‘Absolute Honor’: QMJHL Names Trophy After Sidney Crosby

Beginning now, every rookie sensation that passes through the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League will be chasing the Sidney Crosby Award.

In advance of the Four Nations Face-Off tournament, the QMJHL announced that beginning this year, the Rookie of the Year trophy will be named in Crosby’s honor.

Crosby was a dominant force during his junior career with the Rimouski Océanic. In his rookie year, he had 135 points in 59 games. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native followed up his spectacular rookie campaign with 168 points in just 62 games in his second season before being drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the league-wide lottery draft of 2005.

The Penguins had just a 6% chance of getting the first overall pick. Anaheim got the second pick and selected Bobby Ryan.

Crosby’s NHL career hasn’t gone terribly, either. He has tallied 609 goals and 1,045 assists in 1,327 games, won three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, two Art Ross scoring titles, and two Maurice Richard goal-scoring titles. Of course, he also scored the Golden Goal which lifted Team Canada to gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver.

Crosby is a member of the rare Triple Gold club, having won the Cup, a Gold Medal, and the World Championships. He also captained Team Canada to the 2006 World Junior Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

“Some of my fondest memories of hockey come from my time in the QMJHL playing for the Océanic,” said Crosby via a press release. “It is an absolute honor to have the league’s Rookie of the Year trophy named after me.”