The Sidney Crosby Show: Sid On ESPN!

In a span of no more than 2 hours, I received four emails containing a link to this story. It's an ESPN feature on the Saint. (I know! ESPN covering hockey?! The sky isn't falling, I assure you.) It features a video of Sid and his teammates during their recent trip to the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital. What strikes me most about the clip is that it seems like Sidney is getting just as much, if not more joy from the visit as the sick children are.

It is astonishing to me that this kid is a multimillionaire, award winning, 20-year-old phenomenon, and yet he remains so grounded and so humble. It would be incredibly easy for anyone in his shoes to begin to buy into all the hype: Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL! Crosby is "The Next One!" Sid the Kid is the best player in the world! That kind of talk could start to mess with someone's head. But somehow through it all, Sid understands that it is just that - talk. On that video, it is apparent that he is wise and mature beyond his years. He must have incredible parents. (You'll need to go to ESPN's website to view the clip; they don't allow embedding.)

Sid with a kid!

The story that accompanies the video covers all the things about Sid that you could possibly ever want to know. Seriously. EVERYTHING. It covers everything from the whereabouts of his pet (a dog named Sam who lives with his parents) to how he doesn't have time right now for dating (sorry, ladies, you're going to have to wait a while longer) and everything in between. There's entirely too much stuff in that article to discuss in one post here, but I do want to point out one anecdote in particular which involves his on-the-road roommate, Colby Armstrong:

"I'm going to throw him under the bus on that one. He loves Ellen DeGeneres," Crosby says. Right before a pregame nap? "No, it's right after. It's hilarious. To a T, we wake up from our nap and that show's coming on and she's dancing."

When Armstrong finds out Crosby has spilled the beans, Armstrong drags a reporter over to Crosby and announces loudly that he wants to do the interview over, that he's going to reveal Sid's affection for Chandler on "Friends." Crosby interrupts, revealing that not only does Armstrong love "Ellen" but he also likes to dance along to her show opening. The two players are in stitches.

[...]

Armstrong, not surprisingly, makes sure Crosby doesn't get any special treatment among the team. "Every little thing, I'm all over him about it. It's my only chance," Armstrong says. And Crosby gives as good as he gets.

For every comment Armstrong makes about the size of Crosby's butt ("It's kind of big"), Crosby will chide his friend about the way he eats and the noises he makes when he sleeps. "He rips me about the way I sleep because I'm a mouth breather," Armstrong says. "He rips me to my face in front of the whole team. Can you believe that?"

One question: Why is Army checking out Sid's ass?! And baby clothes in the locker?! Too funny! Big, big thanks to Friends of The Show Cassie C., Adrienne F., Alex M., and Ava H. who (in that order) each sent me the link to this story. :)

I'll leave you with one last laugh. Pensblog Adam sent me a link to this photo of Sidney immediately after he sustained his high ankle sprain. (And just so we're crystal clear here - the photo is NOT the funny part.) The funny part was the headline that accompanied it: