Penguins Starch Blue Jackets, 5-3, Thanks to Sid’s Hatty
Midway through the first period of the Penguins’ 5-3 triumph over the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena last night, Sidney Crosby made a play deep in our zone to thwart a CBJ cycle and start us on the transition. As I watched him diligently perform his defensive chores, it occurred to me just how much we as Pens fans (or at least I personally) take him for granted.
Season after season, through all our ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments, he’s remained marvelously and unerringly consistent. The on-ice equivalent of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Canucks coach and former black-and-gold assistant Rick Tocchet once likened a young Olli Määttä to a “video-game defenseman,” always making the correct play. Well, the same goes for our captain. He always seems to make the right read and the right play. No detail seems to escape his attention. No matter how unglamorous the task, he’s always willing to roll up his sleeves and do the dirty work.
Suffice to say, the game belonged to Sid last night. With three goals and a helper, he dominated the action, not to mention the scoresheet, virtually from start to finish.