'I Think He Knows He's That Face': Crosby's Inspiration To Canadian Teammates No Surprise To Penguins' Players

Wednesday's Olympic quarterfinal matchup between Team Canada and Team Czechia nearly ended up being a total nightmare for Canadian hockey fans everywhere when captain Sidney Crosby went down with an injury during the second period and did not return. 

But, given the leader that Crosby - throughout the sport - is known to be, that didn't stop him from delivering a "passionate intermission speech" to his team when they most needed it, as Canada trailed, 2-1, heading into the third period against Czechia. 

Well, whatever the message was worked. Canada tied the game in the third and won on a Mitch Marner overtime goal to send them to Friday's semifinal against Finland, which they also won in overtime.

And his legendary leadership and mere presence was lost on teammates - and his head coach, Jon Cooper - who largely credited him after the game with inspiring them and getting them on the same page. 

"A big thing walking out of the room [was], 'There's no way this was going to be Sid's last game,'" Cooper said. "That was the big talk going out."

Of course, Crosby's Canadian teammates are no strangers to the 38-year-old's legend in the sport, as he is one of greatest players and leaders of all time. But neither are his Pittsburgh Penguins' teammates, who are used to being on the other end of Crosby's leadership all the time. 

And hearing that their captain delivered that intermission message that resonated with the Canadian locker room enough to help guide them to a dramatic win came as no surprise to his Pittsburgh teammates. 

“I saw that,” defenseman Ryan Graves said. “I think, especially on that stage, as a Canadian, I just know what Sid has meant to the country and international play and things like that. He’s one of, if not the best, player to ever play, and in a country where hockey is everything, he’s been the best to do it for us. 

“I know everyone in that locker room would be looking to him and would be wanting to play for him, so he wouldn’t really have to say much for guys to kind of rally behind him.”

And, according to defenseman Ryan Shea, it’s so easy for players - even the best in the world - to rally behind him because of the standard he sets in the sport. 

“I think it’s just the standard he holds himself to and the level of play,” defenseman Ryan Shea said. “He’s been going at it for 21 years, and I think that shows it all. You see a bunch of those interviews, those guys on Canada coming out and saying how important it was when he spoke, and those are the best players in the world. If he’s getting the attention of the best players in the world… some of those guys are close to his age, and they’re still looking up to him. 

“When he comes into our locker room, no matter how many years you’ve been here or how well you know him, he’s still a presence in the locker room, and he’s still that guy you can lean on whenever you can.”

Shea, as well as everyone else who knows Crosby, understands the impact he’s had on hockey, especially in his home country of Canada. Of course, his career-defining moment came in 2010 when he scored the famous Golden Goal in overtime against Team USA on Olympic ice in Vancouver, and that moment will forever be etched in history. 

But in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a small footnote in the context of a greater story that defines him as a player, a person, and a leader. It’s no accident, no coincidence, that he’s been “Captain Canada” for more than a decade, and his impact has reached almost deity-like levels in his home country. 

And it all begins and ends with his unparalleled work ethic and day-to-day grind, something that has been a defining aspect of his greatness and the foundation for his leadership both within his NHL locker room and internationally. 

“We joke when we go to Vancouver - because, he kind of owns the city after getting the Golden Goal there - but, he’s been doing it at the international stage for so long,” Shea said. “What he does in the regular season, whether the tournaments in the summer or the tournaments at the Olympics, this guy just never takes a day off. He’s always ready. I remember before he went to Worlds last year, he asked a couple of us to skate right after the season. Obviously, it wasn’t the season we wanted, but we hopped out there, and you would think it was a practice where we had 40 more games to play with how hard he was working. It was right before we went on a golf trip. 

“This guy is just always prepared for anything, and he’s comfortable when he goes to play internationally because I think he knows he’s that face. He’s what Canada looks up to. That’s why every time we go to Canada, the response when we step on the ice is great, and it might feel like it’s for us, but everyone knows who it’s really for. I mean, he scored the Golden Goal. I think that will take him for the rest of his life as a hero in that country.”

And Shea mentioned those veteran Canadian teammates still looking up to their captain. One of them is Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who - at 36 years old - marvels at Crosby’s impact in both a locker room full of superstars and in Canada as a whole. 

“I don’t even know what words to use,” 36-year-old Team Canada defenseman Drew Doughty said. “I mean, he’s the guy that showed all the young guys, young players growing up, what it means to be Canadian. 

“What it means to be a Canadian hockey player. Getting to play with him, I even feel that being a teammate of his. So that just shows you how special it is.”

And, ahead of Sunday’s gold medal game against Team USA, Crosby again showed how special he was, even if in a different way. The day before, he was skating on the ice with his teammates, with many hopeful he’d be able to suit up for what could be the biggest game of some of their careers. In fact, some in the media were saying there was a “70 percent chance” Crosby would play Sunday.

However, in a selfless act - and, make no mistake, it was selfless, as representing Canada on Olympic ice means so much to him - Crosby decided to hold himself out of the game in order for his healthier teammates to play and give Canada its best chance at claiming the gold medal. 

As such, his teammates must, once again, find a way to rally around him. And it also presented another opportunity for Crosby’s heir-apparent in 29-year-old Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid to don the “C” for a second straight game and lead Canada to the promised land.

But even McDavid, the best player in the world, understands who that “C” on the red Canadian maple leaf-clad jersey really belongs to. And he didn’t hesitate to make that known when asked about wearing the letter prior to Friday’s semifinal game. 

McDavid smiled. “Just keeping it warm for Sid.”

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