An example both on and off ice
NHL hockey star and pride of Nova Scotia, Sidney Crosby, was in the news last week for an unusual reason.
On Feb. 11, Crosby was kicked out the hockey game his Pittsburgh Penguins were playing against the Los Angeles Kings in L.A. after exchanging differing points of views on a play. Soon Crosby found himself on the way to the showers with a game misconduct penalty.
This was the first time Crosby was thrown out of a game in his 18 years in the NHL.
It's a career a lot of people in this region have followed, right from his earliest appearances with the Cole Harbour Bel Ayr Minor Hockey Association and later playing with the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic.
It was at the 2003 Canada Games, though, where Crosby's work ethic, grace under pressure and leadership skills were on display for a national audience. There, the then 15-yearold player — the youngest male hockey player at the Games — was unanimously voted captain for Team Nova Scotia. He also became the first Nova Scotian to earn the Games' Roland Michener Canada Games Award the following year.
“He was a true team player, doing everything from filling water bottles, to giving credit to his teammates for every success on the ice,” read the Michener citation. “He calmly handled many media interviews and spent time talking with fans, often at the end of long days.”
Crosby's legacy of hard work, sportsmanship and quest for constant improvement was evident in those early matches at the Canada Games. Now there is an opportunity to catch the early career of another rising star.
The Canada Winter Games are taking place right in this region this year with events in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and in host province, Prince Edward Island.
From opening ceremonies Saturday, Feb. 18 in Charlottetown to long-track speedskating events at the Halifax Oval in Week 1 and skiing events throughout the Games at both Crabbe Mountain in Fredericton and Mark Arendz ski park in Brookvale, P.E.I., there are events at times and locations over two weeks that will showcase the nation's best young athletes to appreciative crowds. For those who can't make a competition in person, online streaming options are also available.
There are selfish reasons for checking out as many Canada Games events as possible. Besides being able to say, “I saw them before they were superstars,” hometowns who nurture their young athletes today may see that support returned in the future.
In 2007, a 20-year-old Crosby donated $20,000 to his hometown hockey association — the first of many significant donations of money and time the player has given over the years.
Canada Games athletes are also great role models for the children who learn the value of discipline and teamwork – and that jawing at the officials could get you ejected from the game.