The San Jose Sharks never had a chance. Sidney Crosby made sure of it.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner was in a prophetic mood ahead of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, writes Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
"Beast mode, baby," said third-string goaltender Jeff Zatkoff after the Penguins won the Cup. "(Crosby's) a winner, he's won everything. We just followed him. He told me before Game 6 that he was going beast mode, and he went beast mode.
"He was dialled in. He wanted it."
Crosby had two assists Sunday, including the primary helper on Kris Letang's eventual Cup clincher. He assisted on Patric Hornqvist's empty-netter, and was on the ice as the seconds trickled down to zero. While No. 87 finished with only four assists in six games in the final, he took home the Conn Smythe for his incredible two-way play. He set the tone. And, like Zatkoff said, the Penguins followed.
"He was going to will this thing," said head coach Mike Sullivan.
Crosby's had the Cup on his mind for a while, actually.
Phil Kessel said that when he was acquired by the Penguins last summer, Crosby gave him an introductory phone call and told him the club was excited about having him.
"We're going to try and win a Cup," Kessel said Crosby told him, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin.
Mission accomplished.
