Sidney Crosby

My Hero Sidney Crosby

By Kaiden

I chose Sidney Crosby as my hero because I love hockey. He is my favourite player because he changed the way a lot of people look at hockey. It was very cool to read a biography about him because his life story was amazing growing up in Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia. When he was a kid, there were barely any ice times available, yet he still managed to become one of the best players to ever play. The book I read was around 350 pages of amazing facts. This biography covers from approximately 1994, when Crosby was around age seven, to the summer of 2019. This book was written in the summer of 2019. Gare Joyce, the author of this book, has been writing magazines, newspapers and books for over thirty years. Gare is a New York Times best selling author. He has been on Sportsnet, won four National Magazine awards and has been a finalist 19 times.

Sidney Crosby Portraitby Kaiden

Sidney was born in Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada. Sidney was there until he was around twelve years old, because then he had to start travelling for hockey. His mom’s name is Trina and his dad is Troy. He also has a younger sister named Taylor. Troy Crosby was so proud of Sidney, he would do almost anything for him, including going to the rink two hours before practices and games to work out with him. Sidney went to Shattuck St. Mary's, and so did his sister around four years later. Shattuck St. Mary's used to be two different places: Shattuck Military Academy and a girls school, St. Mary's. It later turned into Shattuck St. Mary's, which is a girls' and boys’ sports school. Crosby went to that school for hockey. He learned there and played a lot of hockey there. An interesting story about Crosby is that when he was around fourteen or fifteen, he was playing with seventeen and eighteen years olds. He wanted to play in the Air Canada Cup, but the league wouldn't let him because he wasn't old enough, so his family took it to court. He ended up not playing in the Air Canada Cup that year. Crosby played for Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL from 2003 to 2005. Then he got drafted first overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has won three Stanley Cups with them. While playing for Team Canada in 2010, Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to win his first of two gold medals. His second gold medal was won in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Crosby was inspired by all the great hockey players before him, like Steve Yzerman. Crosby was so good at hockey growing up that everyone knew he would be in the NHL. Crosby was determined to become the best hockey player he could possibly be. When Crosby was a kid he played with people much older than him. He was so good and everyone that he played with knew who he would become.

Sidney Crosby action pictureby Kaiden

Since Crosby is so good, he has taken a lot of dirty hits and cross-checks. Crosby has had so many concussions, one almost made him retire. Crosby usually rests the amount of time needed, then comes and plays again. Without his parents' sacrifices and support, he would not have had the opportunity to become the player he is today. They gave him the opportunity to pursue everything he wanted to pursue. One of Crosby’s qualities is he is determined. He gets up early every morning to work out and does whatever his coach says to become the best player he can be. Leadership is another one. He has been the captain for almost every team has played for. He is a great leader. Crosby’s other quality is confidence. He is very confident in himself and his teammates. Crosby has post-concussion syndrome. That means when he gets a concussion it should take a couple of weeks to heal. Instead, it takes much longer. Crosby’s first concussion was Jan. 1st, 2011 in a winter classic game against the Washington Capitals. David Steckel elbowed Crosby in the head. The next game he played again. His team was playing against Tampa Bay Lightning when Victor Hedman body checked Crosby in the head. Crosby has had four concussions. He has missed one hundred and seven games (as of Feb. 2020) which is way too many. His family and fans are sad when he gets a concussion because it could be his last game in the NHL. Crosby has a long list of accomplishments and awards he has gotten. Crosby won the Hart trophy in 2007 and 2014, the Conn Smyth trophy in 2016 and 2017, the Art Ross trophy in 2007 and 2014, the Ted Lindsay trophy in 2007, 2013 and 2014, the Rocket Richard trophy in 2010 and 2017 and the Mark Messier trophy in 2010. He won the World Juniors in 2005, the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017, and he won the Olympics in 2010 and 2014 and got a QMJHL championship in 2005.

Something that surprised me was that when Crosby was not allowed to play in the Air Canada Cup, his family brought it to court. If I met Sidney Crosby, the four questions I would ask would be... What was it like playing with kids way older than you? What was it like playing with Mario Lemieux? How did you feel in your first game in the NHL? What was it like holding the Stanley Cup for the first time? I wouldn't want to be Crosby's child because I would barely ever see him and he probably wouldn't come to any of my hockey games. I would want to be Crosby's child because he probably has some big houses, a lot of cool stuff and I love hockey, and he is one of the best players of all time, so that fits well. I liked the book a lot. I liked how it was a chapter book. The book did not have any pictures except for the middle four pages. I learned the story of Crosby’s family going to court and I learned that in Crosby’s first couple of years in the NHL, he lived with Mario Lemieux. I learned from Crosby to work hard, practice and try your best. I am happy I chose Crosby to learn about because he inspired me to be a better player, and I learned some cool and not cool things. After reading this book I think Crosby is a role model. I also think he is a hero to the hockey world.