Mark Madden: Sidney Crosby's rallying moments just mean more in Pittsburgh

Wednesday night at Utah was the essence of Sidney Crosby as a Penguin.

He cuts through the slot like a magician to bury a trademark backhand in overtime. It’s the Penguins’ first visit to Salt Lake City. Lots of Penguins jerseys in the stands. Big pop for the finish.

It will turn out to be a meaningless game in a meaningless Penguins season.

But moments like that have weight, even in such grim context.

They provide a glimpse into the past, and hope for the future.

The Penguins’ younger players see that and marvel. So do those climbing the ladder at the Penguins’ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm club. So do prospects like Harrison Brunicke and Tanner Howe playing Major Junior.

It’s a rallying moment for everyone connected to the organization, not least the fans.

In a different jersey, that’s just another goal.

In a Penguins jersey, it gets piled on top of three Stanley Cups, 607 prior goals, all those stats, all those awards, all that glory.

In Pittsburgh, it’s cumulative.

In Pittsburgh, it means more.

The ex-journeyman and former minor-leaguers who clutter the hockey media and want to trade Crosby don’t understand. They never had that connection.

If you play for 7-8 teams and have minimal impact, nobody cares when you come or go. You’re interchangeable. No lasting impact. Barely any impact at all.

But there’s a bond between Crosby and the Penguins. Crosby and Pittsburgh.

There’s more than one way to build a legacy.

Mark Messier won five Stanley Cups in Edmonton, the last after Wayne Gretzky had left. Then he went to New York and led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup since World War II. Messier is a legend in two places.

Or you can be Ray Bourque and pimp yourself out for a Stanley Cup you didn’t really earn. Your only Cup.

Or you can be Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman and have one jersey. One logo.

I’m still buzzing about Crosby’s goal at Utah.

A gem in the middle of a compost heap. That’s what great players do.

That’s the connection between Crosby, the logo, the city and the fans.

Help may be on the way.

Winger Ville Koivunen had four goals for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in their 9-0 rout of defending American Hockey League champ Hershey on Wednesday.

Koivunen came to the Penguins as part of last season’s Jake Guentzel trade.

Koivunen is 21. He can fly. He’s skilled. He can score.

It’s a process with no clear-cut timeline. But with Crosby looking ageless and a pipeline being built, perhaps the Penguins can again make the playoffs during Crosby’s tenure.

That would mean more than a rented Stanley Cup elsewhere.

Crosby has three Stanley Cups. Most of those clamoring for Crosby to be traded never won even one of those.