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“When your leaders are playing the game the right way, your team is going to be successful. He does a lot of things the right way when it comes to playing hockey. For a guy like me to watch, you pick things up. His strength. The plays he makes with and without the puck. His vision. The way he jumps into open space. Everything that makes him the best player in the world.

“He just makes everything seem so effortless.”

— Mike Zeisberger[/np_storybar]

SIDNEY CROSBY

“We’ve known each other for a long time. And we’ve grown with experiences right away.

“I think it just comes down to: we both like to support the puck. We both like to create turnovers. Neither one of us likes to wait for things to happen. We like to dictate things a little bit with turnovers and jump on pucks. The fact that (Bergeron) can play both positions — centre and wing — that kind of helps. There are some different situations where you have to be flexible out on the ice. I think the give-and-go game is one we like to play.

“When it comes to chemistry with us, it doesn’t really take any time at all. As soon as we get out there, there’s chemistry there. When you are lucky to find chemistry like that with someone, you hope you can produce and you hope you can make things happen. Hopefully can contine to do that.”

PATRICE BERGERON

“I think the chemistry was there right away, A lot of it has to do with the fact that we do a lot of communicating on and off the ice.

“In my case, I’m just trying to read plays, play my game and read what he’s going to do. He’s always a step ahead of everyone, so I have to make sure I read off of that to read that.

“Look at (Saturday vs. the Czech Republic). He was amazing. He gave the energy and jump we needed as a team and we fed off of him. We’ve done that for a few years now.

“His speed and the way he makes plays at full speed opens up a lot of things on the ice. He does a lot of things like back-checking that doesn’t go unnoticed by his teammates. You realize what is going on and how much of a special player he is.”