Sidney Crosby is back and better than ever. The hype for his return was overwhelming, for some it was way overdue. The Pittsburgh Penguins did right by Crosby though, allowing he, the coaching staff, and the medical staff to wait until Crosby felt he was ready to perform up to his standards.
Crosby tore the New York Islanders apart. 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, and +3 on the night in his first actual hockey game in 11 months. That's legendary stuff. Of course haters/critics will say that Crosby should have been playing along time ago, those people are idiots. Others are taking away from Crosby's performance because it was against the Islanders. Also idiots.
Crosby did something that maybe Wayne Gretzky and/or Mario Lemieux could have done. That game was hyped up so much. Crosby hadn't played an NHL game in 11 months. He came back and was dominant. A four point game was not on the agenda. I was almost disappointed he didn't score a hat-trick.
What Crosby did was magical. Crosby's return was something that legends are made of. I know Alexander Ovechkin would have never been able to do that.
Crosby is no doubt the best player in the world, he's a Ferrari, and it's great that he's back for the Pens and the NHL. Stay healthy 87!
Sid and Mario:
Hats off to my hero Mario Lemieux for making sure that the night was special for Sid. Lemieux had a comeback of his own in 2000 that was a little more epic than Sid's. Lemieux was out of the game for years and even beat cancer in the 90's, Crosby was out for less than a year and a concussion. Although there is no comparison between the two, Crosby did exceed my expectations and damn near out Lemieux-ed Lemieux.
Speaking of comparison between Crosby and Lemieux, Sid might be able to do something else similar to Mario. In the 92-93 season Lemieux missed two months worth of hockey due to cancer treatment. When Lemieux returned and trailed Pat LaFontaine by 12 points with 24 games to go. Lemieux beat LaFontaine by 12 points to win the scoring title. LaFontaine played in 24 more games than Lemieux that year.
Now that was certainly a different era. Current scoring leader Phil Kessel has played in 21 more games than Crosby. He currently has 26 more points than him. Can Crosby do to Kessel what Lemieux did to LaFontaine? I don't see why not? Crosby is the best player in the world and is coming back with a vengeance. All it takes is for Crosby to get on a similar streak that he had last season before he got injured. You know when he had the 25-game scoring streak where he scored 26 goals and 24 assists.
I have no doubt in my mind that Crosby can win the scoring title and Hart trophy this season. I certainly wouldn't bet against him.
Follow me on Twitter @madchad412
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