Sidney Crosby Can Relate to Pressure Set on NHL's Top Prospect
The captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins knows the kind of pressure that weighs on Connor Bedard heading into his rookie season.
The season opener between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks will be so much more than just a normal game.
Aside from the Penguins looking to start off on the right foot and fight their way back into the postseason, the Blackhawks will see the NHL debut of one of the hottest prospects in recent memory.
Connor Bedard is slated to break into the NHL against one of his childhood idols in Sidney Crosby; some have even labeled Bedard as the ‘Next Crosby.’
Other massive superstars like Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid have saw similar titles when they entered the league.
“They’re pretty good players so I’ll take it as a compliment,” Crosby said. “I can relate to it. When I was a young I had players that I was compared to.”
While taking on the ‘Sid the Kid’ title through the early years of his career, Crosby was also labeled as ‘The Next One’ to follow Wayne Gretzky’s ‘The Great One.’
Over his career, Crosby has lived up to, and exceeded expectations, and his impact was immediate.
Crosby scored 102 points in his first season, one of only seven rookies to do that in NHL history; Bedard’s ceiling is high, but it’ll be hard to reach a number like that.
“I’m not going to put any number or expectation on it,” Crosby said on what kind of Rookie year Bedard might have. “I think he’s really good player. He’s going to be an opportunity there to be one of the guys, if not the guy.”
Crosby noted that being the centerpiece of a team can be a huge boost for a young player’s confidence, and Bedard already looks like he’s going to walk away with the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.
It’ll be a unique setting when Bedard makes his NHL debut against Crosby; for the team’s it may feel like another game with a special beginning, but the league and the fans may see it as a passing of the torch.
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