http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sidney Crosby smacked his stick on the dasher of the boards at the Penguins' bench and hung his head in a display of pain and frustration after taking a shot by Nashville defenseman Kevin Klein off the right foot.
All of Canada collectively held its breath.
When the face of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver left the ice less than seven minutes into the second period Sunday at Mellon Arena, it had to give the gold-medal hopes of Team Canada scare.
For a fleeting moment, Crosby's dreams of starring on home ice in the Olympics appeared to be dealt the same fate as Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, when the Penguins' captain and star center injured his left knee in the second period at Detroit and helplessly watched the final period.
Nashville goaltender Dan Ellis stops a shot by the Penguins' Sidney Crosby during a shoot-out Sunday at Mellon Arena. Crosby blocked a shot and appeared to be injured earlier in the game.Christopher Horner Tribune-Review
Crosby never missed a shift in the 4-3 shootout loss to the Predators, but the timing couldn't have been worse. Canada plays Norway on Tuesday.
"That's obvious," Crosby said. "Nobody wants to get banged up before (the Olympics), but that's the game we play, and I don't think it's going to be the last puck I get in the next couple weeks, so that's fine with me."
Afterward, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said Crosby was "excited and emotional about the pain." Bylsma called it a stinger that eventually wore off while Crosby skated through it, obviously favoring his left leg.
"I figured that's risky, but that's what you get with Sidney Crosby," Bylsma said. "Not just trying to score a goal, but penalty-killing situations and blocking shots. I don't think you want anything less. It's part of the package. You take a deep breath in and hold it. That's part of 87."
The only one wishing it was worse might have been Brooks Orpik. The Penguins defenseman will play for Team USA in the Olympics, and he has to face Crosby and Team Canada next Sunday in round-robin play.
"I was hoping for a two-week injury, to be honest," cracked Orpik, who quickly clarified that he was joking. "No, no. He plays the game hard; he's a competitive kid. That's, uh, a little bit of a scare, but it didn't slow him down much. He looked like he was moving pretty good out there after that."
Crosby played a total of 23 minutes, 7 seconds, scored his 42nd goal and had a secondary assist on Orpik's first tally of the season in the third period.
Nevertheless, word of Crosby's wincing on the bench spread like wildfire. The Associated Press fielded calls about Crosby's condition from New York, Toronto and Vancouver during the second intermission and filed a story -- while he was playing -- that was posted by espn.com.
"That's the world we live in," Crosby sighed.
Actually, that's the world Crosby lives in -- and this was a sure sign that he's about to go under the microscope like never before. Where Crosby was counted on to save hockey in Pittsburgh as a teenager, his homeland is now pinning the Olympic hopes of its sacred sport on the 22-year-old.
Anything less than a gold medal will be considered a failure.
Even so, Crosby isn't planning on shrinking under that spotlight.
"I'm watching skiing and see a couple people go down. They fall, and that's it. It doesn't matter what they did before that. They fell; they're not going to win. That's a lot of pressure, too. You're talking about all that hard work for 30 seconds," said Crosby, who was glued to the television all weekend.
"Every Olympic athlete deals with pressure. With hockey, it's talked about more. It's a sport that so many Canadians have a passion for, but it's safe to say that every Olympic athlete has to deal with a lot of pressure."
Interestingly enough, all five Olympic skaters had points yesterday. Crosby and Orpik had goals, and Russians Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar assists for the Penguins, while Canadian defenseman Shea Weber notched a goal for Nashville against Canadian goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
"Guys want to make sure that they're playing strong at the right times," Crosby said. "I don't think that's any different than any Olympic athlete. They want to be at their best going into the Olympics."
The only difference is that Crosby also is expected to be at his best coming out of the Games. Canada is counting on as much from him.
And Crosby knows there's no such thing as a silver lining.
More Columnist Kevin Gorman headlines
Pitt freshman guard puts together his biggest game
Gorman: Let the Yinzer Games begin
Pitt hires linebackers coach
Gorman: Focusing on brains in big game
Gorman: Taylor can't develop on bench
Pitt's success delivers a solid recruiting bounty
Gorman: Staal scores with defensive play
No comments:
Post a Comment