Philosophy and Spirituality

[cosmoworld7]

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has accomplished a lot for a hockey player who's just 22 years of age. Frankly, he's accomplished a lot for a player of 35.

Faced with a tremendous amount of hype to live up to - none of it of his own making - he did exactly that, leading the Pens to a Stanley Cup victory last June and claiming several individual accolades along the way, more than surpassing the mantle of "the Next One" that was placed on him when he was still in just his mid-teens.

But there's one thing Crosby has never done that may surprise some fans of the game: score 50 goals in a season. In fact, he hasn't even come all that close; in 2005-06, his rookie season, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native scored 39 goals, still the most times he's lit the lamp in an NHL campaign.

This season could be different though. As 2009-10 rolls on, Crosby is on pace to hit that elusive 50-goal mark for the first time, a fact that he's chalking up to a newfound sense of poise and self-assurance.

"I think anyone who scores or any offensive player will tell you (that) you build confidence the more you see the puck go in and from different areas as well, so definitely you need to have a sense of confidence if you want to score consistently," says Crosby.

There's also a constant hunger for self-improvement.

"I think I always want more. I want more goals, I want more assists," Crosby says. "That's the way you have to think. You have to want to improve, you have to want more."

Pens head coach Dan Bylsma says that it's the general headspace of successful people in any area of life.

"It's a way of living life that I think people who continue to get better and get the most out of themselves have," says Bylsma. "It's, 'How can I get better? How can I improve? Are there different ways? Different avenues? And then how do I do it?'. You don't see too many great players - great people in their fields - that don't have a similar mindset."


from tsn.ca http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=305850