Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence was eight years old when Sidney Crosby brought the Stanley Cup home to Cole Harbour in 2016. He still remembers it like it was yesterday.
"I was like eight years old, but it was an unreal experience," Lawrence told TSN with a big smile. "I still remember it to this day."
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
More than any single moment, it was the feeling that stuck with him. "Just how much the East Coast is behind him and supports him, and just how everyone is so happy for him," the 17-year-old Boston University centre recalled. "It's a big thing."
Lawrence grew up idolizing Crosby and still cheers for the Penguins. It's easy to understand why Pittsburgh's captain is so beloved in Atlantic Canada. "Just how he carries himself off the ice and around people," Lawrence said. "He's an unreal guy, it seems."
On the ice, Crosby is also the ultimate role model. "He thinks the game the right way," Lawrence noted. "He's always in the right spot. He does the right things and, no matter who you play him with, he always finds a way to make them better."
Lawrence came in at No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters. He'll proudly carry the New Brunswick flag into next month's draft in Buffalo.
"It means a lot," he said. "There's not a lot of players that come out of here all the time, so being able to kind of represent your native province is always a great experience. It's one big community that supports each other and I'm very lucky to have that with me."
In his post-lottery mock draft, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button had Lawrence going No. 8 to the Winnipeg Jets. Being a Canadian-born player, the idea of playing for a Canadian team appeals to him.
"Being a Canadian-born player, a Canadian kid, I'd say that's an unreal experience," Lawrence said. "Getting to stay in Canada, play in your home country and being able to have that support and build on that would be awesome."
Lawrence made the jump from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL to the NCAA in January. He produced seven points in 18 games with the Terriers this season.
The biggest challenge? "Getting used to wherever I'm playing. Going from one league to another and then international hockey and back down to your own age, and just being able to adapt and learning to play with new guys all the time and new linemates."
Beyond Crosby, Lawrence has also watched Nick Suzuki and Macklin Celebrini closely. "I like to watch guys like Nick Suzuki and Macklin Celebrini, who are big leaders on their team. They both help out their linemates. They're both 200-foot guys. You watch them play and they have great little habits and details."
Lawrence also looks up to Jake Allen, a fellow Fredericton product who ran hockey camps in town. "He's one of those guys where you can't really tell he's an NHL player if you just met him on the street with how humble he is and what a great guy he is."
The pride from back home grows with every step of his journey. "When you come back home, every time you skate or practice or you do mini skates with kids or something like that, you keep building your community and feel that getting bigger and bigger behind you."
Lawrence is now hoping to inspire the next generation of hockey players from the Maritimes. That's the kind of legacy that matters when you carry a flag into a draft.
Draft day awaits
From watching Crosby bring the Cup home as an eight-year-old in 2016 to now being the No. 7 North American skater in Central Scouting's final rankings, Lawrence has come a long way. He'll hear his name called in Buffalo next month, and whatever team picks him will be getting a fast, 200-foot centre who plays the right way and makes teammates better. That's the quiet confidence of a kid who grew up watching the best and paid attention.