'He's A Legend': Sidney Crosby's 4 Nations Performance Inspires Younger Canadian Teammates

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's performance at the 4 Nations Face-off certainly didn't go unnoticed by teammates. 

And his younger Canadian teammates were especially impressed.

Crosby finished the 4 Nations Face-off with a goal and five points, which ended up tied for second in tournament points with teammate and buddy Nathan MacKinnon and behind only Team USA defenseman Zach Werenski.

And - more importantly - he led Team Canada to yet another championship, as Canada beat Team USA in the title game, 3-2, on superstar forward Connor McDavid's overtime goal.

“It was great," forward Anthony Beauvillier said, who - at 10 years Crosby's junior - hails from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. "I thought it was really cool to see him lead the boys to the championship. It was cool to watch. Obviously, Sid’s an icon in Canada, being a captain and just as a player representing the country. So, it was fun to see him there." 

P.O Joseph - a 25-year-old defenseman from Laval, Quebec, and a teammate of Crosby's for several years - agreed.

"It was just fun to see him come back into it," Joseph said. "Just such a great person, and he deserves everything that happens to him. It’s fun to see him keep achieving, keep being in the best shape, and just seeing him win again… it’s so fun.”

Crosby's hockey IQ and ability to take over games was evident during the entire tournament, as his three assists - including on Mitch Marner's overtime winner - during the game against Sweden were all plays only Crosby could make, and his empty-net goal against Finland was a result of making a hit and immediately gathering his faculties to receive the puck with his hand, dish it to himself, and chip it toward the net.

His level of play at age 37 continues to inspire his Canadian teammates, many of whom grew up watching him. And they were thrilled to watch Crosby lead Team Canada to yet another championship.

"I mean, he's a legend," forward Philip Tomasino said, referencing Crosby's 26-0 run of games in international play prior to Canada's loss to Team USA in round robin play. "That guy's a legend. He's a winner. He's won everywhere he's been. He's a guy I've looked up to my whole life, and there's so many great memories of him. 

"He's arguably one of the best, if not, the best, player when representing the country. So, it's really cool to be on the same team as him and watch him win that. Just awesome. It's really nice to see, and hopefully, he can do it again at the Olympics next year as well."

Tomasino, 23, idolized Crosby as a kid growing up in Mississauga, Ontario. He, like several others, remembers where he was and what he was doing when Crosby scored the famous "Golden Goal" at the Vancouver Olympic games in 2010. 

"I would have been nine or 10 years old, and I was at one of my teammate's houses watching the game," Tomasino said. "I remember rocking my Team Canada jersey. I think I had a game that day in the morning, and I remember rocking it all day. [His goal] is probably the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Team Canada and just how special that moment was. Obviously, it's pretty hard to beat that, but McDavid's was pretty cool as well."

Forward Cody Glass, 25, also remembers what he was doing in Winnipeg the day that Crosby scored the Golden Goal.

“My brother was at hockey, and me and my dad were at home watching Sid score," Glass said. "And then, as soon as Sid scored, we went straight to my brother’s hockey game. It was really cool."

And while he watched McDavid's Golden Goal from the couch - as did everyone else, including Beauvillier, who said he was just "waiting for the game to end so I could go to bed" - he did offer a little caveat for the new-age Golden Goal.

"I really wish Sid would have got it again," Glass said. "It would’ve been really cool just because that’s how clutch Sid is. But it’s really cool to see not only Team Canada winning, but to see Sid dominate best-on-best once again, and not fully healthy."

This is how much younger Canadian players idolized Crosby growing up. He, as much as hockey itself, is tied to their upbringing as a Canadian kid. So many players throughout the league over the last 15 years - and, some, in the same NHL locker room as Crosby - mimicked their game and their work habits off of watching Crosby.

And that's something that is a pretty universal thing among players who grew up watching him play.

"I think he's such a good role model to have, just as a young player growing up... watching him play and for what he does on the ice," Beauvillier said. "And now, I get to experience what he does off the ice as well. Everyone wanted to, kind of, mold their game around his game. A lot of guys still do, even in this league. He's been a huge influence on Canada and on hockey itself."

Suffice to say, Crosby's younger Canadian teammates are proud to call him a mentor, a friend, and their captain. And one more championship medal for Team Canada only further solidifies his legacy as the greatest ever to don the red maple leaf.

"I mean, it’s just one other achievement for him," Joseph said. "His leadership brings him everywhere, and it makes people follow him. Everyone wants to play with him. Everyone wants to be part of his story. And, to see him win another trophy, it’s fun to see. I watched him when I was a kid, and now being a teammate, and still seeing him achieve some stuff like that... it’s phenomenal.

"We’re really lucky to have him in Pittsburgh."

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