New MVP cements status as face of the league, so what's next?
OPINION
By Ray Slover
Updated: 2:40 a.m. ET June 16, 2007

Having attained superstar status before reaching drinking age, Sidney
Crosby should be the new face of the NHL. Here's how the league must
take advantage.

We have found the "Next One," and his name is Sidney Crosby. If there
was any doubt from the season just past, it was erased with Thursday's
NHL awards presentation.

Sidney Crosby, phenom, superstar, brilliant player and personality, is
the modern-day Great One.

So as the headline asks, what's next?

Certainly Crosby had all the right answers after receiving the Hart
Trophy and Pearson award, emblems and rewards for the NHL's best
player, to go along with the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading
scorer.

Take, for example, these quotes from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"It looks like a very bright future," Crosby said. "It's a statement
to how far we've come in the past year. We should all be excited that
there are a lot of guys that have made an impact and will continue to
make an impact."

Certainly he used last season's rookie of the year snub as motivation.
Yeah, even though he denies it. "That wasn't what drove me to play
this year," Crosby told reporters after the ceremony in Toronto. "I
just wanted to be better than I was before."

Modesty serves to make Crosby even more special in this age of
me-first athletes. The NHL isn't as one-centric as other sports, but
it's clear Crosby burns to be the best player of his time.

The next Gretzky, anointed the "Next One" by no less an icon than the
"Great One," Wayne Gretzky.

What's next?

1. Personality
This is a genuine guy, this Sid the Kid. He should be the centerpiece
of the NHL's marketing campaign. Certainly that campaign will continue
to include Alexander Ovechkin, who has an electric smile and winning
personality.

But Crosby is more what North American hockey fans want, and a man
lukewarm fans can embrace. Handsome, articulate and, above all, a
nonpareil talent. He can fill highlight reels, scraps of which will be
used in NHL promos.

Let me repeat that so the NHL marketing geniuses get it. Sidney Crosby
will be the face of NHL marketing and promotion.

But not the only one.

One of the best NHL promos of recent years arrived last season. You
know which one -- Ovechkin orders tons of food and sends it to
Crosby's room. Well, there's Ovechkin on the phone. There's Phil
Kessel in a group of players using a luggage cart for a hallway
pushcart ride. Young, talented players outshine familiar old faces in
this promo.

Keep it up. Add to it. Pluck the brightest, freshest young talent and
use it to give TV viewers a look at just how engaging NHL players are.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to spend time in NHL locker rooms
know the personality strengths of players. Make those strengths come
through.

2. Talent
Ovechkin couldn't lift a moribund Capitals team into the playoffs, but
Crosby was the centerpiece of the Penguins' renaissance. Keep Vincent
Lecavalier and Brad Richards involved. Mix in players from every NHL
team. Paul Stastny, for example. American kids across the league.
Canadian kids.

Their talent electrifies. Use those jaw-dropping scoring plays. The
NHL must find a way to do what the NFL does with its NFL Films
division -- put the best spectacular images on display with a mixture
of media.

It's talent that makes the NHL world go round. And not just scoring
and playmaking. Throw in the big hits, sensational saves and the
outrageous on- and off-ice antics. But make sure talent drives it. And
Crosby's talent should be the starting point.

3. Success
It took years for Gretzky to win the Stanley Cup and start a dynasty
in Edmonton. It took years for Mario Lemieux to lead the Penguins to
consecutive Cups. Same with the Islanders and their superstars, Mike
Bossy, Bryan Trottier and Denis Potvin.

The Penguins won't win the Cup next season, and it could be a couple
more years before they do. But image the juice the NHL will get when
its young superstar lifts the Cup for the first time. It would be best
for the Pens to win within three years.

The talent is there, and must be supplemented. That means Evgeni
Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and other Penguins pups must continue to
elevate their game. The Penguins are a talented collection of young
men who have room to mature. Nurture that development, and success
will follow.

The same is true for other teams as well. Look at the Ducks; Ryan
Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner are anything but grizzled old
veterans and certainly not mind-numbing plumbers and grinders. The
Ducks will continue to be a power.

Nothing draws admiration like success.

4. Buzz
The NHL's greatest crying need is attention out of its traditional
markets. Without plunging into schlock, the NHL must make Crosby into
a guy casual fans can identify. It's tough for one player to do this.
Gretzky could; Crosby can. But he'll need a load of selfless support
from his teammates.

It won't be easy, but it is possible.

This is the dawn of a new era for the NHL. Distractions must be
avoided, a time of labor peace is mandatory and most of all, NHL
players must avoid inflicting damage on their reputations. No more
Dany Heatley crashes; no black marks from drug or alcohol incidents,
or highly publicized domestic crises.

Don't limit the push to NHL markets. The league must leverage its
publicity by looping in the AHL and ECHL, its primary farm system for
talent. All three leagues will benefit.

And it certainly doesn't need any more television trouble. Technical
difficulties prevented Versus from showing the awards show. The TV
issue continues to be the most contentious matter for U.S. fans.

Give Crosby and his young cohorts a say in creating buzz. After all,
Crosby is the young star and can better relate to his generation than
any old guys on the Board of Governors or in NHL headquarters.

One more thing: Don't force it. Creating buzz for the NHL isn't a
matter of loading a cannon and spraying puck pieces across the
atmosphere. Fans don't want anything crammed down their throats.

Sidney Crosby is the next one. The next step is up to the NHL.
© 2007 The Sporting News