Music Banter - Sidney Crosby quickly shifts into high gear

Sidney Crosby quickly shifts into high gear
Crosby seemed to be shifting into high gear when he took the puck and got a step on defenseman Andrew McDonald before scoring with a quick-release backhander into the top of the net for the first goal in Pittsburgh's 5-0 win against the New York Islanders.
"We haven't seen it quite like that in a long time," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "To see him get the puck right there, I knew immediately their defense was in trouble. We've seen stuff like that before, but it kind of played out in slow motion."
It was only announced Sunday at 3 p.m. ET that Crosby was playing Monday, but the buzz in Pittsburgh was reminiscent of 2000 when Mario Lemieux came out of retirement.
Bylsma said he doesn't usually come out for warm-ups, but he did Monday to see the reception for Crosby.
"It was amazing," Crosby said. "I expected fans to be loud, but that was far beyond what I expected."
Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had a 29-save shutout, but he said not many fans will remember that after Crosby's performance. "The atmosphere was very electric," Fleury said.
Crosby played almost a minute on his first shift, and Bylsma said he talked to Crosby about managing that better. "He had been out there for a while," Bylsma said. "I said he had been out there 55 seconds, and he said it felt like a minute and 40."
In the first period, Islanders defenseman Milan Jurcina was penalized for cross-checking Crosby. Crosby also got hit hard by Travis Hamonic.
"You hear him get smashed up against the boards, and everyone looked down there," Kunitz said. "But he just stuck with it because it's part of the game."
Crosby was mad at himself for putting himself in position to get hit. "I was standing up straight," he said. "I was a pretty easy target. … There are going to be more hits, and probably harder ones. So to come out of that OK gives me some reassurance."
Although Crosby looked comfortable, he said aspects of his game had rust on them. "Pucks at my feet, little things, game situations that you have to get used to again," he said. "But there are things I have to improve on. I didn't play a whole lot, and I have to get ready."