Crosby's fellow All Stars unsurprised at his 'unbelievable' play at age 36

TORONTO -- Sidney Crosby is 36 years old. He's on pace for his highest goal total in 14 seasons. And for the 10th time in his career, he's an All Star. 

The season Crosby is having at his age may come as a surprise to some in the hockey world ... but definitely not to his fellow All Stars this week here in Toronto. They see him up close on a regular basis, and they're not surprised at all to see Crosby still tearing up the league in his mid-30s. 

"It's unbelievable," Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin told me. "Playing against him, it doesn't feel like he's aged a year since I came into the league. He's so hard to play against. He's got so much speed and he's so smart. The way he plays with his line too, you really have to be on your toes when you play against him."

That speed from Crosby is measurable and documented. Per the NHL EDGE player and puck-tracking data, Crosby's top speed this season is 22.88 miles per hour, better than 84% of the league's forwards. He hits the 20-mile-per-hour mark more often than 91% of the league's forwards. He hasn't lost a step.

"It's incredible," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. "He's a guy that anytime you see him, anytime you watch him play, he's got that 'wow' factor. He just continues to wow people. He carries himself very well, I got to talk to him at the media tour a little bit earlier this year. He's just a great player for the game of hockey. We go at it and we play hard when we're playing against each other, but he's a well-respected guy around the league. It's pretty incredible what he's able to do."

The Flyers' Travis Konecny pointed to Crosby's consistency as something that he can't help but marvel.

"You know, it's not surprising to us, because when you play against him you realize how good he is every time you step on the ice," Konecny said. "So as players, we're not surprised but maybe for the people on the outside looking in it's shocking. It's impressive how every single year he contributes to his team and finds a way to be so consistent."

That awe of Crosby's consistency was echoed by the Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho: 

"Every time you play against him you have to be highly alert that he's on the ice when he's on the ice," Aho said. "He's just very consistent, very good overall. He's not just only scoring goals, but he plays the game well both ways. It's not an easy matchup to play against. It's great to see. He's one of the best players in the league and to ever play the game. So it's quite remarkable that what he's doing at this age too."

Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner is a few years younger than Crosby at 30, and is at an age where he says he remembers watching Crosby play "growing up" but has also played against Crosby for quite some time, being a division rival for the last 11 years.

"He just seems to be getting better, honestly," Jenner said of Crosby. "He's such a good player all over the ice every time we play him. He's a dominating player that continues to get better and it shows. This year he's having another great year, credit to him and what he does away from the rink to keep himself getting better and playing at this pace at his age."

It sounded like some of Crosby's fellow stars wouldn't be too surprised to see him around at future All-Star Games, either.

"If he wants to play until he's 50, I think he could," the Rangers Vincent Trocheck said. "He does all the right things. He's the kind of guy that they way he plays, I think he could do it as long as he wants. He's a complete player, a 200-foot player. Whatever you need him to do, he's going to do it."

If anyone here knows Crosby, it's his former assistant coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet, who earned the right to coach at the All-Star Game for his Canucks' division-leading record, got a little reminder of Crosby's dominance on Jan. 11 in Pittsburgh. The Canucks had a 3-1 lead over the Penguins after 20 minutes that night, but goals from Crosby in the second and third periods tied the game and forced overtime, willing his team to earn a point in the standings before falling in overtime.

"We played (Pittsburgh) three weeks ago and he was the best player on the ice," Tocchet said. "He was incredible. Sid's game is as good as it's been. It's hard to say that, but even this year is better than the last couple years. And he played great the last couple years. For me, his approach to the game, I've never seen an athlete like that."

What Crosby did Thursday is just another example of that approach that has him still playing at this level.

Crosby wasn't at the All-Star player draft or media day. He's not showing up until closer to game on Saturday. He instead spent his day skating and stickhandling alone, while on his vacation in Montana. He was captured on video by High Button Sports at the scenic Big Sky Ice Rink: 

Crosby lugging his gear out to Montana and securing ice in order to not be off the ice during the brief All-Star break is both incredible to see and entirely unsurprising, knowing him. It's not unlike the three-day holiday break in December, in which he skated alone at the Lemieux Complex the day after Christmas.

Crosby skipping the player draft apparently didn't hurt his stock too much. Nathan MacKinnon selected his buddy with his team's first pick in the draft, with Crosby joining assistant captain Cale Makar and celebrity captain (and maybe the biggest thing in music among the Gen Z crowd right now) Tate McRae. Because Crosby was busy skating in Montana, a kid in a Crosby jersey stood in for him:

MacKinnon's team picked third, with Quinn and Jack Hughes picking for their team second. MacKinnon said that he spoke with the brothers beforehand and told them that in exchange for them not taking Crosby first overall, he would avoid Brock Boeser for Quinn. It's probably fair to say that MacKinnon won that trade.

"My lifelong dreams have come true now," a still-smiling MacKinnon said of drafting Crosby, a player he grew up watching and a fellow Cole Harbour native.

MacKinnon added that he wasn't aware until he got here that Crosby wasn't coming to the draft, and that he tried to text Crosby after he picked him. He said the texts aren't going through, and he (jokingly) worried that Crosby might have blocked him. Luckily for MacKinnon, Crosby just probably isn't getting much reception up in those mountains. Or maybe he has his phone off while he's busy training.

"It'll be cool to play with him in an All-Star Game," MacKinnon said. "We've got some good leadership on the team now and hopefully we can win it."

Saturday's three-on-three contest between the teams should be a fun change from the usual divisional matchup. It should be pretty meaningful for Crosby too, with this being his first All-Star Game ever in his home country of Canada. Capping it off with a win would surely make the experience even more special.

If not ... it wouldn't be surprising to see him get a few more opportunities to play in an All-Star Game in the future. He's not slowing down.