Dave Dameshek

Again, scoreboard tells the tale.

Sidney Crosby, one half of the guys who saved the sport, saved the league near the turn of the millennium.

Sidney Crosby, let's take him at the height of his powers.

Let's say 2012-ish.

Let's send him to 1983 in exchange for 1983 edition Wayne Gretzky to modern times.

How's that go for the two players?

Yes, when you do this game, when you do an exercise like this, yes, the modern player would be better than somebody from 30 years ago.

But as much as we can sort of blur that, those elements, like, you know.

Famously, like Mario Lemieux, for instance, would say, oh, the season's about to start.

I better stop smoking those nails and eating the fries on the side of my sandwich.

Literally, that was his training regimen to get right.

That wouldn't be the case in the year of the Lord, 2026.

I think he, you know, even the generational differences, strength and all of that, I think he would overwhelm with his wheels, first of all.

And like you say, I don't think it's owed to modern training regimens so much as it is just what the hockey gods gave him, which is those Earl Campbell-sized thighs.

If you've ever been around Crosby in person.

It's striking.

You're like, my God, your lower half is something inhuman.

I don't know what you got going.

I'm not working blue when I say that, by the way, about his lower half.

I'm just talking about his two legs.