Sidney Crosby gives back to Youth Hockey

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May 28, 2009 by Youth1  

Pittsburgh (YHR)- In 2004, the larger than life Wayne Gretzky watched a young 16 year old kid skate for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league and quickly anointed him as the “The Next One.” 5 years later, the next one has clearly become “THE ONE,” leading his team the Pittsburgh Penguins to 2 consecutive finals appearances and a Hart Trophy as the most valuable player. Sidney Crosby quite simply plays the game of hockey on a level different than anyone else, and his excellence on the ice and grace off of it has not been seen in the NHL since the great Gretzky.

As with all sport prodigy’s, Crosby’s love of hockey started at an early age, and his passion was evident even at 2 years old when he would damage family appliances with slap shots in the basement. At 3 he learned to skate and at 7, when most kids were riding bikes in the neighborhood, Sid the Kid was giving newspaper interviews. At 13 he was so good he was ready to play with the 17 year olds in the midget hockey division but the local council in Nova Scotia voted not to allow him. The next year, at 14, he was allowed to play and the young phenom scored 217 goals for the Dartmouth Subways leading his team to 2nd place in the Air Canada Cup. Fast forward to 2005 when Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the NHL draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and from that moment he has established himself as a legend in the game. Possibly no other player has ever been groomed for his place in professional sports the way Crosby has, and today he knows the importance that his formative years in youth hockey played in his success.

He and the Penguins co-sponsor the “Little Penguins Learn to Play” program, a charity designed to increase youth hockey participation among children 4-8 by providing up to 600 children complimentary Reebok Crosby equipment. Their mission, to give kids who otherwise might not afford to play an opportunity to, and their success has been more than rewarding. Rocky Russo, the Director of youth hockey in Mahoning Valley, PA has seen a direct spike in participation at his Ice Zone because of the equipment donated and face time from Sidney Crosby. “A full set of equipment can cost parents up to $800, and with a cost that high it might cause parents to hold off,” says Russo. “Because of this charity, the first 30 spots in our February program filled up within 4 days.” The success of the Little Penguins program has been obvious in Mahoning Valley but it doesn’t end there. All across Pennsylvania youth hockey organizations are benefitting from the generosity shown by the Penguins and Sid.

Youth sports are the cornerstone that build our athletes, and in the case of Sidney Crosby his experience growing up in Nova Scotia afforded him the chance to not only succeed at the games highest level, but to give back to the community while setting the stage for the next great one to arise.

Photo by Philip G. Pavely, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review via AP. 

 

                                                                                                        
 

 

 

 

 

 


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