It’s completely crazy to realize that Sidney Crosby, a living legend and one of the best players in NHL history, will never have worn the Montreal Canadiens uniform.
The team of his childhood, his favorite club, where his father was drafted in 1984. And yet, destiny wanted it otherwise.
The incredible coincidence is that he will soon reach the symbolic plateau of 1,600 career points… at the Bell Centre.
An important step in the career of an exceptional player, but one which will remain marked by a bitter taste: Crosby never played for the Habs.
Everything could have been different if the Canadian had won the famous 2005 draft lottery. That year, following the lockout, the NHL organized a special lottery to determine who would get the first pick and select the prodigy Sidney Crosby.
The Canadian had a chance to get his hands on the future franchise player capable of transforming the team single-handedly.
But it was ultimately the Pittsburgh Penguins who won the jackpot, and with it, several Stanley Cups. (3)
In Montreal, the choice then fell in 2005 on Carey Price in fifth place. An exceptional goaltender, certainly, but the story could have been very different if Crosby had been chosen by the CH.
With Crosby in the blue-white-red uniform, the Habs would likely have dominated the league for over a decade, accumulating multiple championships and restoring Montreal to its status as an undisputed powerhouse.
Imagine for a second that the Canadian had drafted Sidney Crosby in 2005. The team would have built a dynasty around him, attracting other stars and multiplying the opportunities to lift the Stanley Cup.
Crosby, as captain of the Canadiens, would have rocked the Bell Center like never before. Montreal fans, with their boundless passion, would have seen one of the best players in the world playing every evening in the colors of CH.
With Crosby leading the attack, the Canadian could very well have done without an elite goaltender like Carey Price, relying instead on a devastating offense.
Several Stanley Cups would have been added to the Habs’ record, and Crosby would have further strengthened the legendary history of the organization.
Unfortunately, Sidney Crosby never played for the Montreal Canadiens. The Bell Center will remain a special place for him, but only as a visitor
When Crosby crosses the 1,600 career point mark in his next game in Montreal (if he collects a point), it will be a moment both historic and symbolic.
A bitter reminder of what his career with the Canadian could have been.
“Yes, I would like to get this point here, but above all I want to win the match,” Crosby said.
Kris Letang admits that Montreal is a special place in Sidney Crosby’s heart.
“Montreal is surely a special place in Sid’s heart. »
This plateau will mark another feat in his career, but there will always be this little thought at the back of the minds of Montreal fans: what if only the Canadian had won the lottery in 2005.
The story of Crosby and the Canadian will remain that of a missed meeting. With each visit to the Bell Centre, nostalgia and regrets are felt.
Crosby could have been the hero of a generation in Montreal, the man who would have brought the Stanley Cup back to the metropolis after decades of waiting.
Instead, he wrote his story in Pittsburgh, but still with a little corner of his heart attached to Montreal.
When he reaches the plateau of 1,600 points at the Bell Centre, it will be a moment full of symbols, a final proof that some dreams never come true.
And yet, according to the statements of renowned journalist Travis Yost of TSN, this dream was closer to reality than one might think.
Yost still maintains today that if Crosby had not signed a two-year extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal would have found itself among the main contenders to obtain the living legend at the trade deadline.
Montreal hockey fans held their breath upon discovering this news. The very idea of imagining Crosby at the Bell Center as a Canadiens player had created an unprecedented wave of excitement and speculation.
“No club would benefit more from hiring Crosby than the Canadiens, due to their relative weakness at center. » (credit: TSN)
Crosby grew up idolizing the Canadiens, his childhood team. The idea of finishing his career in Montreal, where his father was drafted, resonates as obvious on an emotional level.
It would be a poetic end to his career, allowing Crosby to come full circle in a city where he always dreamed of playing. Yost does not hide that Kent Hughes could have convincing arguments to encourage Crosby to join the CH:
“If a team like Montreal, his childhood team and that of his father, shows interest, Crosby could hardly say no”
With Crosby in the lineup, one of the centers like Kirby Dach or Alex Newhook would have been moved to the wing, optimizing the team’s balance.
“With Crosby at center and a strategic repositioning, the CH could not only make the playoffs but also cause surprises. »
The simple fact that TSN is talking about it is enough to give Montreal fans goosebumps. March 6, 2025, the trade deadline, was now circled on all CH fans’ calendars.
We will therefore have to wait until 2027…where the CH will be a real contender.
We will never understand how Crosby did not manage to play for the Montreal Canadiens.
We would have seen one of the greatest players in history mark the end of his career in the city where it all began… at least, in his heart.
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