Sidney Crosby and Team Canada dominated Team Russia in the Gold Medal game of the 2015 World Hockey Championships by a score of 6-1. Canada's depth was way too much for the Russian side to handle.
Russia may be able to match Canada with their ultra high end forwards but they cannot overcome their weak defense depth. Russia will continue to struggle against Canada until they start to produce better defenseman. Canada came wave after wave with controlled zone entry after controlled zone entry. Canada's defense set the table for their forwards, the Russian defense not so much.
While the game was not that close it was still excellent to see skill at the forefront. The game was aesthetically pleasing and allowed the players who were the best on that game day to succeed. That is how it should be.
Sidney Crosby did what he does best, score goals in Gold Medal games. This is the third consecutive (Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, Prague 2015) Gold Medal game Crosby has found the back of the net.
Sidney Crosby is now one of the most accomplished international players of not only his time but any era.
I added wrong. Canada is 30-4 all time with Crosby in international competition. You get the point.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) May 17, 2015
Photo of Sidney Crosby receiving the #TripleGoldClub from @IIHFHockey President Rene Fasel. http://t.co/zkrRgxGgSH pic.twitter.com/MpJTAzggCv
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 18, 2015
Sidney Crosby receiving Triple Gold Club honour in Prague. #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/0XM27QlO3j
— Bryan Mudryk (@BryanMudryk) May 17, 2015
Yeah.. "@SNstats Crosby joins Sakic, Pronger as the only players w/ Olympic Gold, Stanley Cup, World Champ Gold, World Jr. Gold, Hart Trophy
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewWGR) May 17, 2015
Sidney Crosby is the only player ever to do all of those things while also winning an Art Ross Trophy. I also believe he is the only one to do so as the Captain of each of these teams.
I believe we all tend to take Sidney Crosby for granted. Everybody already knows he is great so his accomplishments get glossed over. When you take a step back and look at all the things he has already accomplished in his career it is staggering.
Here are some Crosby moments from the Gold Medal game:
GIF: Crosby goal that made it 3-0 http://t.co/kfBYMeK8VY
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 17, 2015Time and space. Something for a cornucopia of reasons doesn't happen enough when playing in NHL.
GIF: Giroux makes it 5-0 pic.twitter.com/VZZCryWxvj
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 17, 2015Yep, that is Flyers superstar Claude Giroux on the other end of that great setup. Also worth noting where Crosby is on this power play setup. Almost as if him playing down low can lead to positive results...
Not everything went smooth for Crosby in the game
lol pic.twitter.com/VPSbuyPrEv
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 17, 2015
It is easier to laugh things off with a huge lead.
GIF laughing on the bench after Crosby fell off pic.twitter.com/JidV4q4f1J
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 17, 2015I didn't forget about the Penguins other superstar. Evgeni Malkin scored Russia's lone goal
looks like Malkin deflected this in http://t.co/KBg1MugIkm
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 17, 2015Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin share a tight bond that only superstar teammates with incredible pressure can understand. Crosby knows how much winning means and knows how much his close friend wants to win as well.
Malkin could have blown up Sid but left his foot off the gas pedal
The two embraced afterwards.
OMG heartbreaking-heartwarming RT @clairelybetter: @Steve_Dangle Crosby/Malkin friendship vs Crosby/Ovi rivalry??? pic.twitter.com/ccfDMEzsxY
— Helena' (@helena_glare) May 18, 2015
Pittsburgh is so incredibly lucky to have both world class players.
Evgeni Malkin along with megastar Alex Ovechkin showed an incredible amount of class after the game
Only three Russians who stayed to listen to the Canadian national anthem were Ovi, Malkin, Tikhonov. #DearthOfManhood http://t.co/VnCJTcwe10
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) May 17, 2015
Sidney was busy after the game
Sidney Crosby kolmen kullan klubiin. Stanley Cup, kaksin kappalein olympiakultaa, nyt myösmaailmanmestari. #mmkisat pic.twitter.com/Joh4aXNRoG
— Matias Strozyk (@MaStrozyk) May 17, 2015
Captain Crosby speaks to the media following his gold medal win at the 2015 World Championship. https://t.co/a751YAJj7M
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 18, 2015
It was an absolute treat to watch Sidney Crosby play with time and space in this tournament. It was an added bonus he saw time with Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. The sport of hockey was on full display for what it could be and should be.
Congratulations to Team Canada on the Gold Medal.
Congratulations to Sidney Crosby who deserves every single bit of his success. Truly an all time great.
Thanks for reading!
Follow me on twitter Follow @GunnerStaal