Another Great Milestone

another lasting image

Think about Mario Lemieux, think about Wayne Gretzky, aka The Great One, think about all the other great ones that have laced it up and played their role as marketing saviors for the NHL and North American hockey in general. As you consider these guys and their amazing accomplishments for the game, both on and off the ice, now consider the select company that our very own Sid Crosby has placed himself in.

At the ripe old age of 22, Mr. Crosby has added an Olympic gold medal for his mantle place, next to his Ross and Hart trophies, probably right next to the scores of photos of him hoisting the 2009 Stanley Cup over his boyish head. Of course predecessors like Lemieux, Gretzky, and Yzerman were limited by Olympic rules that prevented their involvement until the latter stages of their careers, but give the kid his due. Crosby's heroic overtime goal in yesterday's gold medal game was another entry to his superhero resume, one that our northern neighbors place akin to our own Mount Rushmore athletes like Jordan or Montana. Let's not forget that hockey is to Canandians what baseball was once like to Americans, or what soccer is to most of the rest of the world.

Surely an American gold would have been great, and maybe as equally important as the fabled Miracle on Ice of 1980 (with perhaps slightly less drama), but make no mistake, Crosby's exploits are something that is great for a game that is, at least financially, dominated by the country on the southern side of the border. I can't think of a better time to be a hockey fan, nor a time when hockey had such a buzz, largely impart to Crosby's superstardom.

Of course, yesterday's achievement is not an individual effort, and the entire nation of Canada should be congratulated on this epic victory. For the NHL, the victory was just as large, due to the showcasing of their high profile stars, most importantly the kid who wears the C on his black and gold sweater.