After Sidney Crosby recorded his 20th point-per-game season and passed Wayne Gretzky for the most such campaigns in NHL history at 37 years old, Brad Marchand put together a Stanley Cup Final performance for the ages – pun intended.
Also 37, his six goals are the most ever by a player 35 or older in a Stanley Cup Final, helping Florida win for a second straight year. They defeated an Edmonton team who had Corey Perry, with the veteran celebrating his 40th birthday during the postseason.
When asked what allows them all to keep playing at such a high level, Crosby had to laugh. “We need those older guys to keep going!” said Crosby, who turned 38 on Aug. 7.
For Crosby in particular, he said love for the game is the biggest factor. “Still being able to compete in a game that’s getting faster and faster,” he said.
He is also thrilled about the international opportunities, first with the 4 Nations Face-Off, and next with the Olympics. This February, NHL players will be competing in the Games for the first time in 12 years. Crosby was one of the “First Six” named to Canada’s roster, and this will be his third career appearance in the tournament. He won gold in both 2010 and 2014.
“I love an opportunity to play for Canada,” Crosby said. “To see these guys up close and what makes them as good as they are and getting to know them just on a personal level, that’s a lot of fun, and that’s something that probably missed out on for the last 10 years.
“So yeah, all those different things combined. But I think ultimately, I just love the game still, and want to compete for as long as I can.”
Crosby was speaking from the annual NHL Player Media Tour, which is a gauntlet of media and rightsholders appointments, where they collect interviews, footage and photos to be used throughout the season. He is the only NHL player to attend every Player Media Tour since it began around the same time he came into the league, as the Penguins captain understands the importance of hockey rightsholders trying to feature the game in the best light for fans.
At last year’s NHL Player Media Tour, Crosby had to field questions about his contract situation, as he was still in talks at that point. Despite signing a two-year extension with the Penguins shortly after, speculation about his future remains. Crosby gave his thoughts on the matter:
“I mean, I understand it. It’s not something that you want to discuss. You’d rather be talking about who are we getting at the deadline, or where we’re at as far as are we one, two or three in the division? But, you know, it’s one of those things that’s the hard part about losing. I think everybody thinks that losing is, the buzzer goes, you lose the game, and that sucks. But there’s so much more. It’s the turnover, it’s the unknown, the uncertainty, the question marks. That’s the stuff that’s tough, and it makes you appreciate all those years of we’re competing and going after that big acquisition every single trade deadline. I don’t think I took it for granted, but I definitely appreciate it that much more now. But it hasn’t changed my approach. I mean, I still go out there trying to win every single game and try to be the best that I can be. I think that youth and having that energy around you isn’t a bad thing, either. And we’ve got a lot of hungry guys, a lot of competition for spots. So, I think you just try to find different things that you can feed off of, and still continue to learn through it.”
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