Sidney’s hat-trick
■ Crosby secures his place among best of best
Make it a hat trick of Stanley Cup victories for Cole Harbour's Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain did so in fine style, leading his team to a back-to-back cup while earning his second consecutive Conn Smythe award as the National Hockey League’s most valuable player in the playoffs.
While the 29-yearold Crosby did not notch a point in Sunday night’s 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators, he compiled a playoffleading 19 assists and was second in overall points with 27.
It all adds up to another exclamation mark on his remarkable career.
The win also means Cole Harbour will get back-to-back Stanley Cup victory parades, and its third that can be credited to its most valuable export.
In 2016 Crosby led his Penguins to a Stanley Cup win over the San Jose Sharks in the sixth game of the final, to collect his second cup win. Back in 2009, Mr. Crosby was just 21 when he won his first cup as a Penguin, and the youngest captain in NHL history to do so.
It is the first time in almost two decades that the NHL has a repeat Stanley Cup winner and it certainly confirms Crosby’s place among the best of the best.
As the jubilant Penguins captain told reporters: "You can’t match this. This is what it’s all about. To be able to share that with a group of guys, a lot of them guys you played a long time with and understand how difficult it is and what you’ve had to go through. You have a small window to play and have a career. I feel fortunate, but I also understand how difficult it is."
None of this has come easy and there have been some bumps along the way. Just a few years ago an injury left many wondering if Crosby would be able to play the game again. The effects of a concussion cast a dark shadow over his health and future and his ability to play the game he loved.
He was forced to miss more than 100 games between January 2011 and March 2012. This Stanley Cup win elevates Mr. Crosby’s legacy to another level.
One would suspect the “temporary exhibit” devoted to Mr. Crosby at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in Halifax , which opened in 2008, will be in even greater demand.
The exhibit has been kept open ever since due to its popularity and given his latest achievement, might be in need of expansion.
It’s all worth celebrating, so let’s get ready for the parade. Thanks, Sid.
—Halifax Chronicle Herald