The National Hockey League took just about every opportunity to trot out Sidney Crosby during his first decade in the league.
Crosby was the featured attraction at the league’s first Winter Classic in 2008, then reached the Stanley Cup finals in consecutive years—finally winning the championship in 2009. He scored the Golden Goal to lift Canada to a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
Even after he suffered a concussion that cost him almost a full calendar year of games—ironically suffered during the 2011 Winter Classic—Crosby returned to the forefront, claiming the Hart Trophy in 2014 while leading the NHL with 104 points and Canada to another Olympic gold.