#minus crosby

[spockeye-fierce]

Bonham, Stills, Nash, Young and Page.

Honestly though Stills should have had a bass because he's low key a great bass player.

[sportsthoughts]

ITR Season 4 - my favourite Sid moments

[weirdgirlfriend]

classic rock will have you saying things like “do you think they ever explored each others bodies” and “i need him so bad” about these guys:

[intheupside]

It could've been nothing.

Except I really don't think so.

It could've been nothing that, minutes after the Penguins beat the Blue Jackets, 5-3, on this Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, I came across Jake Guentzel sharing an emotional embrace with a longtime equipment manager just outside the team's locker room. Not the kind of interaction one might expect when considering that there's another game ... uh, Thursday.

It could've been nothing that Sidney Crosby, of all people, appeared as unplugged as anyone through the game that preceded this scene, a three-hour hellscape of September-level, spin-away hockey. The captain, who'd risen above nearly every rut around him through the season's first 59 games, wound up with no points, a minus-1 rating, two shots on goal and ... yeah, wow, it's hard to fathom, much less describe.

Neither Sid nor Geno was around to talk after this game.

It could've been nothing.

But I really, really, really don't think so.

from dkpitt

[goaliekisses]

we had a breakdown over some Unwholesome slutty sid content yesterday so here’s some wholesome content from the athletic on sid

It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”

On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.

The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.

“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”

Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.

“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”

Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”

The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.

Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”

Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”

[thatsrightice]

A second lieutenant navigator against a major navigator and a lieutenant colonel command pilot? No visual or radio checks to confirm either claim? It looked as though one of Major Crosby's navigators had fucked up. The room was very quiet and everyone looked at me.

"Major," I said to the 390th navigator, "when was the last time you saw the ground or went over a beacon?"

"At H-minus 1:32. I saw Lowestoft. A clear visual check confirmed by my deputy lead navigator."

“Kid, I mean Lieutenant, when was your last visual check."

He gave me a time and a place.

"Major, what was your wind?"

He told me.

"Lieutenant Graham, what was yours?"

The Kid told me. Apparently he thought the wind was much stronger than the major did.

While everyone in the room watched me I plotted the two positions on a chart on the wall. With a pair of dividers, I measured the distance the two groups had flown, and wrote it and the time on the blackboard. I put the major's arithmetic and The Kid's in two separate problems. When I picked up my E6B computer, Kelsy Wilcox and The Kid began to smile. Kelsy told me once I could make an E6B talk.

"Lieutenant, according to my computations, if you arrived on course when you said you did, your ground speed against the wind was 162 knots. Kelsy, what does his log show?"

"164."

"Major," I said to the 390th command navigator, "If you started out where you said you did, your ground speed upwind to get to the rendezvous had to be 640 knots."

Much buzzing in the audience. I turned to the Wing Commanding Officer and then back to the 390th navigator. I admit that I was guilty of phony dramatics. I said, "Major, has a B-17 ever flown that close to Mach One?"

The 390th major and the lieutenant colonel looked at The Kid.

Then they looked at me. The major said, "Crosby, you son-of-a-b****."

The 100th cheered.

— Harry Crosby in his memoir, A Wing and a Prayer

[toasttt11]

august crosby

August Catherine Crosby

Number: 7

Season: Eighth

Position: C

Height: 5”6

Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia

S/C: R

NHL: VGK

Prev Team: PIT

NHL

• Selected First overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 NHL Draft.

• Traded to the Vegas Knights for the 2017-2018 season.

International

Team Canada

•2023 World Championship- Gold Medal, 9 G, 8 A, 10 GP.

•2021 World Championship- Gold Medal, 9 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2016 World Championship- Gold, 10 G, 8 A, 7 GP

•2016 World Junior Championship- Gold, 9 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2015 World Junior Championship-Gold, 8 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2014 World U-18 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 7 G, 7 A, 7 GP

•2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 9 G, 8 A, 6 GP

Eighth Season (2023-2024)

Vegas Knights

42 G, 40 A, 82 P, 50 GP

Signed a 75 million dollar contract for 8 years and five million dollar signing bonus.

Captain.

Seventh Season (2022-2023)

Vegas Knights

58 G, 80 A, 135 P, 81 GP

Received King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Received Conn Smythe Trophy.

Stanley Cup.

Captain.

Sixth Season (2021-2022)

Vegas Knights

52 G, 77 A, 127 P, 80 GP

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Captain

Fifth Season (2020-2021)

Vegas Knights

50 G, 75 A, 125 P, 75 GP

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Alternative Captain

Fourth Season (2019-2020)

Vegas Knights

25 G, 30 A, 55 P, 40 GP

Received NHL Plus-Minus Trophy

Captain

Third Season (2018-2019)

Vegas Knights

48 G, 66 A, 113 P, 79 GP

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Received Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Signed a six year contract for 50 million and three million signing bonus.

Captian.

Second Season (2017-2018)

Vegas Knights

42 G, 65 A, 107 P, 78 GP

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

Alternate Captain.

Rookie Season (2016-2017)

Pittsburgh Penguins

39 G, 63 A, 102 P, 75 GP

Received the Rookie of the Year award.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Received Conn Smythe Trophy.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Signed a Contract for 9 Million dollars for two years and a 1 million dollar signing bonus.

Won a Stanley cup.

OHL

Third Season 2015-2016

85 G, 120 A, 205 P, 75 Gp

Captain.

Won OHL Championship.

Draft Year.

Second Season 2014-2015

70 G, 107 A, 177 P, 68 GP

Alternative Captain.

Rookie Season (2013-2014)

56 G, 110 A, 166 P, 68 GP

First player to ever get exceptional Status and joined a year earlier.

Personal

Born September 14, 1998

Daughter of Troy and Tina Crosby

Has two siblings Sidney and Taylor

[krispyweiss]

Sierra Hull Tries to Infuse Dispiriting November with Spirit on “The First Snowfall”

Sierra Hull gets into the holiday spirit early by covering “The First Snowfall.”

And while Hull’s recording of the Bing Crosby holiday hit is strictly bluegrass and features fine singing from her and terrific playing from her and her band, there’s also a little too much joy for the middle of what is surely the most-dispiriting November since 1963.

Add the lyrical reference to an abundance of snow, the likes of which doesn’t happen in a climate-changing United States, and it’s just depressing.

Which is a bummer. Because any other set of lyrics over this arrangement - minus the sleigh bells, of course - would be an actual joy.

11/13/24

[sunsetblvdhq]

Most wanted football players minus Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce

Well since we already have a Travis, I'll have to say George Kittle, Sam Hubbard, Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson, TJ Watt, Ja'Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud, Dalton Kincaid, Ladd McConkey, Tee Higgins, Jared Goff, Will Levis, Maxx Crosby, and Cooper Kupp! But members, leave some suggestions!

[howlingmoonradio]

November 7th Playlist

I figured with everything else going on this week, it made sense to feature a time period in music that shared a similar chaotic vibe, the late 60's/70's! And thanks to a new unreleased live recording from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, it was pretty simple. I've also been picking up these fab Joni Mitchell Archives boxes the last dozen months, so it made sense to play some live tracks from those as well. We complete things with a couple of selections from the Dylan/Band 1974 omnibus, which our buddies at Mojo Magazine helpfully included on a recent sampler. So there you have it, back to the garden (of good or evil) we go...

Side A Howling at the Moon-Hank Williams Helplessly Hoping-CSNY Guinevere-CSNY Lady of the Island-CSNY Go Back Home-CSNY On the Way Home-CSNY Our House-CSNY Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire-Joni Mitchell

Side B Woodstock-Joni Mitchell You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio-Joni Mitchell For the Roses-Joni Mitchell Times they Are a Changin'-Bob Dylan Something There is About You-Bob Dylan & the Band Don't Be Denied-Minus 5 You-Mark Erelli

Update: Please revisit this program by going to our archive page here!

[andrebearakovsky]

Please explain Dowd's 4th line to me. I think he must like it, but it makes no sense to me at all that he's not playing higher-up

(An ask about my favorite topic, Dowd’s 4th line? Oh yes please)

Nic Dowd is a very talented hockey player, and he would probably excel on higher lines if he were placed there. HOWEVER, that won’t happen, because he is perfectly suited for the role he has, which is the shutdown center. While the top two lines are scoring-focused, Dowd’s line is a defensive line. Their first focus is not to score but to stop the other team from scoring. Dowd and his linemates get 90% of their starts in the defensive zone, which lead the team by a country mile:

That’s their job, and they’re quite good at it. They get put out on the defensive side because Carbery trusts them, they’re pretty lockdown and good in front of their own net. Dowd and Malenstyn are also the top two penalty killing forwards who WILL be the first out on the PK every single time (provided they’re not the one in the box, which is why you will often see me say “of all the people to be in the box Dowd/Malenstyn is not who I want” when I’m liveblogging the game). The numbers back this up as well, teams aren’t scoring that much when that line is out there; the three of them only trail Mantha and Protas on the team in plus-minus. And that’s your fourth line that’s 3 through 5 on the team in plus-minus, that’s pretty impressive.

So like, the answer to your question is he’s on the 4th line because he’s the defensive shutdown center, a role he’s insanely good at. In fact he’s so good at this, that it’s become A Thing over the last few years that his job specifically is to shut down the other team’s top line. I have a name for this game, every time I see this happen I say “looks like we have another edition of ‘Nic Dowd tries to shut down the other team’s top center’” (or something along those lines). This mostly happens during home games, when we control the line matchups. The coach will deliberately put the Dowd line out there against the other team’s top line in hopes that they can neutralize the opposing star players - usually this means the top center because that’s who Dowd will be taking faceoffs against, but sometimes one of the wingers is the star who needs shutting down. This is why they will often start the game (if the other team is starting the top line), and opposing broadcasts and people will often get super confused we’re purposefully playing the fourth line against the other first line, cause general wisdom says the first line will crush the fourth line. But the thing is, it works. I have watched many, many games where the Dowd line is the one out there against the opposing top line, and those top players do nothing. This isn’t always the case of course, but I’ve watched a lot of games at Capital One Arena where the visiting stars are eerily quiet and they can’t get anything going, which is in large part due to the Dowd line annoying the shit out of them and shutting them down. He’s done this and been super effective at it against, in particular, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Tage Thompson, Jason Robertson, among others. He recently did this against the Horvat-Barzal line against Isles.

But there’s no one he does this better against than Sidney Crosby. Of course Sid still scores against us a bunch sometimes, but it would be much more if not for Dowd. He has an uncanny ability to win faceoffs against Sid (I think it’s something to do with him being right handed, which none of the other caps centers are), which was probably a factor in matching them up in the first place. And not only is he effective but I can just see on his face that Dowd just annoys the absolute shit out of Sid lol. I’m pretty sure one time Sid punched him in the face lmao. I like to joke around that Dowd is Sid’s “enemy” and that Sid has like an enemies board on his wall that he stares at and gets angry at and there are many people on this board but Nic Dowd’s face is front and center lol

Dowd doesn’t always get the direct matchup against the top line, but it happens enough that it’s a thing. How many other fourth lines are getting matchups like that? In my opinion, the Dowd line is the best fourth line in hockey (I’ll take arguments for that Islanders fourth line but that’s it). And not only that, but this fourth line has existed in two different iterations and they’re both damn good. For YEARS, the fourth line was Carl Hagelin-Nic Dowd-Garnet Hathaway. You KNEW they were gonna be together every single game, and they stayed together as a line for a long, long time. The other lines would all shuffle around but that one was set in stone. After they were established I can’t remember them ever being separated save for if somebody was injured. And they were one of the most effective and fun fourth lines I’ve ever seen. They were mean, and tough to play against. They all blocked shots, and they all hit and hit hard, Hathaway especially. Not to mention that Nic and Garnet were besties and clearly loved playing with each other, and Carl was like exasperated by them but fond of them and worked with them very well. And now the Nic Dowd line 2.0 is much the same way. Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel have the same role and plays almost the same as the iteration before them. Malenstyn slotted perfectly into the role that Hathaway left, he’s a big guy who hits a bunch and blocks a lot of shots and I believe he’ll only do more and more of the physicality as time goes on, that’s what he was known for in Hershey. NAK, like Hagelin, is faster than the other two. And all three of them aren’t afraid to throw a punch. And they very very clearly work incredibly well together. You could see evidence of it last year: Malenstyn visibly clicked with Dowd and Hathaway when he was up with the big club, and I am a firm believer that he would’ve had that spot for the entire rest of the season had he not gotten hurt. And NAK also clicked with Dowd and Hathaway and he was with them for like the second half of the season if I remember correctly. Dowd very clearly really liked the both of them (I used to say that “those two are fraternal twin shitstarters and Nic Dowd just has to absolutely love them and want them on his wings always”), and tbh I was really surprised when they sent down NAK before opening night. Dowd and Malenstyn had been working well together since the beginning of the season, but they absolutely BLOSSOMED once NAK returned to the NHL level. The two of them literally didn’t have any points on the season until NAK came back. My friend and I would make our jokes, like “those are Dowd’s two sons and he wants to play with them” and how he was probably saying “you can pry them from my cold dead hands” and how he grabbed each of them (beck especially) and was like “okay these ones are mine these are my wingers and I am taking them with me everywhere.” And like I thought it was just jokes but then all 3 of them popped off in NAK’s return game and I’m like oh I see it wasn’t just me projecting it was 100% real. They hadn’t all 3 played together before the season and I was curious to see how they’d play together and they did not disappoint, their chemistry from that first game has been absolutely wild.

So, to bring it back to your original question, there are many reasons why Dowd doesn’t play higher up in the lineup. His strengths lie in this particular role of defense, and he and his linemates are very effective at it. Also, while he’s very good at what he does, he is not more offensively talented than the other centers on this team: Strome, Kuznetsov, and McMichael (and Nicky). Like, he’s not above them in the center hierarchy. And he’s not gonna move up to play wing, he’s a center the end. And I am perfectly happy with him where he is, he’s a stellar fourth line center that most any team would probably kill to have tbh, and he does a beautiful job at what he does.

This uhhh likely went much longer than you expected it would, sorry. I’m passionate about the fourth line. But I hoped this answered your question.

[fannyyann]

Tkachuk feels connection to Jimmy Butler: ‘We both play the game with very high emotion’

Miami Herald article by David Wilson 

Matthew Tkachuk is one of the fiercest, most ferocious competitors in the NHL, so there was some appreciation when he saw the pictures of Jimmy Butler, one of the fiercest competitors in the NBA, wearing his jersey during a workout Thursday in Massachusetts. 

The similarities — not just between the parallel postseason runs of the Florida Panthers and Heat as No. 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference, but also play style and attitudes of their two star forwards — are Tkachuk does feel some level of connection to Butler. 

“We both play the game with very high emotion,” the superstar right wing said before the Panthers faced the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday at PNC Arena. 

The pictures of Butler in Tkachuk’s jersey were a hit in Florida’s locker room and Tkachuk, who admits he hasn’t “paid attention too much” to all the specifics of Miami’s season because of how often the team’s games overlap, made sure to watch as much of Game 2 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals Friday. 

What he saw was Butler distilled down to his purest form. The 33-year-old forward scored 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists, nabbed three steals, blocked two shots and got into a forehead-to-forehead shouting match with Celtics forward Grant Williams in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s 111-106 win in Boston.

It all felt pretty similar to what Tkachuk did to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins last month in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The 25-year-old winger had five goals, six assists, four power-play points, 22 shots, a plus-minus of plus-5, 20 hits and two blocked shots, and assisted on the series-winning overtime goal in Game 7 to finish off a historic upset in Boston.

Less than three weeks later, Tkachuk delivered another historic moment in Game 1 of the NHL’s East finals, scoring a game-winning goal to beat the Hurricanes in the sixth longest game in NHL history early Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, just barely 21 hours before Butler’s show at TD Garden.

“They’re in a very similar spot as us. They’re like the underdogs and going into each series, and kind of just believing in their team. And he’s one of the leaders in that and kind of like the emotional leader,” Tkachuk said. “I love watching him play, especially more being down in Florida, seeing him more than I ever have. I’m very impressed with him. He’s a gamer. He’s pretty dialed in with what he’s done these playoffs. Last night was a big example. That was fun to watch.”

As a child, Tkachuk looked up to NHL stars like Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Rangers left wing Patrick Kane, who was a superstar for the Blackhawks back then, and also Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman David Ortiz because he rooted for the Red Sox. He loved how Ortiz thrived in clutch moments and tries to emulate it. 

He did a pretty good job to kick of the NHL Conference Finals earlier this week. 

“You want to be that guy at big moments,” Tkachuk said. “Jimmy and David Ortiz are two of the best at that. It was cool seeing Jimmy wearing my jersey. The guys got a big kick out of it.”

Tkachuk has one other connection to the Heat-Celtics series: He went to high school outside St. Louis with Boston superstar Jayson Tatum and they still keep in touch. 

The last time they talked, he said, was before Game 7 of Round 1, right before Tkachuk and the Panthers eliminated Boston with Tatum in attendance.

[antiquitea]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞! ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.

tagged by @swifty-fox for this one!

rules: write out any fic titles you have that are based off of lyrics, list what songs they're from, and tag some writers! 😘 (if you don't have a lot of finished fics, you can include your wips, or if you have way too many to list out, pick your faves!)

fair warning, i have never come up with an original title in my life.

let's get tipsy and start a rumour - sidney crosby x evegni malkin (hockey rpf) - fashionable people by joel plaskett

you should see me in the rain - lewis nixon x richard winters (band of brothers) - never let you go by inxs

somewhere, a clock is ticking - lewis nixon x richard winters (band of brothers) - somewhere a clock is ticking by snow patrol

on scratch gravel road - chris pine x karl urban (actor rpf) - snowed in / cruisin' by joel plaskett

leave a light on - simon le bon x john taylor (musician rpf) - leave a light on by duran duran

by the fear of unrequited love - richard hendricks x jared dunn (silicon valley) - boats and trains - stornoway

the august slipped away series - jake "hangman" seresin x reader (top gun: maverick) - august by taylor swift

tell me my name - jake "hangman" seresin x reader (top gun: maverick) - my time by minus the bear

tokyo summer - jake "hangman" seresin x reader (top gun: maverick) - tokyo summer by the mounties

whiskey mouth - jake "hangman" seresin x reader (top gun: maverick) - heavy metal lover by lady gaga

come undone - bradley "rooster" bradshaw x robert bob floyd (top gun: maverick) - come undone by duran duran

ballroom blitz - jake "hangman" seresin x reader (top gun: maverick) - ballroom blitz by sweet

show me your fangs - robert "bob" floyd x you (top gun: maverick) - show me your fangs by matt nathanson / teeth by lady gaga

already on my knees - jake "hangman" seresin x reader (top gun: maverick) - bedroom hymns by florence + the machine

blue above the green - john "bucky" egan x gale "buck" cleven (masters of the air) - blue above the green by mike edel

night terror - john "bucky" egan x gale "buck" cleven (masters of the air) - night terror by laura marling

no pressure tags go to @wildbornsiren, @hederasgarden, @blue-aconite, @thyknife, @green-socks, and of course everyone else!

[andreisvechnikov]

NHL99: Sidney Crosby, icon of his era, never strays from his greater mission

It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since he was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”

At 35, Crosby is the hockey chief of the world, and he lands at No. 4 on The Athletic’s list of the greatest players of the modern era of the NHL. He has won three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, has registered 541 goals, 1,469 points and, quite remarkably, has lived up to every bit of the hype. His legacy is perfectly safe. He simply keeps going at this stage because he loves hockey and is obsessed with winning. Mike Babcock once called him a “serial winner,” which is the perfect description of Crosby. On and off the ice.

On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.

The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.

“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”

It was evident from the very beginning.

Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.

“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”

Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”

‘No child is ever left behind’ Charles Barkley once made considerable headlines for a Nike advertising campaign that stated, “I am not a role model.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”

The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.

Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”

Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”

On May 31, 2007, the Penguins made Crosby, then 19, the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.

The move seemed simple on the surface. He already had become the world’s greatest player and, as a teenager, had just claimed the Hart and Art Ross trophies. His maturity level was uncommonly advanced. He was already a rock star in Pittsburgh.

Easy choice, right?

“Not necessarily,” Crosby said. “It was quite uncomfortable, to be honest. I had never been a captain before.”

Say what?

Well, it makes sense. Crosby was only 16 and 17 when he played his junior hockey in Rimouski. In his younger days of hockey, he always played in older age groups because of his advanced performance. This was very much a new experience for him.

“I tried to learn things from other captains I had in the past and other people who had been captains,” he said. “But at the same time, I wanted to be my own person. I wanted to lead in a way that was natural to me. And you never stop learning. I’m still learning to be a captain to this day, honestly. But I think it was probably a good thing for me, looking back. It helped me grow.”

So did the presence of a fellow icon in the locker room.

Lemieux and Crosby played together in only 26 games before a heart condition forced the oft-injured Lemieux to finally retire for good. On the ice, they only had a few magical moments together, as they rarely played on the same line. Lemieux was slowing down and at the very end.

But before he left, he taught Crosby a few lessons.

“More than anything, he taught me how to stay calm. He was so, so even keeled,” Crosby said. “It didn’t matter what the score was, good or bad. Mario was always the same. He always looked the same, spoke the same. I watched him a lot and I saw how level-headed he was. I think that probably comes to him more naturally than it does to me. I’m probably more emotional than he is. I’m an emotional player. But he taught me how to find that sweet spot. Getting to play with him for a handful of games was a big deal for me.”

Crosby, many will tell you, is the best captain they’ve ever had.

“He’s unreal,” said one of the newest Penguins, Ryan Poehling. “When I got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, I had a text from him a couple of hours after the deal. I remember thinking that it was pretty incredible that Sidney Crosby is reaching out to me that quickly. Then you get to know him, and you immediately realize that this is a special person, that he’s different than anyone else. You can’t fake it. You’re born with what he has, the way he treats people.”

Nowadays, it’s understandable that young players would place Crosby on a pedestal. He’s not only one of the greatest players of all time, but he also treats them as equals.

What might be more noteworthy is that, even when Crosby was essentially a child, he had the respect of his locker room from the beginning.

“He was 22 when I signed in Pittsburgh,” Mike Rupp said. “He’s the best player in the world, this hotshot that everyone is talking about. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. … I could tell you so many nice stories about Sidney Crosby, and they’re all true. But what I realized right away was that, more than anything, Sid didn’t want to be treated differently than anyone else.

Given who he is, Crosby can’t possibly be one of the guys. It doesn’t work that way. He’s Crosby.

And yet, he is one of the guys.

“He just wanted to have fun. Wanted to play mini-golf on the road. He had that little kid smile. He wanted to play the handheld video games on planes,” Rupp said. “He likes to be one of the guys. I think what I’m saying is, he’s not a nerd. He’s not an introvert. But he wants nothing to do with the spotlight because he’s so damn humble. He’s the ultimate captain.”

When you’re a superstar in Pittsburgh, you have certain privileges. Lemieux and Jagr had their share of coaches fired. Some were certainly deserving, of course. But Crosby would never do such a thing. It simply isn’t his way.

He doesn’t demand his friends play with the Penguins. This, in no way, is a typical superstar.

“I was Sid’s GM for a long time,” Rutherford said. “And I can tell you, he never once complained to me about anything. He never once told me to fire anyone, or to trade anyone, or to get anyone in a trade. Never.”

Not until he was asked, anyway.

“Here’s how much respect I have for Sid,” Rutherford said. “At the end of each season, whether we had won the Cup or not, he and I would get together. I wanted his thoughts on certain players on the team and around the league. But he’d never tell me to get someone. He’d never be pushy or demanding. I’d ask him questions about people, and he would answer in his own very polite, very special way. That’s just the kind of man he is.”

Those who coached Crosby often had similar stories.

“He was a dream to coach,” Recchi said. “His relationship with Sully, you know, it’s really special. Those two have a bond. But for all of us on the staff, it was incredible coaching Sid. He asks you lots of questions. He wants your opinion. He’s not going to walk into your office and tell you what to do, or tell you what’s wrong. He asks so many questions and he loves feedback. Not many stars are going to be quite like that.”

Crosby has stated that he’d like to play for a few more seasons, perhaps until he is 40.

It’s unknown precisely when he will walk away or what he will do with his life once he hangs up his skates. Many in the hockey world hope Crosby will remain involved with the NHL in some capacity.

The hockey world, after all, couldn’t possibly be the same without him.

“He just makes you smile when you see him,” Rupp said.

Crosby entered our lives more than two decades ago, a child then. A man now.

A very, very good man.

“He’s just a nice person,” Steigerwald said. “A nice, nice person. The best of the best.”

[sportsthoughts]

GENO IS WEARING FABRIC TRAINERS WITH A SUIT

[motownfiction]

mayflower

And to think, it was only four months ago that filling in the wrong bubble on a Scantron was the most stressful thing to ever happen to Lucy.

She remembers it well. Even then, she was embarrassed by it, so she filed it away as a low point to look back on. And today, she looks back on it. She looks back on the way she got back one of her last history tests of the school year, only to see that she’d accidentally answered the Mayflower Compact to a question that was clearly about the Marshall Plan. Her heart jumped right to her throat when she saw it. How was she ever supposed to look at her reflection again?

Four months ago, Lucy was embarrassed she’d answered such an easy question incorrectly. She was a little embarrassed by the way she cried at home and the way she threw every pillow across her bedroom until a picture frame fell off the wall and shattered on the floor. But it was mostly about getting the question wrong and paying for it with an A minus, a lesser grade than stupid Nick Crosby got on the same test. Today, when she looks back on the way she felt, she laughs until she cries. How could a girl with so much immaturity inside of her think she was ready to have sex just one month later? How could a girl with such childish rage think she’s ready to raise a baby now?

But when she thinks about it any other way … when she thinks about not going through it all, just to wind up here … she knows it’s wrong. Lucy simply had to cry about a Scantron in order to stand here, now, knowing she’ll never let her baby cry over one when she’s sixteen.

Or he.

But probably she.

There’s a feeling.