'Just a great man': Sidney Crosby remembers fellow Nova Scotian and NHLer Lowell MacDonald

Sidney Crosby is remembering fellow Nova Scotian Lowell MacDonald, a former NHLer who died Sunday, as an inspiration to his career.

"With Nova Scotia, there wasn't a ton of players that came out of there," said Crosby in a post-practice media scrum Thursday.

"You knew the history, you knew who those guys were, you looked up to those guys. The fact that there was a Pittsburgh connection there [with MacDonald] was obviously pretty special."

MacDonald, 84, was a two-time NHL all star who played almost 15 seasons in the league. The forward suited up for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins.

MacDonald was born in Thorburn, N.S., and always considered the province home.

The Pictou County native's obituary said he and his wife, Joyce Smith MacDonald, returned for several months each year to visit family. They had a home in Little Harbour, N.S. MacDonald was an avid golfer, playing countless rounds at the Abercrombie Golf and Country Club.

MacDonald finished his NHL career with 180 goals and 390 points in 506 games, last playing in the 1977-78 season.

"Just a great man, and a proud Nova Scotian as well," said Crosby. "I think you always appreciate the guys that you looked up to and that kind of paved the way, and he's definitely one of them."

A focus on education

According to his obituary, during MacDonald's NHL playing days, he went to college for 14 summers, earning bachelor's and master's degrees.

After his playing days were over, MacDonald served as a teacher, hockey coach and athletic director at the University School of Milwaukee, where he stayed for almost two decades.

MacDonald was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1982.

Bruce Rainnie, the hall of fame's president, said he had met MacDonald a few times and called their interactions outstanding.

"This sort of guy, you felt better when the conversation was over than you did when it started," he said.

Rainnie said MacDonald's career was plagued by knee injuries, but he didn't let that stop him.

MacDonald did not play in the 1971-72 season, but bounced back the following season scoring a near-career best 75 points, winning the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy. The trophy is given to the NHL player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

Rainnie said it was probably a no-brainer placing MacDonald in the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.

"It's proof that you can come from the second smallest province in the country, in a small little area like Thorburn, and through a passion for a sport and hard work and diligence, reach the very top," said Rainnie.

A celebration of life will be held in Little Harbour this summer.

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