Sidney Crosby: Taking the Game by Storm

by Gare B. Joyce

When the Pittsburgh Penguins won the right to select first overall in the 2005 NHL draft, there was no doubt who they would pick Sidney Crosby, the most celebrated junior hockey player since Mario Lemieux. Sidney Crosby was first to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the Canadian junior ranks, and first to win consecutive Player of the Year awards. At age 16, he became the youngest Canadian player to score in the World Junior Hockey Championships. At 17, he recorded an astonishing 168 points in 62 games, leading his Rimouski team to the Memorial Cup. And in 2005, while not yet 18, Crosby landed a lucrative contract with Reebok, placing him in the same athletic stratosphere as Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods. But how did a kid from Nova Scotia come to stand alone on draft day as the NHL s undisputed No. 1 pick? And how did a budding teenage superstar cope with the growing pressures of being dubbed the next Wayne Gretzky? In this exciting hockey biography, award-winning sports journalist Gare Joyce retraces the incredible journey of hockey s wunderkind from age-group hockey in Nova Scotia to draft day with Mario Lemieux and his Pittsburgh Penguins. From Halifax to the Czech Republic, Minnesota to Quebec City and all places in between, Joyce explores the making of hockey s brightest star and all the obstacles this amazing young man overcame in pursuit of his dreams. In 2003, Wayne Gretzky was asked if there was one player out there who might one day break his records. He responded, "Yes, Sidney Crosby. He s the best player I've seen since Mario (Lemieux)." "Like the 'Next Great One,' Gare Joyce's splendid and remarkably up-to-the-minute Sidney the Game by Storm should be hockey fans' No. 1 overall choice" -Red Fisher, Montreal Gazette and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Genres: Sports, Hockey, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

obviously I loved it

[Dgintosaurus · Rating 5 out of 5]

check point 2
Something thats really stood out to me when reading "sidney Crosby: taking the game by storm" is crosbys success and seriousness about the game at such a young age. i think this could very well be attributed partially to the hockey culture in canada. i would compare it to football in america, but that wouldn't be doing it justice, in canada hockey isn't a game, its a lifestyle. a cliché saying that if true about anything, its this. Crosby holds so many records as "the youngest player to..." more than anyone else in hockey. when i was a kid, i merely played for fun, although i was serious about winning, its nothing like crosby his motivation as a youngster to improve his game and take it to the next level is astonishing, but yet somehow i partially contribute it to his heritage. not to take anything away from his hard work or determination, but hockey is canada's bread and butter, its what their best at, its in their blood and if i read this whole book and they never mentioned he was from canada i think i could've guessed first try.
another thing that really surprised me is how often Wayne Gretzky is mentioned in this book. although its not just like they're brining him up for no reason, they are comparing Crosby to the best player ever to put on skates. to have your name thrown around with Wayne Gretzkys is an accomplishment not many people will ever achieve. when
Gretzky was asked if he thinks anyone will ever break his scoring records, he only said one name, "Sidney Crosby, he's dynamite" if thats not miraculous enough, Gretzky said this when crosby was only 15 years old. To have Gretzky say that about Crosby when he was only 15 is unbelievable, clearly Gretzky sees in him what everyone else did. anyone can achieve a skill level equal to crosby, but you cant teach what makes Crosby good, a sixth sense that arguably only he and Gretzky ever had. so far the constant comparison to Gretzky is by far the thing thats stood out the most for me, it makes me wonder if Gretzky will ever be considered number 2

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published in 2005 and ends with Sid being drafted by the Penguins that summer. I wish I’d read it before reading “The Rookie” since that follows seamlessly. Regardless, this is a very detailed and engaging description of Sid’s career in Rimouski and earlier. It’s amazing how much of what the book foretells as possible has come true: the impact on the Penguins and the whole league, ability to raise his game in high pressure situations*, three Cups to date, retirement of his 87 throughout the whole QMJHL.

*chapter 6 on clutch performance is particularly interesting. Like, /someone/ was going to score the winning goal in OT at the 2010 Olympics, because the game would continue until that happened. Was it just luck or random that it was Sidney Crosby? This book says no, it was him because of who he is and everything he’s done.

[Brit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like SIdney Crosby and before i bought this book i read the reviews and everyone was like it is a great book, so i had high expectations but to be honest the book was not that good. At points it dragged and half the time it was not even about Sidney Crosby. It was confusing and hard to follow. This book shouldnt even have been published because it was a very bad book. It had nice pictures though but if you want to read about sidney crosby do not get this book.

[Kb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always found the developmental side of hockey more interesting than when guys actually make it to the pros, so I really liked this book.

[Heather (Let's-Go-Pens-We're-Gonna-Take-This-One) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot of hockey tidbits from this book. Was a little surprised to come across the name of a Merritt boy in the story. Cool.

[Ben Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this a great book. Its a hard one to read though. This book will take you through is whole life.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing take on the mythology of Sidney Crosby. At times critical, at times adulating, this biography of Sidney Crosby's years of junior hockey provides a humanizing and detailed account of not only the hockey player, but the person.

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the story. Didn't love the writing. And some more than questionable opinions on the Canadian Juniors system, which, considering what we know now is.... yeah. 2.5 stars but made it 3 cos of the many screenshots I got to send to the group chat.

[bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked shawna richer’s deep dive on sid’s rookie year a lot better, but joyce made me more interested in reading generally about junior hockey, which i think may be more his strong suit anyhow.