Many of the key figures in the Vancouver Canucks’ organization have ties to the Pittsburgh Penguins. From management, the team’s athletic staff, and even players (four of them; five if and when Phil Kessel eventually signs), the Canucks have a healthy dose of Penguins flavour.
This also means that many members of the Canucks’ organization have crossed paths with Sidney Crosby at some point in their careers.
Rick Tocchet, Patrik Allvin, and Jim Rutherford know Crosby especially well, and Allvin certainly wasn’t shy about making it crystal clear that they felt Crosby was the gold standard for being a leader in the NHL.
“Maybe it’s not even fair… coming from Pittsburgh, where Sidney Crosby is driving the practice every day,” Allvin noted while watching a Canucks practice back in 2022. “Like, he is the driver every day. I think that a lot of these younger guys, they have to understand that playing in the National Hockey League is tough. You’ve got to prepare yourself every single day to be the best. I think that’s something that I want to emphasize more, how you prepare yourself.”
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet ran the power play on those cup-winning Penguins teams, where his greatest weapon was of course Crosby.
With how bad the Penguins have been this season (and with how good Crosby has been at 36 years old), it’s got many fans around the NHL dreaming up scenarios where their team makes a trade that gets Crosby out of Pittsburgh. While this will almost certainly never happen, nobody’s going to blame you for dreaming.
But the NHL will blame you for tampering if you’re dreaming aloud and are a prominent individual working for an NHL organization. And Rick Tocchet knows this.
Following the Canucks’ practice on Monday, Tocchet spoke to reporters and was asked about how much he talks to Allvin and Rutherford about the club’s NHL trade deadline strategy and needs.
“I think throughout the year, the communication’s been great. Patrik and I have a great relationship, we communicate. So he knows what we’re trying to do and I know what he’s trying to do. At this time of year, he’ll bounce some ideas, you know, they talk about players all the time, I mean, that’s their job. But most of the time, I just kind of worry about the players in my room right now.”
As a follow-up, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre asked Tocchet a simple question: “Can he get Sidney for you?”
“I don’t want to tamper,” jokes Tocchet, with a big smile on his face.
Here’s Rick Tocchet talking about his involvement in the #Canucks trade deadline strategy, and his answer when asked if the team can go out and get him Sidney Crosby 🤭😂
🎥: @Canucks pic.twitter.com/roSOpsvSlI
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) March 5, 2024
Crosby, who turns 37 in August, is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024-25 NHL season. With the Penguins clearly in need of a rebuild, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Crosby’s NHL career.
