Title window closing, not shut for Crosby
Captain says ‘it’s been tough year and a half’; coach says star ‘so driven for more’
With the puck on his stick and the series on its edge, Sidney Crosby rifled a shot at Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price. For a fleeting moment, if you were waiting for it, there it was. The spark.
When the NHL announced the Penguins would play Game 4 of the qualifying round Aug. 7, the dots connected. Number 87, who was born in 1987, would play on his lucky day, 8/7. Maybe the Penguins would win, 8-7, some joked. Or perhaps he would score a game-winner at 8:07.
Crosby’s shot clanged off the crossbar. Soon, the series and the season came crashing down with a 2-0 shutout loss.
Forget the cake. The fact that the big day coincided with what some are calling the biggest disappointment in Penguins postseason history instead highlights an unpleasant reality. At some point, we no longer celebrate birthdays; we tolerate them.
At 33, Sid is hardly a kid anymore. One more year on this Earth means one year closer to the end of his career.
He’s not the only member of the Penguins core with more candles to blow out on the birthday cake. Evgeni Malkin celebrated his 34th birthday July 31 in the Toronto bubble. Kris Letang, who sat alongside Crosby at the postgame news conference, is 33.
What this core group has accomplished should not be overlooked or understated. They have added three more banners to a storied hockey franchise’s championship tradition, sparked the longest active playoff streak in the NHL and reinvigorated a fan base to create a sellout streak that dates to Valentine’s Day 2007. But how long can it last?
Trying to define and quantify a so-called “championship window” can be a fool’s errand, but, with the back-toback Stanley Cup runs slipping further into the rearview mirror and back-toback four-game disappointments in the forefront, it’s fair to wonder.
“Obviously, at some point, everybody’s window closes,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “You could argue that with any team in the league. But I strongly believe this group has a lot of elite hockey [left].”
In their own way, all three showed it this year. Letang was an All-Star this season. Malkin enjoyed a bounceback year in which only four players tallied more points per game. And Crosby?
As recently as 2018-19, the captain finished second in the Hart Trophy voting, proving that as he entered his early 30s there was plenty left in the tank when he’s healthy.
His setbacks, however, have come in waves. The Penguins got swept out of the 2019 postseason. The shortest postseason of his career led to the longest offseason. Just as he began a training camp of redemption, Crosby was slowed by a core muscle injury. He played through it, in part because the Penguins were already so injured. But by mid-November, it was time for surgery.
“It’s been a tough year and a half,” Crosby said. “Not playing a lot of hockey with the long offseason, only playing 20 games, coming back for a short period and then having this.”
That’s what’s particularly disappointing about this early exit. The pause gave the club enviable depth and somewhat unexpected health, most notably with Jake Guentzel. There’s no guarantee the Penguins will have this many players healthy and in their prime at the same moment again, at least not in this championship window.
Crosby missed about half of training camp with an ailment the club has not disclosed publicly. He still was the Penguins’ best player by far in the series, tallying two of the seven goals and adding an assist on the third. But was he 100%? If he’s healthy, he will find a way to evolve his game and remain an elite player in the league as long as he’s on the ice. With a salary-cap crunch and an uncertain offseason, who else will be at the table when Crosby blows out the candles on 34?
“I have the privilege to watch him every day up close and personal and see him go through the challenges that this league presents,“Sullivan said. “He’s such a motivated player. I’ve never been around a player as motivated and driven as he is. He’s enjoyed a lot of success . ... But he’s so driven for more.”