Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk seem to have the same thought on how to approach Sidney Crosby in their gold medal game on Sunday should he be playing.
Well with less than 24 hours to go his status is still up in the air, though with it potentially being his last Olympics and the chance to solidify himself as potentially the greatest Canadian hockey player ever — odds are he’ll play no matter what.
Tkachuk and Matthews give Crosby immense respect ahead of gold medal game
At least that’s what the thought process behind both Team USA’s Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk as they were both discussing the potential of Crosby playing in the game.
Matthews, the captain of the squad, was quite graceful and honest in his assessment of the situation, and knows that if Crosby plays that Canada gets a huge moral and on-ice boost:
He’s a competitor so we all kind of expect to see him playing tomorrow & I’m sure that will give them a big boost.
Meanwhile, Tkachuk; who is the master of the mental game, understands that of all the people who you won’t be rattling when it matters the most, it’s Crosby — a master magician when it comes to getting under opponents’ skin as well:
Sidney Crosby. He’s got three championships. I don’t think you’re getting in his head. I mean, he’s won everything, at every single level.
We want his stature. We want everything that he’s accomplished. I guess this team of 25 guys has a chance to accomplish something he has. There is no psychological warfare with him.
Crosby is known as one of the most generous, caring, kind, and beloved hockey players of all time and his charitable works are astounding.
Why you can’t shake Sidney Crosby
But on the ice, you’d be hard pressed to find someone as shrewd, intelligent, and as crafty as Crosby. Sure you’re able to push him around, but he’s not afraid to push back, and he’s smart enough to know when to get a call in his favor.
He is so focused and plays by his own standards and practices that you can’t really prepare. He’s got the ice-cold veins of Kobe Bryant, the accolades like Tom Brady; how can you possibly rattle someone who has over 1,700 points in his career combined with everything else leading up to it?
Crosby uses a mindset called ‘process goals’ where he only focuses on the now and what needs to be fixed or improved on. It’s breaking little things down to affect the game down the line. It’s why you can’t rattle him, because he just doesn’t care.
It’s one play, one moment, then onto the next.
For Team USA, they could very well be in line for their first gold medal in over 40 years, but if Sidney Crosby is indeed playing — their distinguished mental advantage suddenly becomes a stalemate thanks to a man they still call ‘The Kid.’
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Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews make one thing clear about Sidney Crosby before gold
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