Crosby, Penguins Follow In Some Mighty Footsteps

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

In today’s sports world, the hype surrounding top prospects tends to far exceed what they are ultimately able to deliver. But by getting the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals in only his third season, Sidney Crosby has improbably managed to meet the far-reaching expectations that preceded his arrival in Pittsburgh.

With the Detroit Red Wings next on Crosby’s docket, comparisons to his predecessor as the “Next One” are inevitable. However, the differences between Eric Lindros and Crosby far outweigh the similarities. Back in 1997, Lindros led the Philadelphia Flyers all the way to the Cup Finals, where they faced the mighty Red Wings. That ugly 4-0 sweep was the closest Lindros ever came to capturing the Cup, but it’s worth noting that Lindros’s supporting cast in 1997 paled in comparison to Crosby’s teammates. Indeed, the Penguins proved this season that they can win even when Crosby is unable to suit up.

Back on January 18, Crosby suffered a high ankle sprain that forced him out of the lineup for approximately two dozen games. During that time, the Pens learned that they could also lean heavily upon fellow youngster Evgeni Malkin, who earned his nod as a Hart Trophy (league MVP) finalist with his spectacular play during Crosby’s absence. Now, with both star centers firing on all cylinders — and 19-year-old third-line pivot Jordan Staal emerging as a stellar playoff contributor in his own right — the Pens boast unparalleled depth at center.

The last time three future superstar pivots played for the same team, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Mats Sundin were donning powder-blue sweaters for the Quebec Nordiques in the early 1990s. Sundin was dealt away to the Toronto Maple Leafs — in exchange for veteran winger Wendel Clark, who was later traded for 1996 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Claude Lemieux — while Sakic and Forsberg helped the team to win the Stanley Cup twice after it relocated to Denver (and became the Colorado Avalanche). One can only imagine how much more successful the Avs would have been had Sundin remained with the organization.

Much like the Nordiques in the early 1990s, the Penguins’ franchise was on very shaky ground of its own, and as recently as last season. Unable to secure a commitment for a new building to replace the outdated Mellon Arena (“The Igloo”), it was widely believed that the Pens would move. At the 11th hour, a deal was worked out, and it’s expected that the Pens’ new arena — combined with the tremendous on-ice talent they’ve accumulated — will enable them to be one of the league’s most successful teams for the foreseeable future.

Another team to which the Penguins are often compared is the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s. Led by Wayne Gretzky — to whom Crosby is often compared — the Oilers’ fire-wagon style captivated the attention of the sports world. It wasn’t until Gretzky’s fourth NHL season that the Oilers reached the Cup Finals (they were swept by the Islanders in 1983), but he then led the team to four Cup victories in five seasons (1984-1988).

In the summer of 1988, then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington’s other business interests were struggling, and so he made the controversial decision to trade Gretzky for a package of players, draft picks, and $15 million in cash. Needless to say, that deal didn’t exactly work out in the Oilers’ (or their fans’) favor. Today, cash-based trades are not permitted, and with a salary cap curbing what each team may spend, the Penguins should be able to retain Crosby indefinitely.

Of course, keeping Crosby still carries with it a steep price (he’s signed for five years at $43.5 million beginning with the 2008-09 season), and so it might be difficult for the Pens to retain his talented supporting cast. Although this budding young team has the promise to emerge as the NHL’s first true dynasty since Gretzky’s Oilers disbanded, Crosby’s window of opportunity to win a Cup with his talented teammates may have actually begun to close as quickly as it opened.

Netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, has blossomed into a star this season. Like Crosby, Fleury missed a significant portion of the regular season with a high ankle sprain, but since his return has been nothing short of magnificent. He is in the final season of his first contract, and is due to become a restricted free agent this summer. It’s highly unlikely that the Pens will let him go, but retaining him could have serious long-term implications.

Malkin and Staal are both eligible to become restricted free agents in the summer of 2009, and if a bidding war ensued for the likes of Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner last summer, it’s a fait accompli that Malkin and Staal will generate tremendous interest from aggressive suitors.

No doubt with this very reality in mind, GM Ray Shero moved aggressively at the trade deadline, acquiring sniper Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers for three talented young forwards and a first-round pick. The Pens are not expected to re-sign Hossa, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but Shero significantly improved the team for the short term. Hossa has scored 19 points in 14 playoff games, and is a key reason why they’ve reached the finals. Despite the substantial price, it’s now clear that this high-risk trade was an indisputable success.

The Penguins have tremendous scoring depth, a thicket-like defense corps willing to consistently dive in front of opposing shots, and a lightning-fast netminder who’s playing the best hockey of his still-fledgling career. They will need all that and more if they’re to take down the mighty Red Wings, who are similarly stacked and far more experienced. They will need for Crosby to raise his play to another level, as Gretzky and Lemieux did during their respective primes. They will need for Crosby to live up to his label as the “Next One.”

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.


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