He is one of the best players of all time.
But when Sidney Crosby himself gets to choose his toughest opponent, it is a Swede he chooses.
– It is without a doubt, says Crosby.
Sidney Crosby was drafted first overall in the 2005 draft, and expectations for him were extremely high. But despite that, Crosby has managed to outshine everything, and today he is ranked as one of the best players of all time – and he is not close to retiring.
One of the greatest of all time
The Pittsburgh Penguins are giving their golden generation one last shot at winning another Stanley Cup, and have brought in Erik Karlsson for next season in one of the summer’s biggest deals in the NHL. For Sidney Crosby, that would mean a fourth Stanley Cup title. Add to that the fact that he won the award as the league’s MVP twice, that he won the shooting league, the scoring league – and was in a total of nine All Star games.
Sidney Crosby has also reaped enormous success with Canada, and is a given leader, when in 2007 he was named the NHL’s youngest team captain ever. Over the years, Sidney Crosby has met some of the best players of all time, and the NHL’s absolute biggest stars, but there is one opponent that stands out for him. Crosby has previously said that he had Peter Forsberg as a big idol when he was growing up, but there is also another Swede who left a big impression on him.
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The tribute to Lidas
When Crosby was a guest on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, he was asked who is really the toughest and best defenseman he has ever faced, during his long NHL career. The choice then fell on a Swedish legend.
– Nicklas Lidström, without a doubt, says Crosby.
Nicklas Lidström had already done 13 seasons in the NHL when Sidney Crosby made his debut, but they both played in the NHL at the same time for a full seven years. During his career, Lidström won a mind-boggling seven(!) Norris Trophy titles, and pretty much all rankings of players of all time place Nicklas Lidström on a top ten list.
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