'When He Speaks, Everyone Listens': How Sidney Crosby's Mentorship Has Passed On To Multiple Generations Of Teammates

Following the team's regular practice on Dec. 16, Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby took some extra time out of his day to do something pretty much everyone around him is accustomed to witnessing on a day-to-day basis.

Jesse Puljujarvi - who has not played in a game since Dec. 7 and has struggled to be a mainstay in the Penguins' lineup all season long - asked Crosby to work with him on some of the details of his game following the regular session. Crosby happily obliged, not just working on some fundamentals with the younger forward, but also vocally encouraging and guiding him akin to a coach or a mentor.

For anyone who has become familiar with Crosby over the years - coach, teammate, media member, or fan - this isn't exactly groundbreaking. Many of those coaches and teammates have expressed how Crosby is often the first player on and the last player off the ice, and he certainly doesn't shy away from taking some extra time to work with teammates to round out different aspects of their game.

The case was no different with Puljujarvi.

"He's always on the ice, working on his game," Puljujarvi said. "And it's nice to really see the heart that he has."

Heart is definitely a word for it. Crosby is notorious for his work ethic on and off the ice, but it's not just about the work, the reps, and the hockey. 

That work ethic sets a standard, and he exerts that level of effort in every aspect of his personality and his leadership - putting in the extra time to make sure those around him feel comfortable and welcomed while also getting the best out of each of their respective games.

And that goes for everyone who has crossed paths with him over the years, including the guys he came into the league with, the crop of young players on the team now, and the players he mentored earlier in his career that have since assumed a similar leadership role. 

"If you’re a young guy, you’re an old guy, you’re a first-rounder, a seventh-rounder, a free agent - doesn’t matter who you are - when you come into this room, he introduces himself, gets your phone number, and makes sure you feel welcome, feel comfortable... anything you need, he's there to do it," longtime Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. "And I think that shows a lot about his character that, from day one, he’s kinda just assumed that you treat people like family when they come in this room.”

Rust - who made his NHL debut in 2014 - is one of the few players remaining in the Penguins' locker room to have been mentored by Crosby earlier on in the captain's career. He entered the room for the first time in training camp that year during a preseason that saw him register three goals. 

But - despite his early success and his confidence - was there any factor of intimidation walking not only into a room of Stanley Cup champions, but also into the same room as the best player in the world?

“Um, yeah, 100 percent," Rust said. "Obviously, you come into the room with some of the people that were in the room at the time… and some of them are still here. It’s very intimidating."

But Pittsburgh's captain - who was 27 years old at the time - made sure to reach out to Rust early on in order to soften that intimidation factor as much as possible, just like he has done for pretty much everyone else throughout his career for the Penguins. It's imperative for Crosby, as it always has been, to ensure that anyone stepping foot into the Penguins' locker room feels that family atmosphere alluded to earlier from the very beginning.

Echoing that same sentiment is defenseman Marcus Petterson, who, like Rust, has been around for a good while. He was traded from the Anaheim Ducks to the Penguins on Dec. 3, 2018, and was just 22 years old when he was dealt - and he wasn't exactly expecting a trade when it happened, which was just after a road trip.

Pettersson recalled how welcoming Crosby was so immediately, given how terrified he was, at first, to join a team with the starpower the Penguins had - especially since they were only a year and a half removed from their second of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

And he knows Crosby is aware that players - especially younger guys - are intimidated when they join him as teammates. But Pettersson is in awe of Crosby's ability to make that transition as seamless as possible for everyone.

"Just how good of a person he is and how he makes you feel welcome... he treats you like every other guy," Pettersson said. "He treats everybody the same, and I think that goes a long way with the young guys and stuff like that. That sure helps you get settled and play your game because, ultimately, he wants to win." 

He also stressed Crosby's uncanny ability to empower others to speak up.

"He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s really a team-first guy, and he wants to make sure that everybody goes around the same way and feels comfortable here in the locker room to say what’s needed, if needed," Pettersson added.

That mindset is something that both Rust and Pettersson have taken to heart - and that leadership and mentorship has spanned across different generations within the Penguins' locker room.

A decade after Rust came into the league, much remains the same when it comes to Crosby, even with a newer, younger generation of players who have spent almost their entire lives idolizing him.

These players - perhaps even more intimidated than Rust or Pettersson were when they arrived - corroborate the claim that everyone hears from 87 very early on in their Penguins' careers. And they are also very attentive to whatever Crosby has to say - or whatever he feels compelled to teach when he does take that time to work with them or talk to them.

"He reached out to me," said Philip Tomasino, 23, who was acquired from the Nashville Predators on Nov. 25 this season. "He was one of the first guys that reached out to me when I got traded here, so that obviously speaks a lot. I’ve worked with him after practice a couple of times, and obviously, just in the room... when he speaks, everyone listens."

Similarly to Tomasino, forward Cody Glass - who was just six years old when Crosby was drafted - idolized Crosby growing up and felt the jitters when coming to Pittsburgh after being dealt to the Penguins in August. He even recalled his first game against Crosby during the 2019-20 season - at 20 years old - and how he got caught up in the starstruckness from sharing the ice with his favorite player.

"I remember my first NHL game against him, I was, like, staring at him during warm-ups because I knew he did the exact same warm-up routine, like, every day," Glass said. "I remember just watching him."

But as much as he thought actually getting to play on a team with Crosby might get to him a bit, Glass believes that Crosby's experience of becoming a captain at a very young age and having to mature quickly opened him up to understanding most situations that various players are dealing with - including the challenges associated with that same intimidation factor Rust and Pettersson dealt with years before him.

"He would start the conversation first, and he’s a pretty intimidating human being, not as a person, but just with his reputation around the league and how much of a legend he is," Glass said. "So, for him to come and start conversations with young guys and make us feel welcome from day one was a very eye-opening thing for me, just because he’s been one of my favorite players since I was young."

Perhaps the most rewarding part of being Crosby's teammate is absorbing what he can from the captain, most of which relates to that aforementioned work ethic. Glass said he's learned so much from Crosby's daily habits - even if Crosby is a steep level above everyone else in terms of talent - and now realizes from being around him regularly that those habits are the reason he's gotten to where he is.

“It’s not something that he was just given, he earned all the skill and all the right to be the player that he is, and I think that just goes for everyone," Glass said. "If you work hard enough at something… I mean, he is a little bit 'sprinkled of god'... but I think if you see how much work he puts in, it’s not a fluke that he’s this good.”

And those habits command the attention of everyone in the room, rubbing off on older guys, younger players, forwards, defensemen, and everyone else in between.

"He just has such a presence, and he’s always locked in," defenseman Ryan Shea said. "He has this perfect balance of being locked in but also being a team guy, joking around, so you don’t feel intimidated around him. But, he brings the best out of you every time you step out on the ice."

Shea continued: "I think, over the years, he’s mastered that balance, and that’s why people talk so highly of him. Coaching staff, media, just everyone talks so highly of him. I’ve never seen a bad thing about him."

Glass agrees.

"There’s not one bad thing I could say about him," he said, smiling. "I wish there was. But he’s 'Mr. Perfect'." 

Even though two different generations of players have learned a whole lot from Crosby's mentorship, perhaps the most telling aspect of Crosby's success in that endeavor shows in that first generation's ability to lead.

Shea has noticed how much of Crosby is reflected in guys like Pettersson and Rust, who - at ages 28 and 32, respectively - now find themselves in mentorship positions of their own.

“I sat next to Petey in the locker room last year, so having him, I think, was probably one of the best things about my first year and how I was able to overcome a little adversity, come back, and play better the second time around," Shea said. "Now, I just feel comfortable in this locker room with all these guys because of guys like Petey and Sid."

And he especially notices shades of Crosby in Rust, who - like the captain - makes everyone feel welcomed by simply being "one of the guys."

"Rusty’s the same way, you know?" Shea said. "He’s learned everything from Sid, Sid’s learned stuff from Rusty, and you can tell… Rusty’s just a true Penguin, it’s hilarious. On the ice, off the ice… he comes up with big goals, but also, he can be the guy that’s doing a little prank or something. He has that soft side. I think, in that whole locker room, we have a great mix. And it all stems from 87.”

Rust is also cognizant of some of the specific things he has learned from Crosby over the years and applied to his own role as a leader on the team. He mentioned making sure to pick up and encourage his teammates - especially young ones - after an off-night when things don't go their way, as well as recognizing that each player is an individual with different needs, circumstances, and communication styles.

"People who come into this locker room who are new... I try and make them feel welcome, whether they’re young, from a trade, or a free agent," Rust said. "Anytime you go into a new situation, I think it can be a little bit nerve-wracking trying to navigate personalities, and the more you can be welcoming and open and try and maybe give some hints here or there... For certain guys, I think it’s really important."

Perhaps the reason Rust and Pettersson have grown to become much like Crosby in terms of leadership and mentorship is because - as much as the team itself has evolved over the years - Crosby's influence has always been the same for as long as he's been around.

As nearly a lifelong NHL teammate, Kris Letang stressed that Crosby has always been a great mentor, and that aspect of his persona has never waivered or changed.

"He’s always been that guy, honestly," Letang said. "He brings the best out of everybody with his work ethic, whether it’s in practice or games. He’s a guy that studies the game a lot, and he likes to talk to guys and see what they should see on different plays and what type of forecheck and any different situation. He really talks to everybody, making sure everybody’s on the same page and easy to read.”

Head coach Mike Sullivan has had the privilege of coaching Crosby and the Penguins for nearly a decade. He's watched Crosby as the captain's mentorship has transcended generations and passed on to new blood again and again, and he has witnessed the inner workings of new and blossoming leadership on the team up close.

Like Mario Lemieux before him, Crosby's influence on teammates - and the organization - has set a standard for the Penguins that is hard to quantify and impossible to replicate.

"I go all the way back to players like Conor Sheary, Jake Guentzel, Rusty, Tommy Kuhnackl… there’s been a number of them over the years that have had the privilege to watch him on a daily basis," Sullivan said. "And there’s no better example of how to carry yourself than Sid. He’s the standard bearer when it comes to the process of excellence that has been established here in Pittsburgh, and I think players like Rusty can’t help but improve and get better because of that."

Crosby himself, of course - as humble as they come - chalks up the leadership exhibited by guys like Rust and Pettersson to their tenure in the room and their experience in the league.

“Yeah, I think it’s just with age and experience," Crosby said. "It’s just a matter of going through that, and I think everybody tries to help each other regardless of how long they’ve played or their situation, that sort of thing."

But everyone else around him is aware and appreciative of the impact Crosby has had on them and the things they can continue to learn from him - both as players and as people - and they're not afraid to take advantage of the opportunity to take what they can from one of the greatest players and mentors of all time. 

"I’ve had a few times where I’ll ask his opinion, and it’s, kind of, always the right answer," Tomasino said. "You can obviously trust a guy like that. For anything I need, I can always go to him and ask him."

He smiled. 

"It's just been awesome to be able to learn from one of the best to ever do it."

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