Talk about hockey lineage.
When the Shattuck-St. Mary's School girls' prep hockey team opens its season this weekend, there will be a Lemieux and a Crosby on the ice -- Stephanie Lemieux, the 15-year-old daughter of Penguins owner Mario Lemieux, and Taylor Crosby, the 14-year-old sister of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby.
"They're just regular teenage girls. They're hard working and dedicated," Shattuck coach Dan Koch said Wednesday. "They just go about their business like any other kids here. They're very focused in both hockey and academics."
Of course, Taylor isn't the first Crosby to lace 'em up at the prestigious school in Minnesota. No. 87 spent a season there in 2002-03, scoring 72 goals and 162 points in 57 games. Now, Taylor is following in his footsteps, although she's a netminder, not a center.
Sidney told ESPN.com on Wednesday that he had mixed feelings about Taylor's move to Shattuck.
"I'm really happy for her, but I'm also sad to see her leave home," said big brother. "She's young, she's my little sister, so to see her leaving home, it's probably hit me a little more. She's really grown up. But I'm happy for her. She's really happy at the school. I had a great experience there and she's enjoyed herself from the start, both in school and hockey-wise. It's a nice opportunity for her."
Parents Trina and Troy Crosby are now empty-nesters at the family home in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
"We took Taylor down to Shattuck in late August," Troy told ESPN.com Wednesday. "Just being back there again after taking Sidney there eight years ago, it brought back lots of good memories. It's a great environment for kids to go to school and play sports there. It's a proud moment for me to see her there. It's hard to say goodbye, but I'm proud of her."
Troy was also a goalie, drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. So Taylor has a good mentor in net. It also doesn't hurt to have a superstar NHLer to practice with.
"I actually shot on her this summer for the first time," said Sidney. "We had never done that before. She's good, she's really good. I wasn't afraid to let a couple go and she stood in there pretty good. It was a lot of fun."
