The next Great One - Sidney Crosby
Mar 9, 2003 21:28:59 GMT -5
Post by rocky on Mar 9, 2003 21:28:59 GMT -5
Here is a nice insider look at a hockey phenom which was written by Peter MaLaughlin in the Halifax Daily news. I saw this guy play midget last year, he is incredible, you'll hear lots about him soon, mark my words:
Sidney Crosby has been called the Next One, a future NHL superstar who hockey-watchers are already predicting could be the next Paul Kariya or Steve Yzerman.
So it’s not surprising that excitement is running high for Troy and Trina Crosby, the parents of the 15-year-old phenom from Cole Harbour; but so, too, is the pressure, and the anxious moments.
The possibility of signing a fat NHL contract is just three years away, and the heat is on.
Big decisions await Crosby and his parents in the months ahead. Biggest among them: does he put education first by pursuing a scholarship at a top U.S. college with a good hockey program, or focus on hockey by making an immediate jump into major Junior A?
The choices aren’t simple.
“I don’t know if you’d call it pressure; it’s more anxiety, really,” says Troy Crosby, 36, himself a former semi-pro goalie with Verdun in the Quebec junior league. “We just hope we do the right thing, and what’s best for Sidney and his future.”<br>
Some hockey-mad parents would kill for headaches like those. But for the close-knit Crosbys, the road that has led them to this point hasn’t been all easy. Sacrifices — both financial and emotional — have been made.
Mortgage payments have been missed to pay for hockey equipment and weekend road trips to tournaments. Groceries were skimped on, and family vacations were never taken, as hockey took priority.
A toll was also taken in the stands, as the Crosbys watched their son heckled and verbally abused by jealous or resentful parents, as well as opposing fans. The intense media attention also added pressure.
“The last couple of years have been pretty hard on him, on the ice as well as off the ice,” says Troy, a facility manager at a downtown law firm. “As a parent, you try to protect him from the verbal comments, but it’s hard to.”<br>
It was partly because of that treatment that the Crosbys decided to send their only son to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a highly regarded private boarding school in Minnesota, on scholarship last September — where, not surprisingly, he is the team’s leading scorer with 135 points in just 49 games.
“It was very difficult. I cried,” said his mother, Trina. “It would have been selfish for us not to let Sidney go. It was a wonderful opportunity for him to grow as a hockey player, and to mature. That’s the only thing that saw me through.”<br>
Sidney Crosby said it was hard on him, too.
“Leaving home was a tough decision, but I think it’s one that, when I’m 25, I’ll look back and be confident with the decision and have no regrets,” he said. “I’m very close to my parents and my other relatives, and I’ve a six-year-old sister I love, but it was time to go.”<br>
Crosby says he sees no other future for him but playing hockey: “My dream is to play in the NHL.”<br>
Just how he will get there will be decided soon.
Crunch time comes in June with the Quebec Major Junior A draft. There’s is little doubt he will go high. The question is: does he report, or does he wait and go the NCAA route and take the “full ride” with a U.S. college, where the calibre of hockey is high and the education taken care of?
If he chooses Junior A, he moves immediately into the league, keeping his focus on improving as a hockey player; but in doing so he sacrifices eligibility to play in the NCAA. The college option is also two years away.
“It’s not a simple choice,” says his father, a 12th-round 1984 draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens. “Sidney is both a good student and a top prospect, so it’s a tougher decision.”<br>
It was quite clear early on that Sidney was exceptional, and the promise of being a top pick in the 2005 NHL draft is still burning brightly.
Last year, he was the most scouted 14-year-old in North America and, as a Truro Bearcat, the youngest person to play in Junior A.
In the last few weeks, Crosby played for Nova Scotia at the Canada Games in Campbellton and Bathurst, N.B., and won the scoring race with 16 points in five games.
Troy and Trina Crosby say they’re excited for their son, but they’re not preoccupied about the all the money that will come with an NHL contract.
“If it happens, great, but that’s not the reason why we did it,” says Troy.
They say it’s been great fun watching him develop into a top player, and to be part of it, despite the financial sacrifices.
“We have no regrets. We’ve enjoyed the last 10 years of hockey,” says Troy. “I never missed a game he played.”<br>
It’s been especially tough not seeing him play now. He misses his son keenly.
“It kills me,” he says. “I know when he plays. I look at the clock, and then I wait for him to call every Friday or Saturday night. Because of the two-hour time difference, I’m waiting up until midnight or 12:30 a.m., waiting for the phone to ring.”<br>
pmclaughlin@hfxnews.ca
Sidney Crosby has been called the Next One, a future NHL superstar who hockey-watchers are already predicting could be the next Paul Kariya or Steve Yzerman.
So it’s not surprising that excitement is running high for Troy and Trina Crosby, the parents of the 15-year-old phenom from Cole Harbour; but so, too, is the pressure, and the anxious moments.
The possibility of signing a fat NHL contract is just three years away, and the heat is on.
Big decisions await Crosby and his parents in the months ahead. Biggest among them: does he put education first by pursuing a scholarship at a top U.S. college with a good hockey program, or focus on hockey by making an immediate jump into major Junior A?
The choices aren’t simple.
“I don’t know if you’d call it pressure; it’s more anxiety, really,” says Troy Crosby, 36, himself a former semi-pro goalie with Verdun in the Quebec junior league. “We just hope we do the right thing, and what’s best for Sidney and his future.”<br>
Some hockey-mad parents would kill for headaches like those. But for the close-knit Crosbys, the road that has led them to this point hasn’t been all easy. Sacrifices — both financial and emotional — have been made.
Mortgage payments have been missed to pay for hockey equipment and weekend road trips to tournaments. Groceries were skimped on, and family vacations were never taken, as hockey took priority.
A toll was also taken in the stands, as the Crosbys watched their son heckled and verbally abused by jealous or resentful parents, as well as opposing fans. The intense media attention also added pressure.
“The last couple of years have been pretty hard on him, on the ice as well as off the ice,” says Troy, a facility manager at a downtown law firm. “As a parent, you try to protect him from the verbal comments, but it’s hard to.”<br>
It was partly because of that treatment that the Crosbys decided to send their only son to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a highly regarded private boarding school in Minnesota, on scholarship last September — where, not surprisingly, he is the team’s leading scorer with 135 points in just 49 games.
“It was very difficult. I cried,” said his mother, Trina. “It would have been selfish for us not to let Sidney go. It was a wonderful opportunity for him to grow as a hockey player, and to mature. That’s the only thing that saw me through.”<br>
Sidney Crosby said it was hard on him, too.
“Leaving home was a tough decision, but I think it’s one that, when I’m 25, I’ll look back and be confident with the decision and have no regrets,” he said. “I’m very close to my parents and my other relatives, and I’ve a six-year-old sister I love, but it was time to go.”<br>
Crosby says he sees no other future for him but playing hockey: “My dream is to play in the NHL.”<br>
Just how he will get there will be decided soon.
Crunch time comes in June with the Quebec Major Junior A draft. There’s is little doubt he will go high. The question is: does he report, or does he wait and go the NCAA route and take the “full ride” with a U.S. college, where the calibre of hockey is high and the education taken care of?
If he chooses Junior A, he moves immediately into the league, keeping his focus on improving as a hockey player; but in doing so he sacrifices eligibility to play in the NCAA. The college option is also two years away.
“It’s not a simple choice,” says his father, a 12th-round 1984 draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens. “Sidney is both a good student and a top prospect, so it’s a tougher decision.”<br>
It was quite clear early on that Sidney was exceptional, and the promise of being a top pick in the 2005 NHL draft is still burning brightly.
Last year, he was the most scouted 14-year-old in North America and, as a Truro Bearcat, the youngest person to play in Junior A.
In the last few weeks, Crosby played for Nova Scotia at the Canada Games in Campbellton and Bathurst, N.B., and won the scoring race with 16 points in five games.
Troy and Trina Crosby say they’re excited for their son, but they’re not preoccupied about the all the money that will come with an NHL contract.
“If it happens, great, but that’s not the reason why we did it,” says Troy.
They say it’s been great fun watching him develop into a top player, and to be part of it, despite the financial sacrifices.
“We have no regrets. We’ve enjoyed the last 10 years of hockey,” says Troy. “I never missed a game he played.”<br>
It’s been especially tough not seeing him play now. He misses his son keenly.
“It kills me,” he says. “I know when he plays. I look at the clock, and then I wait for him to call every Friday or Saturday night. Because of the two-hour time difference, I’m waiting up until midnight or 12:30 a.m., waiting for the phone to ring.”<br>
pmclaughlin@hfxnews.ca
