It's no secret that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is widely regarded and respected throughout every level of hockey.
And on Tuesday, he received a rare, prestigious honor from one of Canada's major junior leagues.
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) - which features Crosby's old junior team, the Rimouski Oceanics - announced Tuesday that all future recipients of its Rookie of the Year award, starting this season, will receive the Sidney Crosby Trophy in honor of the Penguins' captain.
“Some of my fondest memories of hockey come from my time in the QMJHL playing for the Océanic,” Crosby said. “It is an absolute honor to have the league’s Rookie of the Year trophy named after me.”
The award is a fitting honor for Crosby, who had a very impressive junior career. He posted 54 goals and 135 points in just 59 games during his rookie season in Rimouski, which earned him the Rookie of the Year distinction himself. He followed that up with 66 goals and 168 points in 62 games in his 2004-05 junior season, which preceded his first overall lottery selection by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Throughout the course of his 20-year NHL career, Crosby has amassed 609 goals and 1,654 points in 1,327 games.
"It means a lot," Crosby said. "I have so many great memories. That's a reward in itself. This kind of stuff... you don't expect it, but it means a lot. And the memories, the friendships... that's more than enough. But, this makes it extra special, definitely."
The timing of the announcement came just prior to the 4 Nations Face-off, which will feature Crosby suiting up for Team Canada for the ninth time in his playing career. This includes a U18 appearance, two World Junior Championships, two Olympic games, two World Championships, and one World Cup of Hockey appearance.
Team Canada - captained by Crosby - will kick off the tournament when it faces Team Sweden on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET. That game will also feature two other Penguins in Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson - an assistant captain - both representing Sweden.
