PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins captain and All-Star center Sidney
Crosby is featured on the cover of the February issue of Men's
Fitness, which hits newsstands Monday.

In the article, Crosby, 20, discusses his goals and aspirations and
reveals the training regimen that created the foundation for his success.

"Sidney Crosby exemplifies the combination of fitness and passion to
which our readers aspire," said Men's Fitness editor-in-chief, Roy S.
Johnson. "And he's the best hope for a sport that is in dire need of a
star. If anyone can help hockey recover from its recent challenges,
it's Sidney."

Crosby is the first NHL player to grace the cover of Men's Fitness
since Mike Modano in December 2003.

Crosby already has an impressive array of trophies on his mantel. In
an award-filled 2007, Crosby collected the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the
Art Ross Trophy as the League's scoring leader and the Lester Pearson
Award as outstanding player in NHL Players' Association voting. In May
2007, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native became the youngest team
captain in NHL history and signed a five-year contract extension in
July 2007 that will keep him with the Penguins through the 2012-13 season.

"He's the real thing," said Neil Smith, the former Rangers general
manager who is currently a scout for Anaheim. "You very rarely see the
real thing coming along."


Photo is in the gallery
http://sports.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/SidneyCrosby/photos/view/62d7?b=13

Friday, December 07, 2007

It's like narrowing down Picasso's works to his finest 10, but here
goes anyway: Sidney Crosby's top 10 goals.

All are easy to find on YouTube, but the quality is better at nhl.com:
Click on schedule, choose the year/month you want and watch in wonder.

10. Nov. 28, 2003: With his Rimouski Oceanic up 6-1 on the Remparts,
Crosby corrals the puck behind the Quebec net, puts his blade on top
of it and flips it over, raises the puck waist-high then reaches
forward and tucks it into the Quebec net to cap a two-goal,
four-assist game.

9. Jan. 9, 2007: "The five-hole has been good to me," Crosby says and
it is here as he steals the puck off Tim Taylor in the Tampa Bay slot,
stumbles to both knees, then puts the puck past Lightning goalie Johan
Holmqvist.

8. April 14, 2007: Crosby drives to the net, turning 270 degrees to
keep his eyes on the puck, then -- with the shaft of his stick --
swipes in a hard six-inch-high Mark Recchi pass that would've beaten
nine-of-10 goalies low to the glove side. It's the Pens' only playoff
win and it turns out Crosby played on a broken foot.

7. Nov. 10, 2005: In his first NHL game against a Canadian team, his
boyhood heroes the Habs no less, Crosby is the final of six shooters
in the first round of the shootout. Jose Theodore has already stoned
Mario Lemieux when Crosby skates in, kicks his right leg, makes a
myriad of moves, then roofs a backhand over the pretzel Theodore,
popping the water bottle off the net like a champagne cork.

6. Dec. 7, 2006: Recchi goes behind the Pens net, feeds a breaking
Crosby at the Pittsburgh blueline and The Kid takes off, beats four
Rangers (while making a fool out of Sean Avery) and dekes Henrik
Lundqvist for a power-play goal.

5. Jan. 27, 2006: Following up on a pass from the corner to Recchi
that was broken up in the slot, Crosby does a 180. Then, with
Phoenix's Fredrik Sjostrom kicking his right foot out from under him,
Crosby lifts a laser backhand over Mikael Tellqvist's shoulder from
his butt.

4. March 16, 2006: Crosby picks up the puck in the neutral zone and
carries it over the Canadiens blueline as four Habs collapse into a
tight box in the slot in front of goalie David Aebischer. Crosby slips
between the two forwards, hops over Sheldon Souray's stick and floats
a wrister under Aebischer's arm. He'd later call this one his "jump shot."

3. Jan. 7, 2007: Recchi (is this guy really washed up?) zips down the
right side, waits until the last moment, then throws it cross-ice to
Crosby who, diving onto his stomach, puts the puck past Bolts goalie
Holmqvist. Crosby calls this his best goal of last season.

2. Dec. 5, 2006: Crosby splits Florida defencemen Ruslan Salei and
Bryan Allen, then beats Alex Auld five-hole as Salei tackles him to
the ice.

1. Jan. 25, 2006: As a Washington power play ends, Crosby crosses the
Caps blueline and feeds Colby Armstrong on the right boards. Five Caps
immediately forget Crosby, who circles around the left side of Olaf
Kolzig's goal to receive the puck from Armstrong, who's being
sandwiched against the glass. Crosby steps toward the net, leaves the
puck behind like he's lost it, and Bryan Muir and Kolzig bite. Crosby
kicks it up to his stick and scores.

December 15, 2007

Islanders coach Ted Nolan remembers the first time he heard about
Sidney Crosby. At the time, Crosby was 12 years old.

When Nolan saw Crosby play for the first time four years later in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he said the accolades were well
deserved.

"He lived up to the billing," Nolan said. "He's the real package."

Last season, at the age of 19, the Penguins' Crosby led the league in
points, earned the Hart Trophy and became the youngest person to be
named team captain in NHL history. He also helped Pittsburgh to its
first playoff appearance since 2001. Nolan likened Crosby, who has 14
goals and 28 assists this season, to hockey greats Wayne Gretzky and
Mario Lemieux.

"They come in every so often and they're very good players. You know
they're going to get some opportunities, and you just try to limit
them," Nolan said. "It's a treat for fans to see them play and a
challenge for teams to play against."

Containing Crosby, who had a career-high nine shots against Ottawa
Thursday night, will be vital if the Islanders expect to string
together two consecutive wins, something they have not accomplished
since Nov. 16 and 19 against the Devils and Rangers.

Nolan said they will rely heavily on goaltender Rick DiPietro, who had
34 saves against Phoenix Thursday night, but also will count on stingy
performances from their top two defensive lines.

"We want to make sure to play team defense against an offensively
explosive team," Nolan said.

The Islanders expect to face Penguins backup goaltender Dany Sabourin.
Although Sabourin, who stepped in after Marc-Andre Fleury was
sidelined with a sprained ankle, has a better goals-against average
(2.54) than Fleury (2.90), he also has only 29 games of experience to
Fleury's 159. Nolan said, however, that the switch in personnel won't
affect his team's game plan.

"Offensively, our approach is going to be the same," said Nolan, who
added that he was pleased with his team's offensive tenacity Thursday
- particularly the first line, which generated two of the three goals,
both by captain Bill Guerin off rebounds of shots by Mike Comrie.

The Islanders played sloppily in the waning minutes of their 3-2
victory over the Coyotes, but Nolan said they did a better job of
creating opportunities rather then waiting for them, something they
will have to continue Saturday to compete with the offensive-minded
Penguins.

"There's no question when you're having trouble scoring goals, you try
to make that perfect play, but you just have to throw the puck to the
net and create some traffic," Nolan said. "The more you shoot, the
more screens you create and the more opportunities you get."

TORONTO (CP) -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby won the 2007
Lou Marsh Award on Tuesday, the first hockey player to capture the
honor since 1993.

The award, decided by a panel of sports editors and broadcasters, is
given annually to Canada's outstanding athlete by the Toronto Star.

Other finalists were Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash, alpine skier Erik
Guay, kayaker Adam van Koeverden, and boxer Steve Molitor.

Crosby, who won in a close vote, is the first hockey player to win the
award since Mario Lemieux in '93.

A 20-year-old forward from Cole Harbour, N.S., Crosby won the Hart
Trophy as the league's MVP last season and was named the Pearson Award
winner by his peers as the league's outstanding player.

Crosby had 36 goals and 84 assists in the 2006-07 season en route to
becoming the youngest player to win the Art Ross Trophy as the
league's scoring champion.

Crosby was the seventh player in league history to pull off the
Ross-Pearson-Hart triple.

The panel of Marsh voters comprised representatives from the a number
of Canadian media outlets.

The Lou Marsh Award is named after a former Toronto Star sports
editor. Speedskater Cindy Klassen won the award last year, narrowly
defeating Nash in the vote.

The Canadian Press announces its athlete of the year award winners
later this month. The Canadian Press awards are decided by sports
editors and broadcasters across the country.

Copyright 2007 Canadian Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pittsburgh Penguin star Sidney Crosby is the 2007 winner of the Lou
Marsh award for best male Canadian athlete, reports news sources.

The award is selected by a panel of sports journalists from the
Toronto Star, The Canadian Press, the FAN590/Primetime Sports, The
Globe and Mail, CBC, Sportsnet, CTV/TSN, Montreal La Presse and the
National Post.

Despite, only being 20-years-old, Crosby is one of the most
recognizable faces in hockey and one of the NHL's biggest stars. A
recent road trip by the Penguins in western Canada, the first for
Crosby, drew significant media and fan attention.

So far this season, Crosby has 14 goals and 26 assists.

Dec 7, 2007
VANCOUVER - He hadn't even played his first NHL game in Vancouver but
Sidney Crosby was already thinking about coming back to help Team
Canada win a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

"It would be nice," Crosby said Friday before the Pittsburgh Penguins
practised at GM Place, where the Olympic gold medal game will be
played. "It's a dream for everyone, especially myself.

"Being Canadian you want to play for Team Canada. With the talent that
Canada has, they always have a chance to win. It would be nice to be
part of that."

Crosby was in his rookie season in 2005-06 and was left off the
Canadian team that failed to win a medal at the 2006 Winter Games in
Turin. He feels no bitterness about not being included on that team.

"I don't think it was too bad," he said. "It was my first year in the
league. Going into that season I never would have thought I had the
chance.

"Looking back, there wasn't a sense of disappointment. It was just the
way it was. The day I didn't make the team I was pulling for them. I'm
Canadian just like everyone else. I want my country to win."

The Penguins will play the Vancouver Canucks Saturday before a Hockey
Night in Canada audience (10 p.m. ET). It will be Crosby's first game
in Vancouver and he's become used to the excitement his presence
generates.

His short news conference Friday drew seven television cameras and
about 40 media members.

"It's part of it," said Crosby, who wore a baseball hat on his mop of
black hair and bright yellow clogs on his feet. "I don't think I need it.

"Being in Canada I think it's more expected."

While he was happy to look ahead to the Olympics, Crosby wanted to
forget about the criticism he received back in January of 2005 when he
pulled out of the CHL's Top Prospects game.

The 17-year-old had just helped Canada win a gold medal at the world
junior championships and said an injury prevented him from playing in
the prospects game.

At the time Ron Toigo, owner of the WHL Vancouver Giants, questioned
the comparisons between Crosby and Wayne Gretzky.

"The history of Wayne Gretzky is that he would be here with one leg if
that's what it took because it's good for the game," Toigo said.

Crosby said the incident is ancient history.

"It was totally out of anyone's control," said the 20-year-old from
Cole Harbour, N.S.. "I got hurt. That happens and unfortunately I
missed playing a game here. That's the reality of it.

"It's behind me, to be honest. I don't really worry about it. There's
a lot of things that happen over the course of a hockey season and the
course of a career. You move on and that's one of them."

Toigo said Friday he was more frustrated with the Rimouski Oceanic,
Crosby's QMJHL team, than the player himself.

"My beef was more with their organization than with him," Toigo said.
"It was during the (NHL lockout) and he was a bright light for the
game at the time.

"For what ever reason it didn't work out and they decided not to allow
him to play. It was never really directed at him. I admire him. I
think he's doing a great job for the game today."

Toigo plans to be part of the sellout crowd of 18,630 attending
Saturday's game.

Crosby shrugged when asked if he expected any negative feedback from
the crowd.

"I said before the first two games I played on this trip, I prepare
myself to play a road game," he said. "If anything comes good out of
it, I appreciate it and it's a bonus."

The Canucks come into the game on a roll. They have won five of their
last six games and lead the Northwest Division with a 16-10-2 record.

"They're a team that is pretty complete," said Crosby, who was the
NHL's leading scorer and most valuable player last year. "They have
some great offensive players, are great defensively, and when you have
a goalie like (Roberto) Luongo, you have a chance to win every night.

"In all areas of the ice we have to make sure we are competing."

The Penguins - who have a 14-12-2 record and hold down the last
playoff spot in the Eastern Conference - will be playing their third
game in four nights.

Crosby had three assists in the third period as Pittsburgh recovered
from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 Wednesday but was
held off the scoresheet and without a shot in the Penguins 3-2
shootout win over the Calgary Flames Thursday.

"I think the last game I didn't generate a lot," he said. "I wasn't
happy with that.

"It wasn't because of a lack of effort. It's just sometimes the way it
goes. Sometimes you need breaks and it didn't happen. I thought the
game before it was a matter of just waiting for my chances. I thought
I'd take advantage of them when I did."

Last week the NHL voted to change its schedule to a format that
guarantees at least one game each year between all the teams. That
should mean Vancouver fans won't have to wait another three years to
see Crosby again.

It's a move the young superstar approves of.

"It's great for everyone, not just me or anyone else," he said. "It
will be nice for fans to see some new players, some new teams. I think
everyone benefits from it. I think it's going to be better that way."

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby signs a rubber duck belonging to Brock Kitterman, of Bethel Park, at the Mellon Arena, Nov. 27, 2007. Brock, who collects ducks, was one of 25 Make-A-Wish children who got to take in the morning skate and then have lunch with the team.
Philip G. Pavely/TRIBUNE-REVIEW

PITTSBURGH -- If the unspoken rule is hands-off Sidney Crosby, Devils
winger Arron Asham didn't get the message.

Asham hit Crosby with a gloved punch with 6:46 left last night,
minutes after scoring the winning goal.

  "I wasn't going in (the corner) to do anything to him until he threw
his elbow up and hit me in the nose," Asham explained. "That's when I
lost it."

So did Pittsburgh's Gary Roberts, who couldn't get at Asham.

Dainius Zubrus was moved from center to left wing on the second line
as coach Brent Sutter put Zach Parise in the middle. It was clearly a
comment on the lack of offensive production from Zubrus in the first
five games.

"I'm sure it is," Zubrus said. "I haven't played that well. That's how
things are. We're changing things to see how it works out. I'm realistic."

Devils players will receive secret ballots in Philadelphia today to
vote on whether to approve former assistant U.S. attorney Paul Kelly
as the new executive director of the NHL Players' Association. The
union has offered the Boston lawyer a five-year, $10 million contract
to succeed ousted chief Ted Saskin. Kelly needs the approval of 16 of
30 teams to be appointed to the post.

Penguins winger Petr Sykora, close friends with Patrik Elias when they
played together for the Devils, said he wasn't aware that his old
buddy married Petra Volakova in July.

"I didn't even know he got married until I read it in the newspaper,"
Sykora said. "I read it and thought, 'Oh, Patty got married. Thanks
for the call.'"

Elias said almost no one knew for a month until he revealed it at a
Czech hockey awards function and it made the newspapers. Only Elias,
his fiancé and the woman from the resort who presided over the
ceremony were in attendance in the Maldives, a group of islands in the
Indian Ocean 435 miles southwest of Sri Lanka.

"Our parents weren't even there," Elias said. "When we were in the
Bahamas we thought it would be cool to get married on a beach. Both
parents didn't mind. When they saw the video from it they said we did
the right thing. We actually had to get married twice to legalize it
in Czech."

Their parents didn't come to that ceremony either. Volakova has
remained in the Czech Republic because the Devils started on the road,
but plans to join her husband in New Jersey the day before the
Prudential Center opens.

Sutter on whether his family has to take a back seat to the Staal
brothers -- Eric, Jordan, Marc: "I don't know if we've given up the
(crown). They are three good players in the NHL. I'm very happy for
them and I'm sure their mom and dad are proud. I'm not into comparing,
but we (six Sutter brothers) played a long, long time. There have been
a lot of brothers to play in the NHL, but there's never been six
(other than the Sutters)."

Rookie winger Nicklas Bergfors was sent to Lowell (AHL) and played
last night.

Crosby
Crosby

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was back on the ice Tuesday
morning after missing Monday's practice because of a bruised right foot.

"It's already swollen and bruised and, with a couple of days in
between [games], I don't want to go out there and make it swell up,"
Crosby told local reporters Monday. "I just want to get the swelling
down and make sure it's ready for Wednesday [against Montreal]."

Crosby, who said he intends to play Wednesday, hurt the foot while
blocking a shot by Anaheim defenseman Francois Beauchemin in
Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Ducks.

Local reports said X-rays didn't detect any fractures in the foot.

"It was a different foot, so I didn't think it was the same thing,"
Crosby told reporters. "There was pain there, so obviously something
went through my mind, but the X-rays were negative so that's a good sign."

Thoughts automatically turned to the spring, when Crosby played the
final weeks of the season and playoffs with a stress fracture in his
left foot. The Penguins didn't reveal that injury until after they
were eliminated in the first round by the Ottawa Senators.

Sidney Crosby has no time to be nervous, overwhelmed or awed by
anything on a hockey rink.

His name was known across North America years before he finally became
the first pick in the lockout-delayed 2005 NHL draft. Facing
comparisons to Wayne Gretzky and other greats didn't rattle him. He
met all the pressure and expectations with a shrug of the shoulders,
letting his exquisite ability bolster the arguments.

Just two months after turning 20, Crosby is set to take on another
challenge. When he hits the ice with the rest of his Pittsburgh
Penguins teammates Friday at Carolina, the reigning NHL MVP and
scoring champion will do so after becoming the youngest captain in
league history.

"I don't really think about it to be honest,'' Crosby said of the hype
that has surrounded him for years. "I think I'm always looking ahead,
worrying about the present, but also looking ahead and trying to be
better.''

Good luck with that. It'll be hard to improve on his incredibly
impressive first two years in the league.

Facing the most attention and anticipation since Eric Lindros entered
the NHL in 1992, Crosby rushed in and put up 39 goals and 102 points
in a season that would've good enough to capture top rookie honors in
most years. Alex Ovechkin edged him for the award by scoring 52 goals
and 106 points for Washington.

Undeterred, Crosby stepped it up last season. His goal total dipped a
bit to 36, but his assists rose to 84 and he carried the Penguins into
the playoffs after they finished with the worst record in the Eastern
Conference during his rookie campaign.

Saddled with the burden of being the face of a franchise that was in
danger of leaving Pittsburgh, Crosby made the Penguins matter again.
That earned him the MVP award after becoming the youngest scoring
champion in NHL history and the first teenager in major pro team
sports history to capture such a title.

"Not only is he is identified with a tremendous skill set and a great
way he plays the game, but he also has the mind to match that,'' New
York Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "He also keeps his balance. He
understands that this could be over tomorrow, and never takes anything
for granted.

"That's another thing that makes Sidney pretty special. It's phenomenal.''

Crosby might not be the fish that saved Pittsburgh, but he can be
credited with rescuing the Penguins.

"I have to focus on the things that are really important and I don't
think it's really important to worry about that too much,'' Crosby
said. "I have to worry about what I have to do, life in general, so
I'm not too worried about it.''

His arrival couldn't have come at a better time for the league. After
a lost season due to the lockout, Crosby burst on the scene. No longer
was he just the phenom from Nova Scotia, now he is the guy looked upon
to lead the NHL's rebirth.

"It's got to be hard, especially being his age,'' said New York
Islanders forward Mike Comrie, who played with Crosby on Team Canada.
"He's got a lot of the weight of the NHL on his shoulders. It's not
fair to put that kind of pressure or expect a kid to handle that, but
he does it. He's a player that hopefully a lot of kids look up to.

"It's amazing. You think he's going to stumble, but he just doesn't.''

Shortly after the Penguins lost to Ottawa in five games last season
during their first playoff appearance since 2001, Crosby took over as
captain. To further strengthen the star center's position as team
leader, Pittsburgh reached agreement with Crosby on a five-year
extension that kicks in next year and lasts through the 2012-13 season.

Crosby took the scoring lead last season on Dec. 13 with a six-point
night against Philadelphia. He never had a stretch after that where he
went more than three games without a point.

The Penguins won 47 games, amassed 105 points and created expectations
that the Stanley Cup could soon return to Pittsburgh for the first
time since the days of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in the early 1990s.

"Obviously it's easy to say yes, we are ready,'' Crosby said. "But a
lot of good teams don't make the playoffs. We have to, first of all,
make sure we're fighting and battling to get to the playoffs. We know
our division's gotten stronger. We got to make sure that we're ready
from the start.

"Just to get the taste of the playoffs, I think we really needed that.
So when the opportunity comes again, we'll know the situation and be a
little bit more familiar with it.''

While the rest of his teammates practiced yesterday, Penguins captain
Sidney Crosby sat in the Mellon Arena stands. He skipped the workout
because of his bruised right foot.

Crosby is considered day to day and is expected to play tomorrow night
at home against Montreal.

"I just wanted to make sure I take care of the swelling," he said. "I
don't think it would have been smart to skate [yesterday]."

In the first period of the Penguins' 5-4 win against Anaheim Saturday,
Crosby was hit in the foot by shot from the Ducks' Francois
Beauchemin. He was clearly in pain but returned to the action,
although not 100 percent.

Without Crosby, the forward lines in practice were Evgeni Malkin
centering Petr Sykora and Jordan Staal, Erik Christensen centering
Gary Roberts and Colby Armstrong, Maxime Talbot centering Mark Recchi
and Ryan Malone, and a line of wingers Jarkko Ruutu, Adam Hall and
Georges Laraque.

PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby practiced Tuesday
and plans to play against Montreal on Wednesday night despite a
bruised right foot.

Crosby did not practice Monday, two days after a shot by Anaheim
defenseman Francois Beauchemin deflected off his skate during the
first period of Pittsburgh's 5-4 victory. Crosby was in considerable
pain, but returned to the game within a few minutes.

"The swelling has gone down and I felt pretty good," said Crosby, who
does not plan to wear any protective padding in his skate.

Crosby, the NHL's leading scorer and most valuable player last season,
has one point in two games.

Thanks at least in part to concerns expressed by Penguins captain
Sidney Crosby, Reebok has tweaked the jerseys of its EDGE uniforms,
which are being used throughout the NHL this season.

Crosby, who has endorsement deals with Reebok, spoke with someone from
the sporting equipment company to describe how the water-resistant
jerseys trap perspiration, which pools in players' gloves and skates.
He said Penguins equipment manager Dana Heinze spoke to Reebok first.

"[I said] some guys had some issues with the water kind of staying
in[side the sweaters]," Crosby said yesterday. "Some other teams had
talked about it. They've come up with a resolution for that."

It's unclear what Reebok has done to rectify the problem or whether
the new version of the sweaters will be available to the Penguins in
their season opener tonight at Carolina. Officials with the NHL and
Reebok could not be reached for comment.

A Reebok release when the Penguins' EDGE uniforms were unveiled
outlines the advanced materials used -- stretch mesh, 4Way Stretch
Pique, X-trafil and a PlayDry moisture management technology.

The idea was to halt absorption of perspiration and melted ice chips
so jerseys would not get weighed down during games. Reebok relied on
two years of research and testing with input from experts at MIT and
Central Michigan, as well as some players.

Over the course of training camp, the Penguins became concerned about
the side effect of trapped perspiration.

Crosby said Reebok was more than willing to make changes.

"As a company, they want to make sure that the product is the best it
can be," he said. "It's nice that they will listen to feedback from
the players."

A lot of A's

The Penguins named winger Mark Recchi a full-time alternate captain,
with defenseman Sergei Gonchar wearing the "A" for home games and
winger Gary Roberts displaying it on the road.

Recchi, 39, will serve the role for the third consecutive season,
Gonchar, 33, for the second. Roberts, 41, who was acquired at the
February trade deadline last season, is a first-time alternate captain
with the Penguins, replacing Crosby.

"He's a true leader," coach Michel Therrien said of Roberts. "He came
in last year, and we didn't want to change things that had been
working really well."

"I've been alternate captain for a long time, whether it was here or
Philly or Montreal," Recchi said.

"I know what's expected of me."

Those three are among the four oldest players, along with defenseman
Darryl Sydor, 35, on a mostly young team, but Recchi said there's no
division in the locker room.

"It makes us feel young," he said. "I don't feel my age. I still think
I'm in my 20s.

"Age difference doesn't mean anything on this hockey club. We all get
along wonderfully. We just can't stay up as late as they can anymore."

Oh, brother

Even though he is in his second NHL season, Penguins forward Jordan
Staal still gets a kick out of playing against older brother Eric, 23,
a winger with Carolina.

One thing troubles Jordan. Eric set up Erik Cole for an assist
Wednesday in the Hurricanes' season-opening loss to Montreal, meaning
Jordan already is a point behind his brother.

"I know. I don't like it," Jordan, 19, said.

There was nothing he could do about falling behind since the Penguins
have not played a regular-season game.

"I know, but there's something I can do about it [tonight]," he said.

As a rookie last season, Jordan had 29 goals, one fewer than Eric.
Eric had 70 points to Jordan's 42. .

Suite deals

Crosby and Recchi purchased suites at Mellon Arena for 2007-08 to be
used by various regional children's charities.

"If you have an opportunity to help some people out or give them a
nice experience, you want to do that," Crosby said.

For the home opener against Anaheim tomorrow night, children from the
Make-A-Wish Foundation will use Crosby's suite, and Big Brothers/Big
Sisters will get Recchi's.

Mark Recchi was named among a trio of assistant captains Thursday by
Penguins general manager Ray Shero. Joining him with the 'A' on their
sweaters will be defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who along with Recchi was
one of three alternate captains last season, and forward Gary Roberts.
Recchi will wear the 'A' during every Penguins game this season while
Gonchar will wear his only at home and Roberts on the road.

"(Roberts) is a true leader and, when he came in last year, we didn't
want to change team stuff that had been working really well," Penguins
coach Michel Therrien said. Last season's third assistant captain,
Sidney Crosby, will take the ice tonight for the first time in a
regular season game as the team's 13th full-time serving captain in
franchise history and the 18th to wear the 'C' in team history.

• Players complained and Reebok listened. After a wholesale rejection
of the new Rbk EDGE uniform by NHL players, the clothing manufacturer
has decided to modify its water-repelling formula after a
league-mandated switch this offseason.

"It's nice that they will listen to feedback from players," said
Crosby, Reebok's top Canadian endorser. "They have to work out the
kinks, but I think the final product for the season will be great."

After wearing the water-repellent jersey, socks and pants, players
noticed that sweat and water from ice chips was running off the
uniform and pooling in their gloves and skates.

• Recchi and Crosby have given Penguins fans hope for what may happen
on the ice this year.

Together they will help children find some off it as well.

Crosby and Recchi announced Thursday that they each have purchased
suites at Mellon Arena for use by several children's charities this
season.

"I just thought that it was important to give some kids that
opportunity that may not get that chance to come to a game," Recchi
said. "It's just something that Sid and I felt very strongly to give
back to some people that may not ever get a chance to get to a game."

Last season Recchi and his wife, Alexa, started the ball rolling whey
they purchased a suite for charitable use throughout the latter part
of the season. In the home opener against Anaheim on Saturday,
Crosby's suite will be used by kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation
and Recchi's will host Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Western Pa.

Digits

3 - Total points Sidney Crosby has scored on opening night in his
first two seasons.

16 - Times the Penguins have won their season opener in their first 39
seasons.

Sidney Crosby is a rare talent. Few athletes have such an immediate
impact on their team and their sport as Crosby.

Last season he won the Art Ross Trophy, given to the NHL's top scorer
(36 goals, 84 assists), making Crosby the first teenager in a major
professional team sport to win a scoring title. He also earned the
Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player.

In May, he was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, at 19 the
youngest player ever to wear the "C". We mention Crosby for two
reasons: The Penguins open their season tonight against Carolina, and
the youngster from Nova Scotia reminds us so much of Steve Yzerman.

It's not in the way they play the game. Crosby's style is much
different from the way Yzerman played. It's in the way they handle
themselves and what they say. Crosby won't be fazed by the 'C', just
as he hasn't been bothered by all the attention and expectations. He
has been the focal point wherever he has gone and he has worn the 'C'
at every level he has played.

"I'm just going to keep everything the same," Crosby said earlier this
week. "I've always tried to lead by example. As far as playing with
emotion, I think I always have played with emotion, and I need to keep
playing like that."

Crosby isn't the kind to stop and consider where he is in his career.

"I don't really think about it, to be honest," he said. "There's not
too much time to think about it. I think I'm always looking to improve
and get better.

"I have to focus on the things that are really important. and I don't
think it's really important to worry about that too much."

Pete Belliveau is the new hockey coach at the University of Windsor. A
decade ago, he coached Crosby.

"I think that's one of the first times I actually was captain," Crosby
said. "He gave me the 'C' and that was kind of unusual for me because
I was always a younger player on the team. I remember being pretty
happy about that, feeling pretty fortunate. I was probably 9 or 10."

Like Yzerman, Crosby is a born leader, whether he's wearing the 'C' or
not.

Reigining Hart Trophy winner earns leader role at 20
Posted: Thursday October 4, 2007 7:25PM; Updated: Thursday October 4, 2007

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Sidney Crosby has no time to be nervous,
overwhelmed or awed by anything on a hockey rink.

His name was known across North America years before he finally became
the first pick in the lockout-delayed 2005 NHL draft. Facing
comparisons to Wayne Gretzky and other greats didn't rattle him. He
met all the pressure and expectations with a shrug of the shoulders,
letting his exquisite ability bolster the arguments.

Just two months after turning 20, Crosby is set to take on another
challenge. When he hits the ice with the rest of his Pittsburgh
Penguins teammates Friday at Carolina, the reigning NHL MVP and
scoring champion will do so after becoming the youngest captain in
league history.

"I don't really think about it to be honest," Crosby said of the hype
that has surrounded him for years. "I think I'm always looking ahead,
worrying about the present, but also looking ahead and trying to be
better."

Good luck with that. It'll be hard to improve on his incredibly
impressive first two years in the league.

Facing the most attention and anticipation since Eric Lindros entered
the NHL in 1992, Crosby rushed in and put up 39 goals and 102 points
in a season that would've good enough to capture top rookie honors in
most years. Alex Ovechkin edged him for the award by scoring 52 goals
and 106 points for Washington.

Undeterred, Crosby stepped it up last season. His goal total dipped a
bit to 36, but his assists rose to 84 and he carried the Penguins into
the playoffs after they finished with the worst record in the Eastern
Conference during his rookie campaign.

Saddled with the burden of being the face of a franchise that was in
danger of leaving Pittsburgh, Crosby made the Penguins matter again.
That earned him the MVP award after becoming the youngest scoring
champion in NHL history and the first teenager in major pro team
sports history to capture such a title.

"Not only is he is identified with a tremendous skill set and a great
way he plays the game, but he also has the mind to match that," New
York Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "He also keeps his balance. He
understands that this could be over tomorrow, and never takes anything
for granted.

"That's another thing that makes Sidney pretty special. It's phenomenal."

Crosby might not be the fish that saved Pittsburgh, but he can be
credited with rescuing the Penguins.

"I have to focus on the things that are really important and I don't
think it's really important to worry about that too much," Crosby
said. "I have to worry about what I have to do, life in general, so
I'm not too worried about it."

His arrival couldn't have come at a better time for the league. After
a lost season due to the lockout, Crosby burst on the scene. No longer
was he just the phenom from Nova Scotia, now he is the guy looked upon
to lead the NHL's rebirth.

"It's got to be hard, especially being his age," said New York
Islanders forward Mike Comrie, who played with Crosby on Team Canada.
"He's got a lot of the weight of the NHL on his shoulders. It's not
fair to put that kind of pressure or expect a kid to handle that, but
he does it. He's a player that hopefully a lot of kids look up to.

"It's amazing. You think he's going to stumble, but he just doesn't."

Shortly after the Penguins lost to Ottawa in five games last season
during their first playoff appearance since 2001, Crosby took over as
captain. To further strengthen the star center's position as team
leader, Pittsburgh reached agreement with Crosby on a five-year
extension that kicks in next year and lasts through the 2012-13 season.

Crosby took the scoring lead last season on Dec. 13 with a six-point
night against Philadelphia. He never had a stretch after that where he
went more than three games without a point.

The Penguins won 47 games, amassed 105 points and created expectations
that the Stanley Cup could soon return to Pittsburgh for the first
time since the days of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in the early 1990s.

"Obviously it's easy to say yes, we are ready," Crosby said. "But a
lot of good teams don't make the playoffs. We have to, first of all,
make sure we're fighting and battling to get to the playoffs. We know
our division's gotten stronger. We got to make sure that we're ready
from the start.

"Just to get the taste of the playoffs, I think we really needed that.
So when the opportunity comes again, we'll know the situation and be a
little bit more familiar with it."

By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
Now three years into the salary cap era, the NHL has become a salute
to parity. Every summer, the player deck is reshuffled and every team
adds fresh talent and embraces new-found optimism. More teams have a
chance to win the Stanley Cup than at any other time NHL history. But
only one will be crowned champion, and our pick is the Pittsburgh
Penguins, a team that two years ago was the worst team in the Eastern
Conference.

Ten reasons why the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup this season:

1. The Crosby factor: Crosby is ready to lead the Penguins. At 20,
Sidney he is already the NHL's best pure player. He sees the ice like
Wayne Gretzky, carries the flag like Mark Messier and drives to the
net like Gordie Howe. He's mature beyond his years, and he's driven to
win a championship. Not many are ready to captain a team at 20, but
Crosby appears to be. As probably the league's most important arrival
since Mario Lemieux, Crosby has faced heavy pressure, exceeded
expectations, and done so with humility and style. He seems to always
make the right play, and say the right words after the game.

2. Oilers Syndrome: The Penguins boast offense beyond Crosby, much
like the young Edmonton Oilers were more than young Gretzky in 1984.
The Oilers had Messier and Jari Kurri and the Penguins have Evgeni
Malkin and Jordan Staal, two of the best young forwards in the game.
Staal could end up being a more dangerous player more than his
brother, Eric, who helped the Carolina Hurricanes win a Stanley Cup.
Malkin could be among the top five or six NHL scorers this season.
This team has proven war horses Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts, and
popular, gritty role player Colby Armstrong. The addition of Petr
Sykora also makes the offense more dangerous.

3. Power of parity: The timing is perfect for Pittsburgh to rise up.
The Eastern Conference is probably more wide open than at any point in
league history. Two of last season's top teams in the East — the
Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils — both suffered heavy losses
through free agency. The Penguins have thus far kept their talented
stars together.

4. Fleury of saves: Former No. 1 draft pick Marc-Andre Fleury has the
potential to do for the Penguins what Martin Brodeur did for the
Devils. At 22, he has played 138 NHL games and already posted a 40-win
season. He had periods of inconsistency, but it was also evident why
many scouts believed Fleury was going to be the next superstar goalie.
He is nearly perfect technically and has uncanny anticipation. If the
Penguins perform as well as expected, Fleury could flirt with a 50-win
season.

5. Getting defensive: The Penguins are close to putting their
defensive game in order. Near the end of the 2005-06 season, coach
Michel Therrien became so incensed over the Penguins' defensive
deficiencies in one loss that he said he had started to believe "their
goal is to be the worst defensive squad in the league." The defensive
outlook is far different today. Ryan Whitney has developed into a
first-rate offensive defenseman, and his defense work is better than
anticipated. Sergei Gonchar's performance level has picked up now that
he's surrounded by talent. Stay-at-home defender Mark Eaton has added
stability. Darryl Sydor gave the team one more veteran. And everyone
is excited about the potential of puck-moving defenseman Kris Letang.

6. Roberts Rules: When Roberts re-signed with the Penguins, it was an
important endorsement for the franchise. Every other team would gladly
take Roberts, who offers an enticing blend of fury and finesse. His
competitiveness is molten, and he wants badly to win the second Cup
that has eluded him since 1989. The unrestricted free agent had
indicated a desire to go home to Ontario, but he chose the Penguins.
Consider that a vote of confidence for this team's championship potential.

7. Fireproof coaching: Therrien seems to know which buttons to push.
When general manager Ray Shero took command of the Penguins, the
prevailing wisdom was he would follow history, eventually fire
Therrien and bring aboard his own man. But Therrien got the team
playing so unexpectedly well last season that he forced Shero to give
him an extension.

8. Steel City support: Pittsburgh gets behind a winning hockey team.
When the late Bob Johnson coached there, he enjoyed going to local
taverns to watch hockey. Patrons would cheer him, and he would order
Iron City beer and a sausage, sit down with the guys wearing hard hats
and say, "Let's talk hockey." Johnson understood Pittsburgh fans love
the sport and can provide the team an emotional boost. The NHL
understood that, too, which is why nobody wanted to see the Penguins
leave town, even at the lowest points in the battle to secure a new
arena. If the Penguins look like they are marching toward a Cup as
they did in the early

9. Unknown hero: Some yet-to-be-identified veteran player is going to
help the Penguins in the playoffs. Maybe it will be a scoring winger
for Crosby or a tough, physical defenseman. The fact that a new arena
has been approved will allow the Penguins to be more aggressive at the
Feb. 26 trade deadline. If they believe they are a defenseman or
forward short, they will acquire him. Count on it.

10. The father's son: Shero learned the game from his Stanley
Cup-winning father, Fred, whose coaching style was two parts tactics
and three parts motivation. "Success is not the result of spontaneous
combustion," the late Fred Shero used to say. "You must first set
yourself on fire." He believed that winning was about heart as much as
talent, and he could watch a youngster take two shifts and know
whether he had the passion necessary to be a NHL player. Ray Shero has
his father's old school intuition, but he's also a college graduate
with a modern professional approach to management. When he was hired
in Pittsburgh, he took over a franchise that was trying to play 21st
century hockey with a 1980s-style infrastructure. He has upgraded
their technical support, modernized the scouting structure and
revamped their training methods. The Penguins have gone from being the
league's most ill-prepared franchise to one of the best prepared. He
knows talent when he sees it, evidenced by his decision to add Eaton,
Sykora and Roberts, among others. Plus, Shero will know what to do if
the Penguins are close. He has his father's passion. He can tell the
Penguins players and coaches what his father told the Philadelphia
Flyers when they were on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup in 1974:
"Win together today and we walk together forever."

Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi have purchased suites at Mellon Arena
for the 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins season and will make them
available to numerous children's charities throughout the region.

At the Penguins' home opener on Saturday night against Anaheim,
Crosby's suite will host kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation while
Recchi's suite will host Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  Many other
children's charities will be involved throughout the season.

"We think it's very important for professional athletes to give back
to our community, and we can't think of a better way than enabling
kids who are disadvantaged or have special needs to experience the
excitement of a Penguins game at Mellon Arena," Crosby and Recchi said
in a joint statement.

"The Pittsburgh Penguins organization always has been active in
charitable and community projects, but we're especially proud that our
players have taken this step to provide unique opportunities for these
children's charities," team president David Morehouse said.

The Penguins also take part in a number of charity events involving
all the players on the team during the season – starting with the
Project Bundle-Up event on Monday, Oct. 22, when they will assist a
group of disadvantaged children in purchasing warm winter clothing.

	Hradek believes Sidney Crosby has grown more comfortable with being in the NHL public eye.

For someone so young, Crosby has shown to be a good leader. He works hard, which seems to endear him to both veterans and peers in the dressing room. As captain, we would expect that to continue. He says he's just going to be himself. That should work just fine. If the club meets any significant adversity during this season, though, his leadership abilities will be tested.

PITTSBURGH - This might be the perfect scenario for any pro sports
team: The Pittsburgh Penguins' core players remain implausibly young,
yet seem to get better nearly every day.

Sidney Crosby, already a league MVP, scoring champion and two-time
100-point scorer, is only 20. (Sid's not quite a kid any longer, but
he's still too young to frequent taverns in most places.)

Jordan Staal, a gifted scorer, is 19, yet was only a goal away from
scoring 30 last season. Last season's rookie of the year, Evgeni
Malkin, is only 21. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury won 40 games in a
breakthrough season, but won't turn 23 until next month.

Consider this: There are top college teams that don't have so many
important players this young, yet the Penguins - for the first time
since the Lemieux-Jagr days - are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

No kidding.

"I think all the elements are in place," forward Maxime Talbot said.
"For sure it's a long season, you never know what's going to happen,
but I'm sure we've got the personnel and skill to win and that's
exciting."

A year ago, the Penguins were expecting to improve substantially, but
not dramatically, from their 22-win season of 2005-06. Instead, they
made the fourth-best turnaround in NHL history, were one of the
league's best teams in the second half and won more games (47) than
all but one team in franchise history.

The only problem with becoming so good so quickly is the Penguins
accelerated their timetable for Stanley Cup contention by several
years. So, to make sure one of the youngest teams in major pro sports
stays grounded, general manager Ray Shero brought in two former
Stanley Cup winners in 35-year-old defenceman Darryl Sydor and
30-year-old forward Petr Sykora (22 goals, 53 points with Edmonton).

"I think I can bring a lot of playoff experience," said Sykora, who
will open the season Friday at Carolina on a line with Crosby and
Staal. "Even when I scored 25-30 goals, I never played with a player
like Sidney or Malkin."

Shero now has picked up three playoff-proven players in less than a
year. Gary Roberts, now 41, had seven goals and six assists in 19
games after being dealt by Florida at the trading deadline, then
re-signed with the Penguins.

So did the 39-year-old Recchi, who had 24 goals and 68 points last
season although his scoring dropped off late in the season.

That was the supposed downside of the Penguins until now: They didn't
have enough players with substantial playoff experience to go with
arguably the NHL's best collection of young players since the
early-'80s Edmonton Oilers.

That's no longer a worry, even if Crosby remembers the Penguins felt
they had similar cast two years ago in Recchi, Ziggy Palffy and John
LeClair.

"There has to be a sense of focus to make sure we do something with
these guys, and not take for granted that they're good players and
good names and expect that it's going to be easy," Crosby said. "It's
not."

The Penguins' five-game elimination in the Stanley Cup playoffs by
eventual Eastern Conference champion Ottawa proved that. As a result,
this team's tangible goal is to go deeper in the post-season, even if
an improved Atlantic Division doesn't allow the Penguins to improve
upon their 47-24-11 record.

To do that, they'll need Fleury and defenceman Ryan Whitney (14 goals,
59 points) to build upon their strong seasons. They also need more
production from several players whose numbers dropped, including
forwards Colby Armstrong (40 points in 2005-06 to 34) and Ryan Malone
(22 goals and 41 points in 2005-06 to 16 goals and 31 points).

If that happens, and they stay healthy, the Penguins should have the
four steady lines and three strong defensive pairings most teams need
to push for the Stanley Cup. Defencemen Mark Eaton, hurt much of last
season, and Sydor give them two strong defenders to go with Whitney
and Sergei Gonchar (67 points), two of the NHL's highest-scoring
defencemen.

The special teams need only to remain as strong as before. The
Penguins were on the power play a league-high 463 times, and Crosby
had 61 of his league-best 120 points on special teams.

Several former potential distractions also have been eliminated.

Coach Michel Therrien, in place when Shero arrived 18 months ago, was
given a one-year contract extension through 2008-09. And the Penguins
don't have to worry about their arena or the franchise's future
location; they will get a new arena in 2010 and are committed to
staying in Pittsburgh through 2040.

"We have the team to do it, it's just a matter of pulling together and
getting that chemistry and, hopefully from that, working for a Stanley
Cup," Staal said. "The depth is pretty amazing. We've got four lines
that can score and do everything well."

Sidney Crosby, now 20 years old, enters the 2007-08 season as the
youngest captain in NHL History.
It's been known for some time now that the reigning MVP would begin
the season as the team captain. Pittsburgh went without a captain last
season, fearing the role might be too much for a teenager. "It's an
honour to be captain," Crosby said, "I don't think my focus or mindset
changes though. I'm going to keep everything the same. I've always
tried to lead by example. I've always played with emotion, and I need
to keep playing like that."

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.