PITTSBURGH (AP) — There wasn't much vacation during Sidney Crosby's summer vacation.

Despite going non-stop for almost 18 months until the Penguins'

season ended in April, Crosby said Tuesday he took little time off during a summer spent mostly working out at his home in Nova Scotia.

 

He played in the world junior championships in May, then spent an extra two weeks vacationing in Europe. That followed a whirlwind year in which he played his final season in junior hockey and was the NHL's No. 1 draft pick before spending most of the summer of

2005 training for his rookie season.

 

But after returning home to Canada following the world championships, he resumed his offseason workouts within a week. He spent much of the summer there, lifting weights and doing speed and strength exercises.

 

"I started all over again, trying to get faster and stronger," said Crosby, whose 102 points last season were the most in NHL history for an 18-year-old. "I didn't skate a whole lot, maybe five or six times, but I'll be out a lot more" before training camp begins Sept.

14.

 

He said he didn't do much traveling during his time off because "we travel enough during the season."

 

Crosby is spending several days in Pittsburgh this week, working Tuesday at the Penguins youth camp, before leaving for a week of training in Quebec with some former teammates and other NHL players.

He expects to return to Pittsburgh after that to work out before camp.

 

"When I came in last year, there was a little bit of pressure and I felt I had something to prove being an 18-year-old in the league and what I had done before," Crosby said. "I think I have to come with the same attitude."

 

Crosby was glad to have played in the world championships, where he was the leading scorer with 16 points in nine games. He said the tournament was a learning experience — in part, no doubt, because he remained disappointed at not being picked for Team Canada in the Olympics.

 

"The world championships were a great experience for me for three weeks, and I think I learned a lot from Brendan Shanahan and the other guys," he said.

 

Now that Crosby has proven he is one of the NHL's top players, his next career goal is to get the Penguins back to being winners. Even with Crosby in their lineup last season, they finished last in the Atlantic Division for a fourth consecutive season.

 

"As a group, we want to move forward and win hockey games, and that's what I want as an individual, too," he said.