Sidney Crosby’s reputation precedes him. Intense, tireless worker, detail-oriented… Imagine yourself in the shoes of his linemates.
“It’s not always easy with Sid. He is very intense and he expects a lot from his teammates. He has a standard, the wingers must follow it,” describes Kristopher Letang, Crosby’s teammate for 17 years, Crosby’s colleague on the power play for almost as long.
Crosby didn’t exactly contradict Letang.
“You should ask Army, Rusty, and Bo. They will surely give you good answers! I’m sure it’s not easy some nights. I want us to take our responsibilities as members of a first trio seriously. It’s important to produce offense every night. But sometimes there are times when you want more. I can get intense, but that’s part of hockey. »
Army is Colby Armstrong, former CH forward, in particular, who played with a young Crosby in the mid-2000s. He now acts as an analyst for Penguins games and was therefore huddled behind the cameras, with his usual smile, when Crosby named him, Sunday at the Bell Center.
PHOTO TIM FULLER, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Anthony Beauvillier celebrates with Sydney Crosby after scoring a goal against the Red Wings on October 10.
Rusty and Bo are Bryan Rust and Anthony Beauvillier, the two linemates of the 87 in this young season, who were still skating alongside him at Sunday training. In theory, the three forwards will form a trio this Monday evening, during the Penguins-Canadian duel.
So, while we have Beauvillier in front of us: what’s it like playing with Crosby?
It makes things easier. He’s so smart. I try to see where he’s going and position myself to make space for him or get pucks.
Anthony Beauvillier, about Sydney Crosby
And is it true that it’s “not easy some evenings”?
“Personally, I like it,” assures Beauvillier, a native of Sorel. The collective standard is high. It’s a team that won. You can’t take a break. You must always be on target. Sid takes control and everyone follows. »
New beginning
For Beauvillier, it’s an unexpected new beginning. Choice of 1er tour in 2015, once capable of amassing around forty points per season, he has just experienced a very eventful 2023-2024 campaign, since he played for neither one nor two, but three teams: Vancouver, Chicago and Nashville.
The former Cataractes arrives at the right time in Pittsburgh. Jake Guentzel, Crosby’s most loyal sidekick for six years, was traded at the end of last season. The Penguins are therefore in audition mode to determine who will skate alongside Rust and Crosby.
However, historically, the wingers who played alongside Crosby came away with points, but also the best contract of their career. This is the case of Rust (30.75 million for 6 years), of Conor Sheary (12 million for 4 years) as well as of Guentzel (63 million for 7 years), although the latter has clearly demonstrated that he can produce a point per game with centers other than Crosby.
All this happens at a time when Beauvillier has his own objectives.
“The fit in Pittsburgh was perfect. This is a team that missed the playoffs the last two years and has something to prove. I wanted to show that I am still a good player. It wasn’t too long before I got the call. »
The end is coming, so are the plateaus
That said, barring an unexpected outcome, Beauvillier will not have the same luck as Guentzel, Rust and other Chris Kunitz if he wins at Winger Academy, because the Crosby he finds is 37 years old.
A sign that he is not getting any younger, Crosby is starting to get on familiar terms with the biggest players in the NHL. With three points in three games, he has 1599 points. He is therefore one judicious pass, one deflection away from becoming the 10e player in history to amass 1600 points. He also only needs 8 goals to become the 21ste to score 600.
It’s an honor to be part of this group. But I don’t look at that list too much. I will have plenty of time when I retire. […] When I was little, I dreamed of the NHL, not records.
Sydney Crosby
Age is a factor, so is the future in Pittsburgh. He extended his contract through 2027, but the Penguins aren’t exactly on the rise.
The sample is still too thin to judge their record (1-2-0), but the fact remains that the core is in the poor half of their thirties and that high-level prospects are not in the streets; they only drafted six players in the top 100 in the last four drafts.
Whether it’s skating as part of the same line or simply witnessing the different plateaus he reaches, Crosby’s teammates had better take advantage of the present moment.