It wasn’t too long ago that the Pittsburgh Penguins were on the verge of completely falling apart. Head coach Mike Johnston wasn’t getting the best out of his players, the offense was boring, and the defense looked just as bad trying to protect the net. Pittsburgh was a mediocre team, at best, and captain Sidney Crosby looked no better.
At times, Crosby looked overwhelmed and exhausted. His team was underperforming, and there was nothing he could do. Minor injuries made his play even more inconsistent, and the roster surrounding the captain didn’t mesh well. The Penguins were only as strong as their leader, and, in mid-December, that wasn’t saying much.
Fast forward to the beginning of April and, only a week before the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off, the Penguins have moved from just outside a wildcard spot to all but locking up second place in the Metropolitan Division. Of course, a lot of credit goes to Sullivan, but a coach can only do so much.
Sullivan challenged Crosby from the very beginning. Not only did Crosby respond, he made it known this was his team. The first indication of this has been Crosby’s ability to change his style of play. In the beginning of the season, Sid the Kid was taking ill-advised shots and was unable to connect on passes to other linemates.
Crosby went from 129th in the league in scoring to 3rd—a feat only an elite player could achieve. Crosby has proven he is still among the best in the NHL and that he has no plans to let up. Before the introduction of Sullivan as head coach, Crosby was missing that hunger from his game. No one would ever question Crosby’s skill set or athleticism, but, in the last few seasons, the fire looked more and more faint.
Now, Crosby is torching the ice, and his teammates have benefited. Crosby’s best attribute, besides his ability to score, is his awareness and precision when passing. His skill in setting up his teammates is what took Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances and has empowered Penguins players to make a competitive run this year.
In Crosby’s first 28 games, he scored only 19 points (6 G, 13 A), had a negative-six plus/minus and had a somber 7.6 percent shooting percentage. In the last 28 games—not including last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators—Crosby has 33 points (11 G, 22 A), a plus/minus of 18 and a shooting percentage of 13.6. It is safe to say the captain is back in full force.
Crosby’s maturity this season is what fans have waited for since the Penguins won the Cup in 2008-09. He is making the players around him better, something he wasn’t doing in the early parts of this season. And while there have been many contributing factors to Pittsburgh’s late-season resurgence—for example, the moves made by general manager Jim Rutherford and Sullivan’s disciplined style of coaching—the Penguins would not be where they are without Crosby’s resurgence as an NHL elite.
Image Credit: Michael Miller
