Crosby's learned valuable lessons to reach the verge of 2nd Cup

Sidney Crosby is the talk of the hockey world Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain, all-world superstar, and arguably the face of the NHL is on the verge of his second Stanley Cup, his club one win against the San Jose Sharks away. So it's obviously time to reflect, especially since it took seven years and a devastating concussion to get back to the Cup Final.

"In (2009), you felt like it was something that might be an annual thing," Crosby said of his first Cup victory, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Sam Werner. "And it's not that easy."

Crosby was only 21 when he lifted the Cup; he was "Sid the Kid," the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup in NHL history. Then the injuries and playoff defeats - three in the first round and two in the second round - began.

"The concussion was tough," Crosby said Wednesday, writes the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur. "I mean, at (23), when you feel pretty good and you miss a year of hockey, it's not ideal, but everyone goes through different things. I think that’s probably something that has given me more appreciation of certain things after going through that. At the time it’s really tough, trying to get back into things is tough, but once you get over it I think you try to take the positives from it. That’s what I try to do."

Crosby, no longer a kid at 28, says he appreciates the game more today because it was taken away from him.

Back in 2009, Crosby wasn't on the ice in the latter stages of Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings. A knee injury kept him on the bench, and he watched. While he was reduced to a cheerleader, he lifted the Cup.

"It's not the way you think about it or the way it kind of goes on in your head, but that being said it worked out that way," Crosby said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I think I look back with just as fond memories as I would if I finished the game."

Crosby's looking to create some new memories Thursday.