Team Canada Coach Bestows Highest Praise On Penguins’ Sidney Crosby

BOSTON — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby is one of the best hockey players on the planet.

Canada head coach Jon Cooper had the perfect quote to sum up Crosby’s importance to the sport.

“He, in our country, he walks on water,” Cooper said of the Penguins and Team Canada captain. “He is as humble as they come, and you can see why he is arguably one of the most respected people in this game.”

Crosby has five points in three games to lead all skaters in the 4 Nations Face-Off, but regardless of his production on the ice, Cooper had more praise for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

“You see somebody from afar, and then you don’t want to be disappointed when you meet them,” Cooper said. “You want to meet your hero, and you want them to be your hero. And to be honest, a lot of the time, that doesn’t happen.

“… You look at them in a certain light. Well, the light that you look at Sidney Crosby is still the same light when you meet him. And he’s been a true inspiration to all the young guys in our locker room and even older guys.”

Even Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who is at the helm for Team USA, expressed the importance Crosby has in the game of hockey at the international and NHL levels.

“I have great respect for Sid and care deeply for him,” Sullivan told reporters on Sunday, per audio provided by Boston Hockey Now’s Andrew Fantucchio. “Him and I have worked together for a long time. He’s a terrific person and a fierce competitor. His body of work in the league and his legacy as a hockey player speaks for itself.”

With Canada and USA set to meet in the 4 Nations championship game, Sullivan made it perfectly clear — he wants to beat Crosby.

“When you get in these types of events, I’m sure he would answer the question the same way I’m going to answer it,” Sullivan said. “He’s going to do everything in his power to try to win. That’s what makes him the champion that he is, from my standpoint.

“I’m going to do everything as the coach of the U.S. team to try to put our guys in positions to be successful, and we’re going to do everything we can to try to help our group win. … It doesn’t diminish for one second how I feel about Sid as a person or a player.”

Puck drop for the USA-Canada 4 Nations final is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from TD Garden on Thursday. The game will air on ESPN.

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