Hockey Night in CanadaCrosby's return about comfort + 30 Thoughts

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To a man, the Penguins were surprised this didn't happen sooner.

"I thought he was ready a month ago," several Pittsburgh players said on Monday morning, hours before Sidney Crosby owned the ice with a two-goal, four-point night against the Islanders.

"Well, I didn't feel I was ready a month ago," said Crosby in one of his two HNIC interviews, this one during the second intermission.

What do we know now about the sport's best player? The wait for his return was all about comfort, not ability.

"Contact was a big step...making sure I felt well with that," he said. "I'm going to get hit hard, probably harder than I did in practice; got to make sure I can deal with that." Crosby added that he was happy to get the first hits "over with."

Undoubtedly, people tuned into Monday night's broadcast to see how Crosby would react to that first collision. Even head coach Dan Bylsma wondered. And it wasn't just about how the Penguins' captain would handle a big check. There is no player in the NHL who uses body contact to attack more than Crosby does. He likes to initiate that kind of physicality, often in an attempt to spin off a defender and create a scoring chance.

He did not shy away from that on Monday. That, as much as the four-point game, is the truest sign that he was comfortable.

But, you could see what his teammates were talking about. Every summer, Crosby picks apart at least one piece of his game. So, what did he work on this year? Asked about that in a broadcasters' meeting hours before Monday's game, Bylsma smiled. Later, it became clear. The answer is: "Just about everything."

Early in his career, there was "The Summer of Faceoffs." During his rookie season, Crosby's percentage was 45.5 per cent. Of the 88 centres who qualified in the league standings, he was 85th.

Sources say: that's not very good. At the time of his 2010-11 season-ending injury, he was at 55.6 per cent, good for 14th overall. Last night, he was 14 of 21.

Crosby also reached a point where he thought he was too easy to defend, because he was too much of a passer. Opponents were sagging off him and worrying about potential passing targets. So, he worked on his shot to become a more dangerous sniper.

As a result, he went from a consistent 30-goal scorer (as if that's so terrible), to a 51-goal sharpshooter in 2009-10. Last season, he was on-pace for 60-plus prior to his injury.


Both of his return-night goals came off the backhand, already one of the most lethal weapons in his arsenal. The first one you could see coming the moment he came charging over the blue line. The second, well, you don't see those kinds of goals any more.  

"He sees the game in HD," said new teammate Steve Sullivan. And this goal was a perfect example, the greatest evidence that Crosby's concussion no longer affects his on-ice vision.

You don't want to see your goalie beaten on a backhander from the boards. And, it didn't help that Anders Nilsson doesn't have a tonne of experience against Crosby (or many other NHL players). Nilsson was tempted to cheat because a) Crosby's a great passer and b) who's going to score on the backhand from there?  Well, we know the answer.

The games are going to get harder. The opponents will be tougher and the adrenaline of Opening Night wears off. But the skill set is still there.

In fact, there's a chance it may be better than before.

30 THOUGHTS

1. Today (Tuesday, November 22) is the first of two scheduled mediation sessions between the NHL and Jerry Moyes. (The other is next Tuesday.) Basically, the two sides are trying to work out payment for money owed by the former Coyotes owner. The most newsworthy aspect of this is that it affects Wayne Gretzky. The league has always maintained it is through this process that Gretzky will be paid the $8 million US owed from his time in Phoenix. Key thing to remember: this is not arbitration, so mediator cannot force them into a binding resolution.

2. What kind of crazy bizarro world do we live in where an NHL GM and head coach feel the need to deny they are blocking a reporter on twitter?

3. What does Kyle Turris' signing mean? Only that Don Maloney will at least consider trades. Turris still wants a fresh start, but the Coyotes GM isn't going to grant that wish simply because there's a new contract. The best thing for Turris to do is show up and play hard. That way, things take care of themselves. Still believe Calgary covets him.

4. You've got to think Turris had a pretty good idea the $1.4 million range was going to be his new average annual salary. This was never about $4 million a year, but Maloney wouldn't blink. If you're playing poker with Maloney, you'd better have a great hand.

5. Don't know if there's been a team over the past few years that seems to enjoy hockey less than the Flames. Yes, they're struggling. Yes, you want your guys to compete and take it seriously. But, it's got to be fun. You don't have a chance without loving what you do.

6. That brings us to the Blackhawks. It is very tempting to look at the 14-5 combined loss to the Calmonton OilFlames and say, "Forget the trip to Vegas, you don't deserve it." Not sure that approach works anymore. It's a long season. You're going to have bad games. Sometimes, the best medicine is getting away from the rink and relaxing. Not sure if John Tortorella still does this, but he used to set the schedule at the beginning of the year. The players knew when they had days off and when they'd practice. He rarely changed it. (I want to say there was at least one season where he never did, but I lost those old notes.) The Lightning really responded to that approach.

7. A few people asked if Crosby is wearing a new helmet. The answer is no. Apparently, he met with Reebok over the summer to discuss a new one but couldn't find a design he was comfortable with. So, he stayed with last season's model. And, this is not a case where the helmet was considered an issue.

8. A creature of habit, Crosby continued to have the steel of his skate blades changed every two weeks, just like he does when he's healthy.

9. The "Welcome Back Sid" placards handed out at the game Monday night were ordered specifically by Mario Lemieux. Lemieux remembered how much seeing an arena full of similar signs meant to him during one of his own comebacks.

10. I try to be careful about jumping to conclusions when you see a team for the first time and it performs like the Islanders did. When Lemieux returned in 2000, Pittsburgh destroyed a pretty good Toronto team, so this kind emotion can overwhelm an opponent.

11. The biggest question Garth Snow must answer is, "Why aren't our prospects developing?" After Saturday's 6-0 home bludgeoning by the Bruins, Jack Capuano made his players watch the first period of that game by themselves -- no coaches present. It wasn't much better against Pittsburgh. That isn't the Islander team we saw finish last year.

12. Watching Nilsson made me think of Dave Reece, the Boston goalie victimized by Darryl Sittler's 10-point night in 1976. What a situation to be thrown into. Can only think of two reasons why he played. One is that Rick DiPietro is really hurting (and New York is already down two goalies). The other is that Capuano tried challenging his players to compete hard for a teammate who they'd know was in a tough spot. Hope it doesn't hurt his confidence.

13. Followed up last weekend's Hotstove discussion about Alexander Ovechkin with a couple of coaches. You know who they agreed with most? Glenn Healy. They'd ride Ovechkin 25 minutes a night. "I'd double-shift him," one said. Judging from the fact Ovechkin got 18 minutes on Monday, Bruce Boudreau is sticking to the accountability plan.

14. A couple of readers pointed out that Ovechkin is not a centre like Bergeron/Toews/Crosby/Malkin/Datsyuk/Zetterberg (as talked about here), so he can't be expected to retreat deeper into the defensive zone. Not correct. Wingers still must collapse down on occasion and also provide an outlet for defencemen to pass to.

15. Columbus GM Scott Howson is conducting quite the extensive goalie search; not just looking at short-term solutions. Among those looked at were Tuukka Rask and Jonathan Bernier. But the most coveted Jacket is Ryan Johansen. Believe Howson has refused to trade him at least twice. Once was to Edmonton for Ales Hemsky. (The other, I'm not 100 per cent certain.) Another player other teams like is defenceman John Moore.

16. Peter Chiarelli on Rask: "I am not trading him. He is the goalie of the future."

17. Amazing to watch what's happening in Minnesota. The organization was so incredibly disappointed by last season's playoff miss; everyone was really down. What changed the mood? AHL affiliate Houston going to the Calder Cup Final. Seeing that kind of run energized management, because it saw real hope in the youth. It also allowed Chuck Fletcher to sell Mike Yeo as coach.

18. If you pumped Fletcher full of truth serum, would he say he saw this happening? The Wild moved from one of the league's oldest teams to one of its youngest. And, the group may get even younger next season with four high-ceiling prospects ready to compete for time -- Mikael Granlund, Johan Larsson, Jonas Brodin and Charlie Coyle.

19. Fletcher's most interesting decision will be what to do in goal. Niklas Backstrom has one more year at $6 million. Josh Harding's played incredibly, and is a UFA-to-be making $750,000 (a few teams like him). There is a youthful option at this position, too -- Jeff Hackett's nephew, Matt.

20. As Nashville tries to close in on Ryan Suter, you get the sense their biggest competition is 860 miles to the north. At some point, the Red Wings are going to have a Lidstrom-sized hole on the blueline. He can never be replaced, but, Suter is about as good as it gets in trying. It sounds like the Predators are saying all the right things, like how they'll be a cap team, etc., but can they get Suter/Shea Weber to take discounts like Detroit gets its guys to do? Sure would help Nashville get an impact forward.

21. Suter or Weber? I'll take the one you don't want and be very happy.

22. A lot of Dallas' off-ice troubles can be traced to forgetting its roots. For years, the Stars were the NHL's great Southern Success Story. They built some beautiful local rinks, they were very active in the community and Reunion Arena was a fantastic place to watch hockey. As the team slithered into bankruptcy, a lot of that was lost. New owner Tom Gagliardi made a big step towards fixing that by bringing back former president Jim Lites. Next will be Mike Modano in an ambassador-type role. It's almost like starting over, but, for the first time in awhile, there is belief positive change can be made.

23. Joe Nieuwendyk says the new ownership won't bring changes in the hockey department, at least for now. He's begun contract talks with Jamie Benn, although that process is still very early. One opening Nieuwendyk will need to address at some point is director of amateur scouting, as the organization parted ways with Tim Bernhardt.

24. For a guy who generally avoids saying anything controversial, Jacques Martin sure can drop an atom bomb once in a while. Friday, he told Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazette certain players "don't have the same philosophy or commitment" as he does. Martin had to know that people would start throwing Scott Gomez's and Andrei Kostitsyn's names out there.

25. The New York Post reported Tuesday that investor Nelson Peltz is interested in buying the New Jersey Devils. In the past, Peltz has been linked to the Senators and the Islanders. He might even be snooping around Toronto in some kind of partnership. He is, as one source called him, "The ultimate tire-kicker."

26. The issue with Providence Equity and the Maple Leafs is/was debt load. It's difficult to figure out exactly how far down the road this bid went, but it's formula for buying the team was minimal cash, mucho debt. The NHL wants no part of that.

27. It's been reported many times that Larry Tanenbaum, who owns 20 per cent of the Maple Leafs' parent company, has the right of first refusal on any attempt to sell the Teachers' 79 per cent share. There is a point where his control dilutes. That point, however, is apparently far enough into the future that it won't affect this process.

28.    At the GM meetings last week, Brendan Shanahan showed video of several borderline plays that weren't suspensions. We're talking Wojtek Wolski and Chris Neil among them. GMs told him not to suspend if players had a "plausible explanation" for these collisions. A lot of lawyers in that crowd.

29. Most rational-thinking people believed the idea of charging Zdeno Chara with any kind of crime was crazy. But, now that this nutty criminal investigation's been dropped, I would guess the happiest people are the Montreal Canadiens and those trying to bring an NHL team to Quebec City. If you charge Chara, you have to do the same with any local who does anything remotely similar. Bet you wouldn't find a lot of players interested in competing under that setup.

30. Wanted to mention a couple really good hockey sites. The first is the "Frozen Pool" section of dobberhockey.com. It allows you to easily determine line combinations/matchup success on a team-by-team or player-by-player basis. The second is thegoalieguild.com. His twitter feed/analysis is really good, and he also puts out an unbelievably comprehensive style guide. There are costs associated with both, but I'd recommend you look around. Found them very useful.

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