DENVER -- People like to throw out the term 'vintage Sidney Crosby' pretty often.
It's usually after one of his classic backhanders, a shot that's probably stronger than some other players' shots on their forehand.
Crosby's second-period goal in the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Avalanche on Wednesday night at Ball Arena was one of those moments. But it begs the question ... is it really vintage Crosby if he's still doing things like this on a regular basis?
It was the start of the second period, and P.O Joseph chipped the puck high in the air and out of the Penguins' end. Jake Guentzel knocked the puck down from midair and passed it up to Crosby.
Crosby had a great move to get past the Colorado defense. He had Jack Johnson and Samuel Girard in front of him, and it at first looked like Crosby was going to split the defense. He moved between them, then quickly pulled back and to the right of Girard, getting Girard spun around and getting himself wide-open. He finished with his trademark lethal backhand shot:
Naturally, a flood of 'Vintage Crosby!' comments from fans and media outlets alike came out on social media afterward. The thing is, though, we see backhand goals from Crosby like that several times a season. This one from November against the Maple Leafs comes to mind, with Crosby pulling a similar move to get past the defensemen then unleashing his weapon of a backhand:
I asked Crosby after this game what he thinks about those 'vintage' comments.
"As long as it goes in, people can call it whatever they want," Crosby said with a grin. "That's the main thing."
It does have a 'vintage' feel for Mike Sullivan, who remembers being a coach on the opposing end of some of those hard backhand shots from Crosby long ago.
"That's one of his signature goals," Sullivan said. "I remember those goals when I was coaching against him way back when. He just has a nasty backhand. It's really deceptive, it's hard to pick up. You don't know where it's going when it comes off of his stick. I think it's one of the best backhands in the league. To suggest that it's a 'vintage' Crosby goal, I would say yes."
The goal was Crosby's 30th of the season, marking the 11th time in his 18-year career that he has hit the 30-goal plateau. He ties Mario Lemieux for the most 30-goal seasons in franchise history, and becomes just the 10th player in NHL history to record at least 11 30-goal seasons with one team, and just the 19th player to have at least 11 30-goal seasons total. He's the first player in league history to record a 30-goal season at both age 18 and age 35.
Crosby, at 35 years old, isn't showing any signs of slowing down. He'll be keeping those 'vintage' moves in style for a few more years to come.
