It’s not often that two of the NHL’s finest square off head-to-head, but hockey fans will be graced with just that when the Edmonton Oilers travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins on Wednesday night. Reigning Art Ross winner Connor McDavid is viewed by many as the league's top player but still, his head coach Ken Hitchcock believes there’s lots he can learn from Sidney Crosby.
Ahead of their tilt, Hitchcock detailed what makes Crosby so special as a player. He eluded to the Penguins' 4-1 win from Monday night in which Sid dropped a goal and two assists before touching on what Connor can take away from him. Essentially Hitchcock stated that similar to Crosby, Connor is dangerously offensively, however, is still learning the game defensively.
Some pretty high praise from one great to another.
With 65 points, Crosby is still producing at a solid rate offensively but his defensive game has stuck out just as much this season. The 31-year-old is currently rocking a plus/minus +18 with a 55.6 faceoff percentage; good enough for 13th overall in the league. He sits seventh in total draws with 1,197.
We’re sure Connor doesn’t mind seeing this, let’s just remember that he’s NINE years younger than Sid. His best defensive game is likely still to come.
(H/T Wes Crosby)
