Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been excelling for Team Canada since joining the squad for the 2015 IIHF World Championship.
Through three games, Crosby ranks third amongst all skaters with 3 goals. He’s also 10th in overall scoring with 4 points.
The Pens captain, who was given the ‘C’ for Team Canada as well, has looked comfortable and unburdened throughout the tournament, putting forth excellent play while clearly enjoying the chance to not have the team’s hopes resting solely on his shoulders.
Crosby has skated primarily with Jason Spezza and fellow Cole Harbour native Nathan MacKinnon, and the trio have looked spectacular thus far.
A much more interesting combination has occurred on the Canadian powerplay, however, as head coach Todd McLellan has lined up Crosby on the wing alongside longtime rival, and Philadelphia Flyers captain, Claude Giroux.
The two centremen have certainly had their fair share of battles over the years. There was the playoff rivalry that resulted in a tussle and a fair bit of extracurriculars. Then there was the whole “broken wrists” debacle. The two haven’t shied away from voicing their displeasure for one another, but it has always been quite obvious that they both rank among the top talents in the sport.
Thus, it was inevitable that the two would join forces for Canada eventually. Giroux was left behind for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but with Crosby joining the World Championship squad, the meeting finally came.
Unsurprisingly, the two are very, very good together.
Playing against a Czech Republic team (led by NHL stars Jakub Voracek and Jaromir Jagr) that gave Canada a tough test today, the offensive firepower for the red and white needed to be at it’s best.
Crosby and Giroux showcased their chemistry late in the second period when the two set up on opposite half-walls in the Czechs’ zone and traded impressive cross-ice passes through traffic, looking for the one-timer.
In the third, the pair connected as Giroux fed Crosby for Canada’s fifth goal of the game.
The tally led to a somewhat awkward celebration as the two rivals met in the corner. Despite the past differences, it’s evident that both have the playmaking and finishing abilities to be lethal combination on the man-advantage.
It’s a look Canada’s coaching staff will surely exploit as the team advances in the tournament, and it could certainly come up again at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey and 2018 Winter Olympics tournaments.
While they seem chummy enough at the moment, Crosby was quick to indicate, with a smile, that the rivalry is sure to be alive and well once the two return to the NHL next season.
Canada is 3-0-0 in the tournament thus far. Their next test will be against Sweden on May 6th at 2:15 ET.