NHL insider reveals how Sidney Crosby turned other players into fanboys after 4 Nations Face-Off

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared how Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby gained more respect from players at the 4 Nations Face-Off. On Friday's "32 Thoughts" podcast, Friedman said many young Canadian players had never played with Crosby before, and seeing him up close made them admire him even more.

"The respect is just enormous for him," Friedman said [23:18]. "The Four Nations, the way the other players talked about him, the other Canadians."

Josh Morrissey, who played for Canada, said Crosby’s impact was huge. He said many players returned to their teams, hailing Crosby’s attitude, work ethic and leadership. They were impressed by how he treated others and prepared for games.

"In Winnipeg, one of the guys I talked to today was Josh Morrissey. And Morrissey obviously played for Team Canada there, and I thought he made a really incredible point about Crosby," Friedman said. "He said that there's a whole new group of players who never played with Sid before because there's no best-on-best, and they got the opportunity to play with him.

"And he said what it created was a whole new legion of Crosby fanboys among players. Like, obviously, they saw him, and they respect him, but the room saw him on a day-to-day basis."

Crosby helped Canada win the tournament, finishing with five points in four games. He had one goal and one assist in a 5-3 win over Finland. He also had three assists in a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden. Canada lost 3-1 to the USA in the round-robin but won 3-2 in the final. Crosby played 19:13 minutes in the championship game.

"He (Morrissey) says they're all going back to their teams and talking about how incredible it was to play with him for a week and a half," Friedman said. "And it's everything from the way he treats people to the way he takes care of himself, to his attitude—always positive, relaxed. 'We're gonna work it out.' Like, everything about him."

Sidney Crosby has earned respect throughout his career. He scored the "Golden Goal" in the 2010 Olympics to win gold for Canada, and his leadership continues to inspire both teammates and opponents.

Elliotte Friedman called Sidney Crosby's 20-year career "unbelievable"

Elliotte Friedman said many players told their teammates about Sidney Crosby, which he saw as a big compliment. He explained that people can either talk about themselves or let others do it. In Crosby’s case, other players praised him.

"There's a whole new group of players talking great about Crosby—not just what he does on the ice but what he does off it—because of what they saw at Four Nations," Friedman said. "So, I guess I can't be surprised. He's been about it for 20 years because everything he does is just unbelievable."

On Friday, Sidney Crosby also made another NHL history. He became the first player to average a point per game for 20 straight seasons, surpassing Wayne Gretzky with 19 seasons. This season, he has 26 goals and 54 assists for 80 points, ranking 11th in the league.