Between watching NHL's MVP in action or seeing him in commercials, Sid
is everywhere


There will be plenty of chances to see Sidney Crosby in action on
Canadian television screens this season.

The NHL's scoring champion and MVP will appear in 13 Pittsburgh
Penguins games on TSN and seven more on CBC, not to mention in a
couple regional broadcasts on Rogers Sportsnet.

The digital channel NHL Network will have another six Pittsburgh games
in a season with more live game broadcasts and more in high definition
than ever before.

And 20-year-old Crosby will be ubiquitous in commercials - his
sponsors include Gatorade, Tim Hortons and Reebok - and no doubt in TV
interviews, reflecting the intense media coverage the sport's
brightest star attracts daily.

"And deservedly so," says Crosby's linemate Mark Recchi. "He's the
best player in the league right now and he's only 20 years old. I
don't know how he handles it. It's amazing."

Recchi says Crosby lives under a media glare even hotter than that
endured by past superstars Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

"There wasn't as much media back then as there is now, with the
Internet and everything," he added. "It's huge now.

"He has more to handle now than Mario and Wayne and those guys.

"This is much more magnified than they ever had."

TSN has 70 live games this season - 38 in HDTV - as well as five
regional Toronto Maple Leafs games. Forty games will feature Canadian
teams.

CBC's Hockey Night in Canada has 87 games, up from 81 last season,
centred on the six Canadian franchises. Their schedule includes the
Jan. 1 NHL Winter Classic outdoor game between the Penguins and Sabres
at the 73,000-seat Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo.

Rogers Sportsnet will have extensive coverage regionally, including 48
Oilers games, 40 Flames games, 47 Canucks games, 35 Senators games and
22 Maple Leafs games. The Penguins will be featured in a pair of games
before Christmas - Dec. 6 against Calgary and Dec. 13 versus Ottawa.

The NHL Network has 40 games, all matchups between U.S.-based clubs.

New faces this season see former coach Mike Milbury as a studio
analyst mainly on Wednesday Night Hockey games at TSN and former
Oilers assistant coach Craig Simpson working CBC matches.