At a time of year when he typically would be laser-focused on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ push to the playoffs and quest to win the Stanley Cup for a fourth time with him as captain, the hockey-obsessed Sidney Crosby instead has found himself immersed in … Formula 1 racing?
To pass the time during Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Crosby has discovered the Netflix docu-series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”
“I’ve been glued to that show,” Crosby said during a video conference call with media. “I’m all for the Formula 1. And I think everyone will be interested to see the behind-the-scenes stuff and how things work and the competition between drivers. That stuff was pretty interesting not knowing anything about it (before).”
Crosby has been reduced to some late-March Netflix binging because — like the rest of us — he is under stay-at-home orders from Wolf as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
So in his first public comments since the NHL suspended its season March 12, Crosby joined fellow Metropolitan Division stars Claude Giroux, Jordan Staal and Marc Staal in a league-run Zoom call that was heavy on what players are doing to stay in shape and combat boredom.
The league has instructed teams to close their facilities. Ice rinks across the continent are closed, too. Crosby indicated his home in Pittsburgh’s northern suburbs isn’t heavy on workout equipment.
“You make the best with what you have,” he said. “Try to be professional as best we can and be in the best shape we can possibly be in with the situation. There’s nothing like skating, but you make the best of it.”
A 32-year-old hockey lifer, Crosby had a blank stare to offer when an NHL spokesman asked the players what their favorite video games are. His music choice? A little-known Canadian band that hasn’t released an album in a decade and hasn’t toured in six years, Great Big Sea.
At least he has his teammates to keep him (virtual) company.
“Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to keep in touch with everybody, and everyone has a group chat,” Crosby said. “We keep things light, and also if you need something done or something figured out, you can do that.”
The Penguins’ most recent bout with normalcy was the afternoon of March 11, when they practiced in Columbus. By that evening, the Blue Jackets announced the scheduled game between the teams the next day would be played in front of no fans, by order of Ohio’s governor.
That was when the covid-19 crisis hit home to Crosby.
“Right away,” he said, “we knew it was serious.”
By early the next afternoon, the NHL announced the suspension of its season, and the Penguins traveled back to Pittsburgh, where many of them remain — each in his own home.
“I hope everyone stays healthy and stays safe,” Crosby said when prompted for a message for fans. “Obviously, we miss playing, but we appreciate your support through all this. We’ll get through it. Hope to see all of you back out there at some point down the road.”
