add to his already incomparable legacy<\/a>.<\/p>\nSidney Crosby of Canada during a team workout. REUTERS<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just trying to prepare [for 2010] as best as I could, but I was trying to be open-minded too,\u201d Crosby recalled to The Post from his locker room stall in Pittsburgh before the Games started. \u201cI was young. I hadn\u2019t experienced anything like that. I was getting a chance to play with guys that I grew up watching. I think I was trying to just absorb as much as I could, but also, when it came to whatever my role was going to be, be open-minded for that too. I was just really thrilled to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He later added: \u201cI just wanted to win so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gold is all Crosby has ever known on the Olympic stage, after he and Canada defeated Sweden at the last Winter Games the NHL went to, 2014 in Sochi.<\/p>\n
The one in Vancouver naturally stands out for a multitude of reasons. For Crosby, however, that it all unfolded in his home country made it so much more special. He thinks back to watching Canada beat the U.S. at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and what it meant to him at age 14. That consideration seems to come through whenever Crosby dons the Maple Leaf, or whenever he enters his home country.<\/p>\n
Canada feels it, too. For a decade, ex-Penguins head coach and current Team USA bench boss Mike Sullivan saw firsthand the mob scene that was the Canadian NHL cities whenever Crosby and the Penguins came through. He describes an overwhelming number of people who would hang over the barricades hoping to catch even a glimpse of No. 87.<\/p>\n
Sidney Crosby of Canada skates against Norway during the ice hockey men\u2019s preliminary game on day 5 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 16, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. Getty Images<\/p>\n
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS<\/p>\n
They often had to hold the bus. Crosby never let a single kid go without an autograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s had a huge influence on this next generation,\u201d Sullivan told The Post before heading to Milan. \u201cYou look at guys like [Connor] McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon and players like that, [Macklin] Celebrini, just how he approaches the game, the work ethic that he brings. I\u2019ve never been around an athlete, any sport, that has the work ethic that Sid has, and what he brings to the table. He cares about his own game, but he also cares about the teams that he plays on. He cared a lot about our Penguins teams when I was there. And I know he\u2019ll be the same way when he puts on the Canada jersey, because he doesn\u2019t know how to do it any differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crosby\u2019s gravitational pull in the hockey world is seismic, and it has been for a long time.<\/p>\n
Skating around in a Canada red jersey adorned with a black Maple Leaf on Wednesday, the 38-year-old \u2014 who is the most senior NHL player in the tournament \u2014 effortlessly stands out in a lineup that includes McDavid, MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the burgeoning Celebrini.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the high-end skill, but also the nostalgia he exudes.<\/p>\n
Canada head coach Jon Cooper probably put it best: Crosby has aura, as the kids say these days.<\/p>\n
In the midst of his 21st NHL season, Crosby is still among the top 25 point producers with 27 goals and 32 assists through 56 games for the Penguins this season. The five points (one goal, four assists) he put up through four games at 4 Nations last February were tied for the second most in the tournament.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Crosby is wearing the \u201cC\u201d for Canada for his fourth straight best-on-best tournament.<\/p>\n
: Sidney Crosby #87 of Team Canada takes part during training on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty years ago, I think 2005, I was on the Team Canada World Junior staff, he was the youngest player in the tournament 20 years ago,\u201d Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer said after practice Wednesday. \u201cI don\u2019t know where the time\u2019s gone. I\u2019ve had the opportunity, World Juniors, World Championships, Olympics now, to be around him in these settings. He always amazes me. How composed he is. The leadership, the messaging. He\u2019s a consummate pro and a consummate leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
After skating next to Mitch Marner and Mark Stone in practice Wednesday, Crosby said he just wants to get going. He finally will be able to when the puck drops against Czechia at 4:40 p.m. in Milan on Thursday (10:40 a.m. EST).<\/p>\n
Canada \u2014 the team, the management staff and the country as a whole \u2014 will want to savor it. Watching a player you know is not only a future Hall of Famer, but one of the all-time greats of the game, is rare. The Olympic stage has been deprived of his presence for too long. There\u2019s always a new generation of players to inspire.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably a little bit more heightened, just given it has been a bit,\u201d Crosby said of his anticipation level for these Olympic Games. \u201cBut also because a lot of the guys just haven\u2019t had an opportunity, just hasn\u2019t been there. So I know they\u2019re really excited. I think that\u2019s fun when you see just the energy and how bad guys want it. I think that\u2019s fun to see. And as far as the sport, I think 4 Nations did a lot. I think it was something that was huge for hockey, and hopefully the Olympics can just continue that momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILAN \u2014 Sidney Crosby\u2019s first Olympic experience in 2010 inspired an entire generation of hockey players. On a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5113],"tags":[5,4,2602,118,1469,100,5216,768,43,2787,31286],"class_list":{"0":"post-455003","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-penguins","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-olympics","11":"tag-penguins","12":"tag-pittsburgh","13":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","14":"tag-pittsburghpenguins","15":"tag-sidney-crosby","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-winter-olympics","18":"tag-winter-olympics-2026"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116054722019735594","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}