Penguins' Crosby recalls first Winter Classic win
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Penguins captain Sidney Crosby celebrates the winning shootout goal in the 2008 Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
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It was the ultimate freelance in an unorthodox setting.
Sidney Crosby approached the puck at center ice with the chance to lift the Penguins to a victory if he could convert his turn at a shootout.
"If you would have been in my mind, I'm telling you that all I was thinking about was trying to get a shot on net," he recalled recently.
That's right, the National Hockey League's premier and probably most detail-oriented player, the man who always formulates a plan, was flying by the seat of his icy hockey pants.
That's because this was no ordinary game, not one held in a generic arena. It was the 2008 Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Crosby whooshed his way down the slot that snowy late afternoon and slipped the puck under Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller -- a shot that not only secured a 2-1 New Year's Day victory but also painted a scene so Rockwellian that the NHL had no sensible choice but to make the game an annual event.
The Penguins make a return outdoor appearance for the 2011 Winter Classic. Saturday, it will be against rival Washington in Pittsburgh's most revered backyard -- the middle of Heinz Field.
Crosby had a lot to do with the NHL bringing what has grown into a signature event to town, but he wasn't thinking beyond the temporary boards and difficult ice conditions that day nearly three years ago.
It had started to snow on the teams and 71,217 fans during warmups, and the Zamboni had to make unusual mid-period sweeps to clear the accumulating snow.
"The ice was a little more fresh earlier in the game, so you didn't notice it as much," Crosby said. "But after the first [period], you could tell it was going to be tough to carry the puck a lot. You're pushing the puck and you're just trying to move it forward. You weren't even trying to stickhandle, chipping it in. It was pretty simple hockey. Even guys carrying it, it would just kind of pop up on them."
First Published December 30, 2010 12:00 am
