Sidney Crosby
By Karen Price
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, January 29, 2007
Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky can remember coming to Pittsburgh in the early 1980s when the Penguins were averaging roughly 8,000 fans per game and the then-Civic Arena would sell out with fans wanting to see him play.
He experienced the same thing in St. Louis and probably countless other cities where, even if attendance was good, Gretzky guaranteed a packed house.
"It made you a better player because every night, you had to be prepared because the pressure was on you," Gretzky said on Saturday, roughly an hour before the Coyotes hosted the Penguins.
Sidney Crosby was making his first trip to the desert since entering the NHL last season, and the game was in front of the first sellout crowd at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., this season. A team that was averaging 14,200 per night, or 81.1 percent of capacity, drew a standing-room-only crowd of 18,495, and Crosby scored one jaw-dropping goal and added three assists in the 7-2 win for the Penguins.
For the past few weeks - and especially during last week's All-Star activities - the comparisons between Crosby and Gretzky seem to have hit a new high. Articles have been written on the two, and many of the players participating in the All-Star Game made the link.
Crosby was held scoreless in his All-Star debut, but it was quickly pointed out that Gretzky was also scoreless in his All-Star debut, also at age 19.
The comparisons may not always be fair or accurate, especially in terms of playing style and era. Gretzky was more of a pure goal scorer, and his scoring records won't likely be broken. Crosby will likely finish with more assists than goals.
But what can be compared is the both players' attitudes toward off-ice presence, how they handle the attention and responsibilities, and the ability both have to draw fans to the game.
"It's tough," Gretzky said. "It's a lot harder than people realize. Every city you go to, people want to see you and, more importantly, people want to see you play well. He's only going to be (in Phoenix) one time, and everybody's human. Everybody has off-nights.
"And for guys like myself, him, Mario (Lemieux), you couldn't afford to do that. You had to play your hardest every game because you didn't want people leaving the rink disappointed. I know he has that figured out. He plays hard every night."
Based on Gretzky's comments, Crosby's ability to play under pressure will help the largely inexperienced Penguins coming down the stretch, as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
"Come April and May, it made my game easier for me because I had dealt with it every single night," Gretzky said. "Mario had to go through that, and now Sid's doing it, so when Pittsburgh does, obviously, get into the playoffs - and they are heading in the right direction - and he's playing in Game 7, it's going to be like playing in a game in October because the atmosphere's going to be sort of the same. It only made me a better player, and I'm sure it will make him a better player."
Gretzky and Crosby first met when Crosby was 14 years old at a camp for 17- and 18-year-old prospective first-round draft picks. Gretzky was so impressed with Crosby, whom he said was the best player on the ice, that he decided to skate with the group the next day.
"I wanted to be able to skate with (Crosby) one time," Gretzky said.
Crosby said it was a dream come true.
"Everyone was a whole zone away from him, scared to go near him, scared to touch the pucks he touched," Crosby said. "But it was something I'll remember, for sure."
So what does Crosby think of being compared to Gretzky?
"It's a compliment, that's always how I try to take it," Crosby said of the comparisons. "But I don't put pressure on myself to be another Wayne Gretzky. I just want to try to do my best and continue to improve."
Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com.
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