3x Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby gets compared with MLB star Ken Griffey Jr. on return to Fenway Park for 2023 NHL Winter Classic

<strong>3x Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby gets compared with MLB star Ken Griffey Jr. on return to Fenway Park for 2023 NHL Winter Classic</strong>

Sidney Crosby [Image Credit: NESN]

On Sunday, Pittsburg Penguins captain Sidney Crosby witnessed how fate brings a person to square one from where they started. Crosby, who as a kid visited Fenway Park as a baseball fan, and also as a player returned to the very field years after as an NHL star.

He speaks about how that was the first time he ever saw a professional sports event with his parents. They were on their way back home to Nova Scotia when the young Crosby requested to see a baseball match and maybe take some sovereign home. His request got fulfilled as Sid the Kid got a baseball as a gift.

Crosby stated, “It was a pretty cool experience coming here at a young age”. Now from the very dugout Crosby, the NHL star will emerge, leading his team against the Boston Bruins at the 2023 Winter Classic. It’s a nostalgic feeling. It’s like he came from where he first started his professional sports experience.

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Sidney Crosby’s fate pulls back to Fenway Park not as baseballer but an NHL star

Sidney Crosby [Image Credit: CTV News Atlantic]
Sidney Crosby [Image Credit: CTV News Atlantic]

Unfortunately, Sidney Crosby never got a chance to play at a baseball stadium. They always had their play settled, mostly on football grounds. The 3x Stanley Cup Champion noted that as a kid he used to play both baseball and hockey. 

While he chose hockey as a profession, Mike Rupp (NHL analyst) doubted where he would be as a baseball player. He and Crosby once took a few swings at a local batting cage at PNC Park. Looking at Crosby’s form, Rupp noted, “His lefthanded swing was smooth”. 

“This sounds foolish to say, but I mean this. It was almost like Ken Griffey Jr.” Crosby in memories of the day commented, “I was close a couple times, and then I finally got one”. “I was pretty excited. I mean, I always led off growing up. I was getting on base, but I wasn’t hitting it long. So, to get one there, that was really, really cool.”

Now Crosby is the captain of one of the best National Hockey League teams and has been named ‘The Next One’ for his freakishly outstanding performance. He’s an elite through and through. Currently, he is leading the 2022-23 season with 19 assists and 24 goals.

He is tied for 13th in NHL, with Winnipeg Jets Kyle Connor and Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk. Rupp said, “That guy can do anything that he decides he wants to do”. “I’ve got buddies who’ve played in the big leagues. I’m not saying Sid could hang in the big leagues, but you could tell this guy’s played baseball before. It’s awesome.”

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