By Mark Madden / Pittsburgh Penguins
Eddie Johnston, the Penguins' former GM and coach, has been involved with the NHL since 1962, when he entered the league as a rookie goaltender for the Boston Bruins.
When asked to name the best player he's seen on the backhand, Johnston said, with zero hesitation, "This guy on our team. No. 87."
It seems like it shouldn't be an easy choice.
But it is.
Sidney Crosby is better on his backhand than any player in hockey history. It will be among Crosby's many calling cards when his career wraps.
Crosby reminded everyone of his backhand's lethal nature when the Penguins won 9-1 at Calgary Oct. 25. Crosby opened the scoring with a scorching bad-angle backhand over the shoulder of Flames goalie Mike Smith. Crosby had just inches to hit.
At a glance, a goal like that might seem fluky.
This one wasn't. Not much Crosby does is. Crosby's intent, skill and execution could have placed a quarter into a soft-drink machine's coin slot.
"It's a special, unique talent," said Penguins radio color analyst Phil Bourque. "Anyone who's ever played the game knows how difficult it is. My backhand couldn't break a pane of glass, and I worked on it all the time.
"But Sid's got that special stick, he's got a special blade, and he's got the ability. Just a flick of the wrist, the weight distribution, the back to the front, the little subtle things he does, and to do it all at the speed he does it at is what separates him from everybody else.
"Some players, if there isn't anybody within 20 feet, can maybe shoot a backhand as hard as Sid does. But he does it with a 220-pound defenseman on his back while he's going Mach One down the wing."
About that "special blade"…
Crosby's stick is virtually straight, with just a hint of curve. That enables Crosby to, as Johnston put it, "snap it. He's got that real hard snap on his backhand."
Johnston said that Crosby does a "a lot of extra work with the backhand" at practice. "First guy on, last guy off."
But, said Crosby, "I'm not sure I do that much extra work [on my backhand]. I'm just comfortable there."
That word comes up a lot when talking to Crosby about his backhand: comfort.
"Some guys naturally force plays on their forehand because they're not comfortable on their backhand," Crosby said. "There are a lot of pucks that are 50/50 in a certain spot, and you can go to your forehand or to your backhand.
"I'm comfortable going to my backhand. So I end up there a lot more, because it's more natural for me."
Crosby felt that excellence on the backhand was important from a young age:
"I remember being a young kid and my dad telling me to work on my backhand. I remember watching Paul Kariya and Wayne Gretzky, players who kind of stood out using their backhand a lot. I always tried to work on it, but on top of that, it was something I was comfortable with."
Crosby's excellence on the backhand isn't confined to his shot. Crosby can do it all with that side of the stick: Shoot, pass, stickhandle.
Johnston said Hall-of-Famer Jean Beliveau's play on the backhand compared to Crosby's. Bourque cited Chicago's Patrick Kane among current players but added, "I'm afraid to even say anybody, because it's such a distant second [behind Crosby]."
So, if Crosby got a clear-cut chance in overtime, would he rather have the puck on his forehand, or backhand?
"That's a good question," said Crosby, smiling. "I never thought about that.
"It's good to be comfortable on both. It just gives you more options. You can play the game more freely knowing you can go to your backhand."
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
