The Mid-Week Take: Crosby's legend to only swell, with expectation met
It wasn't as if there was this detailed list of objectives set out in front of Sidney Crosby.
Granted, you would have to imagine he picked up on what was implied, that he gathered when he was drafted first overall by the bankrupt Pittsburgh Penguins that it became his obligation to rescue the history-rich franchise, and restore it to former glory. And he at least went along with the orchestrated rivalry with Alex Ovechkin (which the NHL leaned on to mend its own profile), perhaps making it part of his purpose to carve out a richer career.
But beyond salvaging a now-vibrant franchise valued at well over half a billion dollars and one-upping ostensibly the greatest goal-scorer of all time at almost every turn, the burden of expectation is ultimately only what the generational athlete makes it out to be.
If you're connected to the hockey world, you've probably noticed a change in Crosby at some point over the last 12-plus months.
Most discernible, he rose from the dead after a stagnant first few months of last season, re-establishing himself as the NHL's greatest player. The manifestation of that turnaround was, through the eyes of many, a legacy-cementing second Stanley Cup championship and first Conn Smythe Trophy.
Months later, he showed up seemingly at ease to the World Cup of Hockey to star in the NHL's preseason international tournament. Unlike previous best-on-best competitions, where his arrival for Canada was onset, Crosby loomed larger than anyone else from start to finish.
A pessimist would argue that his relaxed nature mirrored the significance of the put-on event. His approach this season, however, suggests that this is the new normal.
At the height of his career, Crosby, 29, has transformed himself, becoming the most dominant, most innovative goal-scorer in the NHL today. He's on pace to rival his career high. Almost as if the season began with a challenge issued to himself. With his heightened goal-scoring prowess, he's driving the league's top-ranked offense, and is racking up points at an accelerated rate that even his heir apparent can't match.
With Connor McDavid currently idle, Crosby will overtake the scoring lead with a single point versus the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
With two, he'll have 1,000 for his career.
Crosby will be the 86th player ever to reach the milestone, and, in all likelihood, will become the 12th-fastest to do it (13th if you count Wayne Gretzky's second 1,000). By comparison in this era, Ovechkin reached the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season, but will have required in excess of 100 additional games to hit the millennial threshold.
A thousand points will stand as another monumental feat for the superstar who seems less and less concerned with the standard that others placed on him, because he's completed every checkpoint en route to the Hall of Fame already.
His legend is so that he's now operating with house money. Free rolls with so many potentially great seasons ahead.
He's fulfilled all the demands imposed on him. It's why we should expect so much more.
Only now, having accomplished virtually everything he can in the sport, Crosby can focus on actualizing the prophecy dictated by self.