TO EACH HIS OWN
Sidney Crosby should tie Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for games Thursday. Yet while they have much in common, their pregame rituals reflect vastly different personalities.
For as many parallels as you can draw between Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby — their on-ice greatness, the roof they once shared, countless charitable endeavors — there is one area where they’re vastly different: Preparing for an NHL game. Crosby is expected to tie Lemieux for the Penguins franchise mark in games played Thursday with No. 915. And, while they’ve reached the same place — that number and also the short list of best players — they’ve done so by taking vastly different routes when it comes to getting ready.
“Great players,” AT&T SportsNet’s Bob Errey said. “But different personalities.
“Mario was the most gifted player I’ve ever seen, but he didn’t have any superstitions.”
While immensely talented, Crosby remains one of the most superstitious players in the league; in fact, after practice Monday, Crosby declined to discuss tying Lemieux’s career mark, preferring to wait until it happens.
But that’s not all. Crosby’s before-games routine is not short, and, when it comes to how he wants things — whether that’s his sticks, skates or other pieces of equipment — it is extremely specific.
There’s the pregame peanut butter and jelly sandwich, always taping his stick on the bench, whom he speaks with or sees on game days, having to throw his own tape in the trash — the list goes on and on. And that’s just the stuff people know about.
Lemieux, a few of his former teammates said, was much more laissezfaire.
“Watching Mario prepare for a big game was like watching your grandfather prepare for a Sunday morning golf game with his buddies,” said Phil Bourque of the Penguins Radio Network. “He was just relaxed, easy-going, laid-back, like a Sunday afternoon in the middle of the July. That was just him.”
Errey does remember a few things about Lemieux’s pregame routine — if you want to call it that.
There was always a back massage from trainer Skip Thayer. Maybe a cigarette in his early days. And also a pregame coffee, the same as for many hockey players. Lemieux would carry it around while wearing a reusable heat pack strapped to his lower back, the kind you tug out of a cauldron of boiling water.
“He spent a lot of time in the training room,” Errey said. “He’d come out and probably 15 minutes before and get dressed.”
Morning skates, shortly after he loosens his legs, Crosby will post up at one of the circles and have a Penguins assistant coach feed him one-timers, pumping each through like it’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
If it’s not that, there’s almost always another aspect of Crosby’s game he wants to work on, oftentimes tips or faceoffs. Rarely is a minute left unaccounted for. In pregame warmup, there’s always stick-handling around onice signage — McDonald’s
Who: Penguins vs. Florida Panthers.
When, where: 7 p.m. Thursday, BB&T Center, Sunrise, Fla.
Look, listen: AT&T SportsNet, WXDX-FM (105.9), nhl. com/penguins.
Noteworthy: Penguins are 10-1-2 in their past 13 against Panthers. … Florida had won four of five before blowing a two-goal, thirdperiod lead Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. … Panthers have dropped seven of 19 when leading after two. … Sidney Crosby has a sevengame point streak against the Panthers (9-3–12). … Florida power play began games Wednesday second in the NHL at 27.0 percent and was seven for its past 17 in past five games. … Penguins power play is just one for 15 in its past six games. … Panthers C Aleksander Barkov has four goals and 11 points in his past 13 games.
Did you know? Phil Kessel has just one shot on goal in six of his past nine. Overall, he is on pace for 212 shots on goal, which would be his lowest such total since his rookie year, when he had 170 in 70 games in 2006-07.
at home, whatever he can find on the road.
That’s … well, a little different than how Lemieux would do things, Errey and Bourque said.
Morning skates for Lemieux rarely included shoulder pads or a helmet, at least not until “Badger” Bob Johnson came along. Usually 15 minutes on and off, while Crosby sometimes skates for 30 or 40.
“Mario wouldn’t really break a sweat,” Errey said.
While Crosby prefers to handle his own equipment — to the point that teammates dare not touch his stuff — Lemieux later in his career entrusted sticktaping duties to equipment manager Steve Latin.
There’s probably a better chance of Crosby handing out his social security number on the street corner than allowing someone else to tape his sticks.
Before a game, there are some similarities between Crosby and Lemieux, Bourque said.
“As soon as that jersey went on, there was a different look in Mario’s eye,” Bourque said. “I think it’s very rarely duplicated to have this calm, outsideconfident
demeanor, but inside it’s a competitive volcano.”
It has been duplicated at least once, by Crosby.
Although he’s not shaking the ropes or smashing his face through a car window, Crosby is absolutely focused, running the game through in his mind, wondering what opportunities might present themselves.
Like Lemieux, Crosby often doesn’t say a ton before games, choosing to let others get the group excited, content to lean back in his seat and watch.
“You don’t want to be too engaged too early,” Crosby said. “You have to be loose to a certain point and make sure your mind is free.
“[Patric Hornqvist] is a guy who’s vocal and energetic. [Mario and I] are probably a little more on the calmer side.”
While Crosby thinks he and Lemieux are at least somewhat similar from a mental standpoint, how hockey has evolved has created some physical differences between the two.
The shoulder pads and helmets at morning skates, sure, but also team meetings, stretches and the whole sport-performance side of things that exists with pretty much every pro sports franchise these days.
Lemieux had trainers and some ancillary stuff, but nothing close to what Crosby has at his fingertips.
“I think the game has changed that way,” Crosby said. “There’s a lot more that’s dictated. It used to be on your own. Now the team has ways to influence that a little bit more.”
Bottom line, as Lemieux and soon Crosby will have done 915 times — excluding playoffs — the ultimate goal is to get ready, to get your mind right and do whatever you need to do to play.
Whether that’s scheduling every minute or channeling the urgency of a Sunday morning stroll.
“You’re just trying to get into a good frame of mind,” Crosby said. “Sometimes you feel differently game to game. It’s a long season. Sometimes you have a little bit more energy than other nights. You’re trying to find ways to get sharp.
“Bottom line, you need to make sure your mind is free to react and not think too much while you’re out there.”