The first time Sidney Crosby came to Sweden with the Penguins in 2008, the team went to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is the best-preserved seventeenth-century ship in the world, sinking on its maiden voyage and being salvaged 333 years later in 1961.
As the Visit Stockholm tourism site reads, “for nearly half a century the ship has been slowly, deliberately, and painstakingly restored to a state approaching its original glory.”
It’s pretty epic, and Bryan Rust joked that it might actually be the captain’s favorite place on earth.
“I think on the plane over here and when we first knew we were coming over here, he was like, if you’re walking around the city, make sure to head into the Vasa Museum,” Rust said.
Though, as Crosby said with a smile, “I try not to tell people too much, just because it’s actually pretty hard to describe it until you see it. So, I try to just say, hey, this is one of the things that’s worth it to see, and let them kind of decide for themselves whether they like it. But usually, it gets good reviews.”
Rust and Anthony Mantha made their way over after Thursday’s practice, and reviews were stellar.
“I had kind of a blind approach to it, didn’t really look into it, and it kind of did blow my mind,” Mantha said. “With all the little details on the boat, and how big it is, it was probably bigger than what I was expecting.”
