It’s hard to believe that Sidney Crosby has been with the Pittsburgh Penguins for 20 years. It feels like yesterday when the Penguins drafted him first overall in the 2005 NHL Draft.
He came into the league tabbed as the “next one” with sky-high expectations, and not only has he met them, but he has exceeded them tenfold. He’s one of the five greatest players to ever play in the NHL and is coming off an age-37 season where he finished with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games.
It was his third-straight season with 90+ points despite being in his mid-to-late thirties. He has accomplished everything at the NHL and international level, from a World Junior Gold in 2005 to three Stanley Cups and everything in between, including two Olympic Gold Medals, a World Cup title, a World Championship Gold Medal, a 4 Nations Face-Off title, two Conn Smythes, two Rocket Richard Trophies, and two Hart Trophies.
In honor of today being his 38th birthday, let’s remember some of his finest Penguins’ moments to date.
“The Goal” in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final
It’s always a blast starting with this memory because of how crucial the goal was. Going into this game, the 2009 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings had started just like the 2008 one. The Red Wings won the first two at home before the Penguins struck back in Game 3. The Penguins were trying to make sure history didn’t repeat itself in Game 4 since the Red Wings won Game 4 the year prior to go up 3-1 in the series.
Thankfully, the Penguins got what they wanted after Jordan Staal tied the game with a beautiful shorthanded goal before Crosby scored what would be the game-winner, sending Mellon Arena into a frenzy. They were two of the most important goals of that series, and if they didn’t happen, the Penguins wouldn’t have won the Stanley Cup. The way that Evgeni Malkin was able to still get the pass across to Crosby after being denied the first time was spectacular. Crosby finished the sequence off before being mobbed by both Malkin and Kris Letang.
This was the moment when many Penguins fans felt that this year could be different and that the Penguins could win this series. In the end, they were right when they beat the Red Wings in seven games.
Crosby’s OT winner against Tampa Bay, 2016
The Penguins needed a hero in Game 2 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning and found one in Crosby. He hadn’t scored a playoff overtime goal yet, but that changed when he rifled a puck past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy less than a minute into overtime. The goal won the Penguins the game and sent the series back to Tampa tied at one game apiece.
The Penguins eventually won that series in seven games before beating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win their second Stanley Cup of the Crosby era and fourth in franchise history.
Sliding goal against Tampa
Let’s go back to January 7, 2007. It was Crosby’s second season in the league, and ultimately started what would be a streak of 16 straight seasons in the playoffs. Before that, Crosby scored an outstanding goal while sliding on the ice. Former Penguin Mark Recchi delivered a gorgeous cross-ice feed for Crosby, who somehow scored at the back corner of the net while sliding.
It’s a goal that sometimes gets forgotten about when you look at Crosby’s career.
2013 Islander Magic
Crosby has torched the New York Islanders throughout his illustrious career, so it’s no surprise that one of his finest goals came against them in the early 2010s. He was fresh off a return from a broken jaw and was facing the Islanders in the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series was tied at two games all after four games before the Penguins crushed the Islanders in Game 5 before winning the series in Game 6.
During Game 5, Crosby scored a vintage goal, going through two Islanders defensemen before ripping the puck blocker side past goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Yes, the Penguins eventually lost to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final, but this run still produced an unbelievable moment for Crosby.
Jason Spezza gets walked.
Crosby put current Penguins assistant general manager and former Ottawa Senator Jason Spezza into a blender during Game 2 of the Penguins-Senators first-round series in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He worked Spezza below the net multiple times before sending the puck back to the point for Kris Letang’s game-winning goal.
The goal tied the series, which the Penguins eventually won in six games.
Crosby will try to have some more iconic moments this year for his 21st NHL season.
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Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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