Crosby Poised for Big Sophmore Season - Staal and LeTang to Head Back?
Sidney Crosby broke into the league last season as one of the most hyped rookies in the history of the National Hockey League. This came with an unprecedented level of pressure and he spent the season under a microscope. All he did under those circumstances was go out and earn the respect of his teammates, become the youngest player in history to notch 100 pts, come in second in the rookie of the year race and bring Penguins fans out of their seats on a nightly basis.
How does a 19 year old top that? Well, he trains harder than ever before, works on his face-off ability, his skating, his defense and comes to terms with the fact that he is now a team leader in Pittsburgh. Once surrounded by "vets in the room," he is now one himself. At least on this young Penguin team.
The hard work has paid off for him and he is clearly faster. Crosby was no slouch in the skating department, but he has an extra step this season and it has been obvious since the earliest days of training camp. He regularly accelerated past teammates to create scoring chances for his line, and it continued in the preseason. He posted 2 G 7 A in 4 games played. He hasn't gotten off to as blazing a start in the regular season, but the team has only played 2 games. He has still managed 2 points against two tough opponents, Philadelphia and Detroit.
Crosby is a fiery competitor and he plays with a ton of emotion, this has occasionally gotten him in trouble. However, he seems to have harnessed his emotions and his only 2 penalty minutes came in an altercation with Peter Forsberg on opening night. Crosby hasn't barked at the referees and is leading teammates by example.
A player like Crosby cannot stand to lose, he is a winner by nature. The thing that makes him so amazing is that he doesn't seem to realize how good he is. He doesn't, at least publicly, set statistical goals for himself. He just does goes out and plays. If he faces adversity, he gets through it. Conflicts do not bring him down and he rarely has a bad word to say about anyone. This quote from the "Kid" sums it up: "A lot of different things have happened, but that's why you don't go into a season with any expectations. There are things you can't always prepare for. That's hockey. That's life. If you think about what could happen or what may happen, your energy's not in the right place. The game hasn't changed on the ice, and I don't think it ever will. I came here to play hockey. That remains my job and my focus."
This young man has grown exponentially since he was drafted 2 summers ago, and now he is challenged to write an even more spectacular chapter in year two. A challenge he is more than capable of overcoming.
******
Mark Madden, in Pittsburgh, has reported that Evgeni Malkin participated in a full workout with his teammates today. However, word leaked out today that he will likely not play in a game until the team heads out west for a road trip the first week of November.
It is also believed that the team is likely going to send Jordan Staal and Kristopher LeTang back to their respective Junior teams. General manager Ray Shero has been pleased with both players, but the team may not want to lose a contract year on either, especially when they are averaging 10-12 minutes a game. Both would be stand out players back on their junior teams.
Shero once had to break this news to Marion Hossa, and feels that it did him a lot of good. He is hoping for the same result with his two young guns.
How does a 19 year old top that? Well, he trains harder than ever before, works on his face-off ability, his skating, his defense and comes to terms with the fact that he is now a team leader in Pittsburgh. Once surrounded by "vets in the room," he is now one himself. At least on this young Penguin team.
The hard work has paid off for him and he is clearly faster. Crosby was no slouch in the skating department, but he has an extra step this season and it has been obvious since the earliest days of training camp. He regularly accelerated past teammates to create scoring chances for his line, and it continued in the preseason. He posted 2 G 7 A in 4 games played. He hasn't gotten off to as blazing a start in the regular season, but the team has only played 2 games. He has still managed 2 points against two tough opponents, Philadelphia and Detroit.
Crosby is a fiery competitor and he plays with a ton of emotion, this has occasionally gotten him in trouble. However, he seems to have harnessed his emotions and his only 2 penalty minutes came in an altercation with Peter Forsberg on opening night. Crosby hasn't barked at the referees and is leading teammates by example.
A player like Crosby cannot stand to lose, he is a winner by nature. The thing that makes him so amazing is that he doesn't seem to realize how good he is. He doesn't, at least publicly, set statistical goals for himself. He just does goes out and plays. If he faces adversity, he gets through it. Conflicts do not bring him down and he rarely has a bad word to say about anyone. This quote from the "Kid" sums it up: "A lot of different things have happened, but that's why you don't go into a season with any expectations. There are things you can't always prepare for. That's hockey. That's life. If you think about what could happen or what may happen, your energy's not in the right place. The game hasn't changed on the ice, and I don't think it ever will. I came here to play hockey. That remains my job and my focus."
This young man has grown exponentially since he was drafted 2 summers ago, and now he is challenged to write an even more spectacular chapter in year two. A challenge he is more than capable of overcoming.
******
Mark Madden, in Pittsburgh, has reported that Evgeni Malkin participated in a full workout with his teammates today. However, word leaked out today that he will likely not play in a game until the team heads out west for a road trip the first week of November.
It is also believed that the team is likely going to send Jordan Staal and Kristopher LeTang back to their respective Junior teams. General manager Ray Shero has been pleased with both players, but the team may not want to lose a contract year on either, especially when they are averaging 10-12 minutes a game. Both would be stand out players back on their junior teams.
Shero once had to break this news to Marion Hossa, and feels that it did him a lot of good. He is hoping for the same result with his two young guns.
posted by Bmetzer66 at 8:47 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home