) must beat USA (2-0) on Sunday (7:30 ..."

Crosby needs two whacks to subdue Swiss in shootout

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February 19

Calgary Herald

"This time Canada's best player was sent out for the shootout. Twice, in fact. Sidney Crosby, Canada's 22-year-old leader and superstar, needed two cracks at Jonas Hiller, the brilliant Swiss goaltender, to pull out a 3-2 victory for Canada in the shootout. Unlike the NHL, international shootouts allow players to shoot again, in each round, so Crosby got the call after Hiller stopped the first three Canadian shooters, Crosby included. He made no mistake the second time, burying a wrist shot past the stick side of Hiller. It was Canada's first Olympic shootout since Nagano, 1998, when Wayne Gretzky was left on the bench, watching hopelessly as Dominik Hasek shut the door. Not this time. Just ..."

Crosby spares Canada humiliation

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February 19

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"It nearly was one of the greatest upsets in Olympic hockey history since ... well, since the last time Switzerland embarrassed Canada. Sidney Crosby made sure it would not happen again. Four years ago to the day that the Swiss upset the sport's global powerhouse in Turin, Italy, they again tortured the Canadians with great goaltending: Jonas Hiller made 44 saves through regulation and overtime, then stoned Crosby and two others in the shootout. But Crosby, allowed to shoot again in a second round under Olympic rules, finally found an opening for a 3-2 victory before a capacity crowd at Canada Hockey Place. Make that a barely breathing capacity crowd. "Going through that wasn't something we ..."

Olympics: Malone scores, Crosby shines

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February 17

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The kid from Pittsburgh had a fine debut for the United States. And the Kid did likewise for Canada. Ryan Malone became the first Western Pennsylvania native to score a goal in Olympic hockey, as the United States fended off Switzerland, 3-1, in its opener Tuesday afternoon at Canada Hockey Place. "A great feeling," Malone called it. Hours later, Sidney Crosby, taking to a national stage in prime time, fulfilled any reasonable expectation -- though those are rare north of the border as related to hockey -- by setting up all three of Jarome Iginla's goals in Canada's 8-0 rout of Norway. Crosby also generated three shots, several other chances for teammates and, all told, was visibly his ..."

Sidney Crosby can't wait for his Games to begin

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February 15

Toronto Star

"It may not make Jenn Heil feel any better about losing a gold medal in the mist and rain of Cypress Mountain, but to Sidney Crosby, she's already a teammate. One of many new ones. Even before the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar arrived in Vancouver late Sunday night aboard a private jet with six other members of Canada's men's hockey team, he was synchronizing his emotions with his compatriots at the 2010 Winter Olympics, including Heil's valiant moguls effort Saturday night. "I was glued to the TV," said Crosby in excited tones after his final pre-Olympic NHL appearance Sunday afternoon. "I thought (Heil) had it. And then, as soon as I saw the American come through, well, she nailed it ..."

Opponents join in trip to Olympics

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February 15

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Having Olympians from different countries in the same NHL locker room certainly adds a bizarre dynamic. Boarding a plane hours after going to battle against one another can't possibly feel normal, either. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, who will represent Team Canada, traveled with Nashville defenseman Shea Weber on Sunday night from Pittsburgh. Earlier in the day, the Predators beat the Penguins in a shootout, 4-3. "One minute we're playing against each other," Crosby said, "now we're flying to Vancouver together. That's pretty quick. We'll have to adjust quickly." Crosby, Fleury and Weber are all first-time Olympians. • Crosby scored yesterday against Nashville for ..."

Olympic Hockey = One Country, Yes; One Team, No

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February 15

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Most of the top players on the planet will be competing in the Olympic tournament that begins Tuesday in Vancouver. Good thing, too, because there's little reason to believe that many of the teams they'll be playing for will be particularly well-schooled. The simple truth is that the coaches of most national squads, at least those with a heavy presence of NHL players, have had little time to instruct personnel on the finer points of the systems they will be expected to execute. Consequently, teams figure to stick to a fairly basic style, and count on players to be fundamentally sound rather than trying to win games with a lot of tactical wrinkles. "In a tournament like that, you can't ..."

Crosby says he's fine after blocked shot in Pens' loss

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February 15

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Canadians can take a collective sigh of relief. Penguins center Sidney Crosby was not significantly injured today after blocking a shot in the second period of a 4-3 shootout loss to Nashville at Mellon Arena. A shot by Nashville defenseman Kevin Klein connected with Crosby's right skate boot at 13:25 of the second period, but Crosby did not miss a shift — though he temporarily favored his right foot and occasionally winced in pain. "I got a shot off the foot," Crosby said. "That happens. That's part of the game." Crosby played 23 minutes and seven seconds. He pledged to be "on the flight tonight" from Pittsburgh to Vancouver, where he will join Team Canada as the star attraction of the ..."

Crosby breaks personal mark with 40th goal

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February 13

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Penguins center Sidney Crosby scored his career-best 40th goal tonight against the New York Rangers at Mellon Arena. Crosby, in his fifth NHL season, bested Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist with a slap shot at 6:42 of the opening period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. His career best before was 39 goals, scored four years ago during his rookie season."

Fleury denies Crosby in practice

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February 12

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Sidney Crosby has a lot of skating and stickhandling moves, and seemed intent on flashing most of them as he approached goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury during a penalty-shot competition at the Penguins' practice Thursday at Mellon Arena. Or it could be that Crosby had no choice but to run through most of his repertoire, because Fleury wasn't biting on any of them. Finally, with time and space pretty much exhausted, Crosby did something no one -- including Fleury and himself -- anticipated. He bowled into Fleury. "I lost an edge," Crosby said, failing to stifle a laugh. "I ran out of room and my toe got caught in the ice and I just barreled over him." He and Fleury ended up in a heap in the ..."