It Never Gets Old Having Crosby at All-Star Weekend

SUNRISE, Fla. - When Sidney Crosby thinks back to his first All-Star appearance in Dallas back in 2007, he remembers somehow managing to stay off the scoresheet in the Western Conference's 12-9 win over the Eastern Conference, despite playing on a line with Brendan Shanahan and Alex Ovechkin.

"I think they scored, and both times they scored, I wasn't on. I had changed," Crosby recalled with a laugh.
He also remembers Keith Tkachuk's hockey-crazed sons Matthew and Brady - who were 9 and 7 at the time - running around and playing mini sticks. Crosby posed for a picture with them at some point during the weekend, as both boys were big fans of the Penguins captain.
Now that the Tkachuk brothers are All-Stars themselves, and shared that Eastern Conference locker room as Crosby's teammates during this weekend's festivities in Florida, Matthew - who finished as MVP - said they found themselves 'in awe' of him … and made sure to recreate that photo.
"It's a guy you grew up watching and looking up to, not only his game, but the leadership off the ice and all that," Brady said. "So to be able to kind of just see him, have some conversations with him over this weekend - it kind of makes you feel like a fanboy again."
Hearing Crosby's peers speak of him with reverence is certainly nothing new. Whenever he hangs up the skates -
and has those beers with Ovechkin
- Crosby will go down as one of the top-five all-time greats, as his individual and team accomplishments at both the NHL and international levels come together to form a body of work that's on another level from the rest of the group.
"It's awesome to be around him. Kind of intimidating sometimes," admitted Johnny Gaudreau, who got the locker stall next to Crosby in his ninth All-Star Game, and first in the Eastern Conference now that the former Flame is with Columbus. "But just such a normal guy. It's just great to be around him, and it's just a really cool experience for me."
Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, regarded as the reigning best player in the league, has repeatedly referenced how he's never won the way Sid has, with Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner saying the Golden Goal from the 2010 Olympics went "viral" in his household.
"I grew up with a couple of those Crosby Reebok sticks. Those were one of my favorite sticks growing up," said Marner, who rode with Crosby from their hotel to the rink for the All-Star Game on Saturday afternoon, with the fans loving their interactions together. "Anything that had the Crosby name on it, I wanted it in my hands."

Speaking of sticks, Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion and Vezina Trophy winner as the league's best goalie, wasn't sure what to write when he exchanged twigs with Crosby … but that the inscription would likely include the word 'legend.' That's the same word his fellow Russian, Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov, used multiple times when referring to Crosby.
But in speaking with some of the younger guys around the league that are in leadership positions for their respective clubs - like Brady as captain of the Ottawa Senators at age 23, and Nick Suzuki as captain of the Montreal Canadiens, also at age 23 - what stood out this year is not just those fun anecdotes … but also how they spoke unprompted about the example Crosby provides to them with how he carries himself.
"He's really, really well spoken," Suzuki said. "Down to earth guy. Probably doesn't know how big of an idol he is to everyone around him. So it's cool to see that, just how humble he is. And he works extremely hard, so he's a great guy to learn from."
This weekend, Crosby's fifth All-Star appearance - and ninth total selection - was yet another reminder of how he's the consummate role model. Not just for young kids playing hockey, but those who have made it to the sport's highest level.
And while he joked numerous times about how hearing stories like the ones told by the Tkachuk boys made him feel old, even when Crosby was still Sid the Kid back at that first All-Star Game, he's an old soul who's always been willing to help where he can. And hopefully, that gets paid forward into the next generations.
"Sid, Ovi, the guys that have taken the torch … they've done so much for the game of hockey, and now you've got the younger guys seeing them do it. I mean, that's how it has to happen," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Armour, who was behind the bench for the Metro in their semifinal loss to the Atlantic. "It means a lot to those guys when they come here."