Before joining the QMJHL with the Rimouski Océanic, Sidney Crosby played in the Shattuck-St-Mary's program and was looking for the ideal springboard to the NHL. That's when Doris Labonté came into his life. The Oceanic head coach at the time was an incredible mentor to the current Penguins captain. Despite the relentless media demands and his hectic schedule, Crosby didn't hesitate to send a touching message to acknowledge his relationship with Labonté, who passed away on Thursday. <q>Doris had such a positive impact on me as a young player and even today as an NHL player. I'm grateful for the friendship we developed and the incredible memories we had together. I will miss Doris and send my condolences to the entire family. - Sidney Crosby</q> The relationship between the two men was much more than a simple player-to-coach bond. Doris was the man who convinced Crosby to join the QMJHL and the Océanic. They won the President Cup in 2005, just before Crosby was drafted number one overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=fr dir=ltr>He had such a positive impact on me: Sidney Crosby saddened by the death of Doris Labonté (<a href=https://twitter.com/SCadoretteJDQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@SCadoretteJDQ</a>)<a href=https://t.co/slU8MbwZX8>https://t.co/slU8MbwZX8</a>- Le Journal de Montréal (@JdeMontreal) <a href=https://twitter.com/JdeMontreal/status/1664664040432451585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>June 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8>