The Next One’s best is behind him: Sidney Crosby enters new career stage

Every sport has its greats. Basketball has Michael Jordan and LeBron James, baseball has Babe Ruth and Kris Bryant. Hockey has Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby.

All of those previous players had their peak time of performance when they were seemingly unbeatable. They were the dominant force in their respective sport. They all slo passed the torch to another great. LeBron’s career still seems to be booming while Kris Bryant’s is only just beginning. Is it time to admit that Sidney Crosby lies on the outskirts of that world?

As a young player there’s a certain attitude toward the idea of a career peak. It’s attributed to the fact that fulfilling your potential is treated as a destination, a place to one-day reach. It’s the motivator behind early morning workouts, late night trips to the weight room and endless hours of practice.

Athletes and organizations alike are so fixated on reaching peak performance that they forget about the continuation of their career after it.

Crosby has arguably passed his prime. He is no longer the sole player at the forefront of the NHL and that’s okay.

In 2006 when the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Crosby, they were said to have won the lottery. He was the most talked about player in years and when he was drafted, everyone knew that the Penguins would be forever changed.

Everyone was right. Sidney Crosby took the league by storm and made his mark immediately. He totaled 102 points in his rookie season and went on to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie.

Two seasons and 222 points later No. 87 was given the honor of being named the captain of his beloved team and his successes continued. He added a Stanley Cup victory in 2009 to his laundry list of accomplishments and in doing so he became the youngest man ever to captain a championship winning team.

Crosby was the NHL and all eyes were on him.

Crosby joined the elite Team Canada for the 2010 Olympics. He was a shoe-in for the roster and was designated as such with an “A” on his jersey as veteran defender Scott Neidermayer was the captain. Crosby and Team Canada went on to win the gold medal in that Olympics.

Four years later, when Crosby was 27, it was his turn to captain the team in the 2014 Olympics. Along with the help of twenty or so of the best hockey players in the world, the man once known as ‘Sid the Kid’ added a second Olympic Gold Medal to his résumé.

Then just this past September, Crosby and Team Canada earned a gold medal in the World Cup of Hockey, in which No. 87 led the competition in scoring.

As if international success and a Stanley Cup victory wasn’t enough, Crosby has since gone on to lead the Penguins to another championship in 2016. He was the recipient of the Hart Trophy for the League’s MVP and the Art Ross Trophy for the most points in both 2007 and 2014. He’s even won an Emmy for his role in “There’s No Place Like Home with Sidney Crosby”.

The man knows no bounds. That, however, isn’t to say that he will continue on the same path of successes as time progresses.

Crosby will be 30 in a little under a year, meaning he’s entering a different stage of his NHL career. He’s no longer a kid in the league and he is arguably no longer the best forward either.

No. 87’s career has taken a bit of turn as of late. He’s sustained yet another concussion, having previously missed time from a concussion in 2010-11. That means “the Next One” might not make the début with his Penguins tomorrow night.

Although he skated with the team, his situation is up in the air.

Sidney Crosby will return from this injury and he will be a solid player for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He won’t, however, be the same player he’s been in the first ten years of his NHL career.

He won’t be dazzling viewers with his unmatched speed and soft hands. He won’t be able to withstand the defensive resistance other teams put on him as well. He won’t be the face of the NHL.

That isn’t to say Crosby’s career is over. No. 87 will continue to lead his team on the ice as their captain and will represent Canada in international events.

That, however, doesn’t change the fact that the best years of his career are behind him.