PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby's relentlessness remains intact 15 years in. Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan sees it every day.
Every drill in practice, no matter how routine. Every shift during a game, no matter what the score. The player who has helped define his team, his adopted city and his sport for a generation remains as committed to his craft as he was as a kid in Canada firing puck after puck after puck into the dryer in his parent's basement in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
Sullivan's spent the last five-plus years marveling from behind the bench, thankful that the player who gave him “nightmares” when Sullivan coached elsewhere is now sitting in front of him on the bench, setting a standard many emulate but few actually reach.