Sidney Crosby: Taking the Game by Storm

Ian A. Andrews is a high-school social sciences teacher and editor of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association’s Focus.

When he was only 14 years old, Sidney Crosby was anointed by none other
than Wayne Gretzky as the most likely to supplant the “Great One” as
a hockey icon. The NHL even developed a special lottery to select the
team lucky enough to draft him. But does any 18-year-old teenager
warrant a full-length biography by an acclaimed journalist?

Gare Joyce took a chance by investing a substantial number of hours in
researching, watching, interviewing, and writing this book. And like the
selection of Crosby by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Joyce’s gamble has
paid off.

His biography of Crosby emphasizes the teenager’s poise under the
tremendous pressure placed on him from numerous sources as he prepared
for a professional career, the importance of parental support that kept
him grounded, and the wise selection of advisors and agents. Joyce
interviewed scouts, fans, and sports authorities, and followed Crosby on
the ice—both in junior hockey with the Rimouski Oceanic and
representing Canada in international competitions—to construct a
sketch of his subject.

Chronologically organized, Crosby’s journey is traced from minor
hockey, where local parent envy led to the selection of an American prep
school (Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota) to hone his skills. Canadian
junior hockey was carefully chosen as the route to the NHL, as well as
participation on Canada’s under-18 and World Junior teams.

Crosby is not portrayed as a larger-than-life figure, but as an
approachable young man, who understands his prodigious talent and has
been conditioned to a future in the public spotlight. Joyce is convinced
that Crosby is “the genuine article,” a dynamic leader who will
dominate in professional hockey. This is an enjoyable account of
hockey’s next one.