Sidney Crosby’s staying power appears eternal — in the NHL, and in Pittsburgh

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Penn. — Leave it to Sidney Crosby to get the party started in a way only Sidney Crosby could.

But when the 39-year-old snapped back up from an open-ice hit Ramsus Ristolainen levelled him with and regained possession of the puck, you knew it was going to end up in the back of the net. 

Crosby retreated to high ice, bringing another Philadelphia Flyers checker with him, passed the puck over to Kris Letang, and then he watched it filter down to Nick Robertson for the goal that kicked off a 7-0, opening-night rout for the Penguins on Wednesday. It was a statement sequence, an I’m-here-and-not-going-anywhere declaration delivered from a player who has an NHL-record 21 point-per-game seasons and is on track in Season 22.

Regarding Crosby's staying power, it appears eternal — both in the league he’s torched since skating in at 18 to hype that bordered on impossible to live up to, and in Pittsburgh, where he continues to propel the Penguins toward improbable success. 

Sorry, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche fans, he belongs to the Penguins and, barring some completely unforeseen circumstances, he always will. 

That’s also a "sorry" to the Flyers, and to 28 other franchises in the league who must continue face this seemingly unstoppable force.

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“He's incredible,” said one of Crosby’s newest teammates, Declan Carlile, after a spirited Penguins practice on Thursday. “He just keeps getting better.”

Like the best aging Bordeaux or Barolo, Crosby is awe-inspiring.

Especially for teammates.

These young and old Penguins bathe in his aura every day. 

For those who get to spend only a few days around it, like Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki did at the Milano-Cortina Games last February, the experience is to be soaked up in full.

“It was kind of a dream come true to play with him,” Suzuki said, after his Canadiens took to the ice that Crosby and the Penguins had chewed up for 75 minutes Thursday. “Probably pretty much everybody that gets to play with him gets to say that, which is pretty cool for how special a player and person that he is. Seeing what he does on a day-to-day basis was awesome to see, and it’s impressive how he seems to keep getting better at finding ways to get better, leading his team. They’re always in the fight, so pretty special player.”

The greatest of his generation, unquestionably.

Alongside Crosby are two others in Evgeni Malkin and Letang, who are continuing to keep the last fibres of their magically woven tapestry intact. Together they were Stanley Cup Champs in 2009, 2016 and 2017, and together they remain Cup pursuers — even against all odds.

It’s hard to suggest there are Last Dance vibes here, because Malkin is a year older than both Crosby and Letang and the Penguins have been out of contention for nearly a decade, while Scottie Pippen was 32, Michael Jordan was 35 and Dennis Rodman was 37 when the Chicago Bulls were completing their second three-peat of the 1990s. Just don’t tell these Penguins greats those vibes aren’t there.

“I just believe in what I’ve seen in the past,” said Letang. “Sid can accomplish great things and he’s so influential on the dressing room in his leadership. Geno is the same thing. He wants to be dominant. He doesn’t want to be just a guy that’s 40 years old and play his last years; he wants to be dominant and wants to do what he does. When you have guys with that mentality, it brings everybody together. We all proved it last year. Everybody thought we’d be dead-last, but we were able to fight for a playoff spot. Didn’t end up well for us in the playoffs, but I think we can learn from that and try to do it again.”

Bet against them at your own peril.

Penguins coach Dan Muse, by all accounts, has his team dialled in to every detail. And you could see that in Game 1, which Crosby set the tone for on that first-period sequence that led to the first goal.

Watching the game play out in Philadelphia from a local establishment in downtown Pittsburgh, to us, Crosby looked the same as he ever did.

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who played against Crosby for years and played with him at the 2014 Sochi Games, said we shouldn’t be surprised.

“I think he’s a true pro,” St. Louis said. “He’s been like that since his first day in the league. The way he takes care of himself, the work, the way he trains, the way he cares — he’s passionate about the game, and you can tell. It reflects. Obviously, he’s got all the abilities to do what he’s done, so he’s a great role model for a lot of young players.”

For the 25-year-old Robertson, who’s fought tooth-and-nail to become an NHL mainstay, he’s a dream linemate.

For Suzuki, who’s four years into his tenure as Canadiens captain, Crosby is an idol.

“At dinners, got to sit near him and talk to him a little bit,” Suzuki said. “Just being on the bench with him is completely different. You hear him talk pretty much every time he comes off the ice. If he sees something, he’s letting the whole team know what he’s looking at and trying to help each line. If (his line is) having success with something, he can relay that to the whole bench, and I thought that was a really cool part of just being on his team. He wants to be able to help every guy on the team.”

It's what Crosby has been doing for over two decades, and he doesn’t appear to even be thinking about stopping.

The Cole Harbour, N.S., native is at home on the ice and still loving almost everything there is to love about the game he’s lived for since he first laced up skates.

“To start the year, I don’t think that ever gets old,” Crosby said. “It’s always the same anticipation and excitement, so that’s the fun part. Just love going out there, and learning, and trying to get better, and being a part of a team like this.”

It showed on Wednesday, and we’ll continue to see it for as long as Crosby wants us to.