It’s officially day 94 of the NHL lockout and Sidney Crosby has an abundance of free time on his hands. Whether he’s building a new home, rocking out at a Justin Bieber concert, or helping out one of his buddies in a ball hockey league, Crosby never fails to make himself useful.

On Friday night, he attended a 26-and-over ball hockey game at Dek Star rink in Pittsburgh, strapped on some goalie gear, and snuck his way into the net. His opponents had no idea who they were up against until late in the game when it was revealed that the greatest active hockey player in the world was blocking their shots…and all of them at that. Crosby posted a 4-0 shutout in his goaltending debut.

Via the Post Gazette:

“My buddy plays in the league there. I talked to him about playing,” Crosby said. “I played a lot of goalie in street hockey growing up and stuff. Just asked if he needed a goalie. He said sure and I came out. It was cool.”

Due to his equipment, the presence of hockey’s most recognizable figure was not known by those at the rink until late in the contest. “I had all the [goaltending] gear on,” Crosby said. “I was talking to the ref once toward the end of the game and I think he recognized me.”

“My referee walked over just to kind of say, ‘Hey, you’re not the normal goalie. It’s about time they get a goalie.’ ” said Chris Evans, general manager of Dek Star. “Instead, he looked at him and he was like, ‘Holy [cow] that’s Sidney Crosby.’ “

That’s a pretty awesome move on Crosby’s part. A few hours out of his day will certainly be a lifelong, treasured memory for all of those guys.

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Via Puck Daddy

Image Via Joseph Heaney