Sid the Kid has passion to be great

By Bucky Gleason
Buffalo News Sports Columnist
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/
November 24, 2010, 12:01 AM

Drew Stafford knew the kid long before he became The Kid. Sidney Crosby was 15 years old when he showed up at Shattuck-St. Mary's High in Minnesota, where Stafford's parents were teachers and he was a star senior for the national powerhouse. Crosby was the most glorified sophomore in school history.

"His legs were the size of that trash can," Stafford said in the Sabres' dressing room. "He was born to be a hockey player, born with a hockey player's body. He had such a baby face. He was just a kid like everybody else. But then we got on the ice. He's threading passes under sticks, making nice plays and you're like, 'Man, this kid's for real.'"

Yeah, the kid was for real.

Crosby finished with 72 goals and 162 points in 57 games that season and along with Stafford's 49 goals and 116 points helped Shattuck to a national title. Crosby left for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he had 120 goals and 303 points in 121 games for Rimouski over his next two seasons.

"It was pretty awesome," Stafford said. "With the way the hype goes and the media building him up and everything, it's easy for a kid, especially one that age, to get caught up in it. He had no problems with that whatsoever. He backed up the hype. You could see how good he was. He's very levelheaded."

The Kid leading the Penguins tonight isn't one. He's a 23-year-old superstar who six years ago became the name and face of the NHL. He's acutely aware of his image and would never, say, suffer a mysterious black eye at a charity event or become one for his community. Instead, he leads by example in Pittsburgh.

Crosby's greatest asset isn't his speed or shooting ability or even his puck-handling skills or his vision. It's his passion. His competitiveness drove tireless practice habits that developed his talent. It's a quality the best athletes share and cannot be taught. Crosby has it in spades.

For years, he viewed himself as a playmaking center, but he adjusted his style last season and became a 50-goal scorer and more complete player. Now, he's playing better than at any point in his career, which says a ton.

Crosby two years ago became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup. He has won a scoring title and been named most valuable player. He scored the winning goal in overtime at the Olympics, giving Canada the gold over Ryan Miller and the United States. He had 51 goals last season, tying Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead.

Over his past 82 games, he has 56 goals and 123 points. He has 15 goals and 35 points in 22 games this season and is riding a nine-game scoring streak that includes nine goals and 20 points. He's on pace for 55 goals and 129 points, both of which would be career highs.

Imagine his numbers if he played in the Wayne Gretzky era, when players were slower and teams had less depth. Crosby excels with less room, against better defenses. Maybe he could have scored 92 goals or posted 215 points in a season, the way The Great One did with the talent-rich Oilers in the 1980s.

Or he might have scored more.

"He would have ran away with the game, just like Gretzky did," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "The game is a lot tougher now. He's still thriving in a tougher game. The depth of players in the game now is a lot better going back to the early '80s, when teams usually had one good line or possibly two."

Gretzky once pointed to Crosby as the player who could break all of his records. It was a ridiculous statement until you consider the source. Gretzky's records appear safe for the foreseeable future.

If given the opportunity, Gretzky might choose his words differently and say Crosby was capable of becoming the best player in history. Now, there's something that makes sense.

bgleason@buffnews.com

Photo credit: Getty Images

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