Sidney Crosby notoriously is not a fan of change, especially when it comes to his equipment. But with the IIHF now requiring neck guards in international tournaments, Crosby was forced to change up his gear for this year's World Championship.
He complied with the rule in the most Crosby-like fashion possible.
Crosby played Game 1 of the tournament in a new CCM neck guard and went scoreless in Canada's win over Slovenia. He made a change for Game 2 against Latvia, rocking an Itech neck guard, a brand that hasn't existed since 2008.
It's his own old neck guard that he used to wear in junior hockey as a teenager:
GETTY
QMJHL
Crosby had three assists in a win over Latvia, and stuck with the old neck guard for Canada's third game against France, a game in which Crosby scored his first goal of the tournament.
"I haven't worn a neck guard in a long time," Crosby told Swedish outlet SVT Sport. "I happened to find this three or four months ago. I just put it aside, not thinking I'd need to use it. Sure enough, a few months later, it's a rule to have one. It worked out well that I found it when I did. It's something I wore for a long time, so it's pretty comfortable."
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
7:45 pm - 05.15.2025DowntownCrosby brings back old equipment
Sidney Crosby notoriously is not a fan of change, especially when it comes to his equipment. But with the IIHF now requiring neck guards in international tournaments, Crosby was forced to change up his gear for this year's World Championship.
He complied with the rule in the most Crosby-like fashion possible.
Crosby played Game 1 of the tournament in a new CCM neck guard and went scoreless in Canada's win over Slovenia. He made a change for Game 2 against Latvia, rocking an Itech neck guard, a brand that hasn't existed since 2008.
It's his own old neck guard that he used to wear in junior hockey as a teenager:
GETTY
QMJHL
Crosby had three assists in a win over Latvia, and stuck with the old neck guard for Canada's third game against France, a game in which Crosby scored his first goal of the tournament.
"I haven't worn a neck guard in a long time," Crosby told Swedish outlet SVT Sport. "I happened to find this three or four months ago. I just put it aside, not thinking I'd need to use it. Sure enough, a few months later, it's a rule to have one. It worked out well that I found it when I did. It's something I wore for a long time, so it's pretty comfortable."
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