Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby cherishes 'every opportunity' in postseason | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby cherishes 'every opportunity' in postseason

Seth Rorabaugh
3841988_web1_gtr-SidCup-022021
Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby lifts the Stanley Cup over his head during a victory parade on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Practice was over. And Alex D’Orio was doing his “job.”

As a mid-level prospect, D’Orio, an undrafted goaltender, was doing what most rookies are “supposed” to do, clearing the ice of pucks and the nets Wednesday in Cranberry after the Penguins had concluded nearly two hours of practicing and scrimmaging.

He was skating to the northeast end of the rink to dislodge the net and clear the way for a maintenance crew to clean the ice.

But just as he crossed the center-ice red line, he was given something of a reprieve.

“No, I got it!”

The captain had spoken, and D’Orio felt secure enough to head to the dressing room.

Sidney Crosby grabbed the net and skated it to the left-wing boards before leaving the rink.

The name on the building the Penguins practice in is Mario Lemieux’s and sure enough, he’s one of the owners of the team.

But this is Crosby’s team.

And he wants to do everything within his power to give it the best chance to win.

If making D’Orio — no better than fourth on the organization’s depth chart in net — comfortable around a lineup full of All-Stars gets the Penguins even one-tenth of 1% closer to another Stanley Cup title, Crosby will exhaust everything at his disposal to make sure the rookie feels part of the team.

Before he grabbed the net, Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang spent a handful of minutes helping D’Orio pick up stray pucks.

“I know how excited he gets to play at this time of year,” coach Mike Sullivan said via video conference. “He wants to win in the worst way. When he comes to the rink, he exudes that. Just the way he carries himself, the way he interacts with his teammates, both on the ice and off the ice. Our players recognize that. Certainly, our coaching staff does. That’s part of what makes Sid the leader that he is.”

Considering the Penguins were forced to use 35 players during the regular season because of traditional hockey-related injuries to the still-evolving protocols related to covid-19, Crosby had to roll out the welcome mat for more than a few people, ranging from neophyte prospects such as forward Radim Zohorna and battle-hardened veterans such as defenseman Yannick Weber.

Crosby views those new faces as a strength.

“There’s been a lot of injuries and a lot of guys in and out of the lineup,” Crosby said. “When you’re thrown into it and given a lot of responsibility, I think that helps right away to feel comfortable. As far as off the ice, I think just the energy and the excitement guys have brought just coming to our team — whether they came from other places or came from (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) — whatever their situation was, I think they came in and really thrived on the opportunity and were really excited. That’s contagious. There’s been some great energy and enthusiasm all year long., especially given the situation that we’re in.

The Penguins are hoping to avoid the situation they’ve been in each of the past two postseasons when they failed to win a series. In 2019, they were swept by the New York Islanders in the first round. Then, during the qualifying round of the 2020 postseason tournament, they were upset by the lowly Montreal Canadiens, 3-1.

“You’re always motivated going into the playoffs,” Crosby said. “To have those two experiences fresh in your mind will add some motivation for guys who are a part of it. But it’s a new group, and we played some good hockey down the stretch. So I think we need to bring that and to another level when the playoff start.”

Regardless of their success this postseason, the Penguins likely will be entering a busy offseason. With an expansion draft, a flat salary cap and new management, this franchise could look drastically different, especially given that Crosby’s longtime teammates, Letang and forward Evgeni Malkin, will be entering the final years of their contracts.

If the prospect of this team being broken up by the realities listed above is anything Crosby and company are dwelling on, the captain isn’t tipping his hand.

“We don’t really talk about it,” Crosby said. “It’s enough when you have to prepare and get ready to start. We’re excited. We’ve been fortunate enough to share a lot of playoff games together, and important ones. You try to cherish every opportunity. Make the most of it.

“Regardless of what the situation is, you’ve just got to take advantage of the opportunities when you get them and we have one. We’re looking to do something with it.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
";