Penguins rookie ready for Devils
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nerves? Absolutely. Doubts? Nary a one.
Not long after he first dug his skate blades into an ice surface when he was 3, hockey prodigy Sidney Crosby imagined the moment he'll experience tonight at the Continental Airlines Arena -- playing in the National Hockey League alongside and against the best talent in the world.
"The first game is something you always remember. It's something you dream about. I'm going to enjoy it," said the soft-spoken rookie who has been a household name for years in the country that invented the game.
"The first time I put a Team Canada jersey on, it was pretty neat. I can remember getting chills. You're so caught up. No matter what anyone says, you're going to be nervous. I'm sure [my teammates] can tell me not to be, but it's my first game. I think everyone has some nervousness. If you can, you want to turn that adrenaline to your advantage."
The chills may have been there when he donned the Canada jersey in the World Junior Championships, but so were his considerable hockey skills and his uncanny composure. Among his many distinctions is being the youngest player, at age 16, to score a goal in the World Juniors.
That's a good reason, without the slightest trace of cockiness, he dismissed a question about whether there were any doubts going into tonight's game against the New Jersey Devils.
"I've done what I could do to prepare myself for this. That's all that matters. You have to play with confidence. You can't afford to have doubt. Everything counts now. I think everyone's looking forward to the first game. We just want to get going."
Ordinarily, an 18-year-old rookie would be doing his best to blend in on opening night. Crosby is no ordinary talent and this is an extraordinary time for the Penguins and the NHL. The league returns after being dark for a year because of labor issues and returns with new rules and rink configurations designed to revive the game.
Not only was Crosby the No. 1 pick in the draft this summer, he's being touted as just the kind of talent that can save the NHL and take his place as The Next One.
The cautious sports authorities will quickly note that Eric Lindros and Alexander Daigle never lived up to their hype, and that it might be prudent to allow him to play a shift or two before he's enshrined.
But when no less an expert than Wayne Gretzky anointed Crosby as heir to the hockey throne, it's little wonder that the buzz surrounding his debut has been so pronounced.
In addition to having signed a $2.5 million endorsement contract with Reebok months before hockey returned from a lockout, Crosby has stirred a media frenzy. On the opening day of training camp at Mellon Arena, representatives from six Canadian newspapers and five TV affiliates were on hand. Not only did he appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," NBC brought the Stanley Cup to the training camp in Wilkes-Barre to feature the trophy and the tandem of Mario Lemieux and Crosby for its preseason hockey special. A book about him is being rushed into circulation, while magazines from Vanity Fair, GQ and Reader's Digest Canada are devoting pages to Crosby along with Sports Illustrated.
Crosby-mania has been in full bloom ever since that ping-pong ball went the Penguins' way in the draft lottery.
"Nobody is sure where it's headed," said Ken Sawyer, the Penguins' president who confessed to being in a state of shock when the team was assured of drafting Crosby. "This is a great moment to savor and save for a long time. He's one of those players that you'll notice on the ice every time he takes a shift."
Crosby has made an impact on the Penguins, who finished last in the standings the last time regular-season games were played and had the most sluggish ticket sales in the NHL. There is a chance the club can sell out every ticket to every home game, although Lemieux cautions that the team still needs a new arena to succeed, and NBC rearranged the TV schedule to include more Penguins games on the network after the draft.
Pittsburgh sports fans were treated last year to the emergence of two rookie award-winners -- Jason Bay of the Pirates and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. But neither came with the hype lavished on Crosby, who shares the cover of the team media guide with Lemieux.
It was pointed out that as long as Lemieux is around, Crosby won't be the brightest star on the ice. Not so fast, according to Lemieux, who turns 40 today and is older than Crosby's father.
"He might. He's got a chance," said Lemieux, who added that Crosby has been "even more" than he thought he might be.
Crosby won't be the biggest skater on the ice. But even novices can tell he has explosive speed, he's tough to knock off his skates, he doesn't shy away from contact and he has exceptional vision. He also has some qualities that can only be described as being quaint, such as his insistence that he would not sign a No. 87 jersey with the Penguins logo on it until he was officially told last Saturday he had earned a roster spot.
It's part of the Lemieux lore that No. 66 scored his first goal on his first shot of his first shift in his first NHL game, which came in Boston Garden.
"I just remember being really nervous and being anxious to start my career," Lemieux said. "It's a dream come true, a chance to compete with guys you grew up watching. He's going to have a long day. Seven-thirty probably won't come soon enough for him."
Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk remembers what it was like for him when he opened his career in his hometown of Chicago.
"You're sitting there, shaking in your boots," Olczyk said. "This is the moment you've always wanted. Sometimes, you just have to let it go. Let your natural instincts take over and enjoy it, because you'll never have that moment again. Whether you're playing your first game or your 1,500th, or you're turning 40 years old, it's always exciting. It's a great honor to play in this league and know the players that have come before you. Very few people get that opportunity."
Because of the financial flexibility the Penguins gained with the new labor agreement, they've been able to sign free agents to deepen their talent base. Tonight, Crosby will be centering a line that includes Mark Recchi and John LeClair, who have more than 800 NHL goals between them.
"He doesn't have to be a savior. He just has to be himself," Recchi said. "The skill level is extremely high, but we have to be realistic. If he scores 25 goals and has 60 or 70 points, I think that's a great year for his first year. People get a little carried away. Just let him play. Let him enjoy his first year. He'll grow into the responsibilities of being the leader of this hockey club. The good thing is they surrounded him with enough good players and enough veterans that the burden's not going to be on him. He can just be part of a good hockey club."
"I've done what I could do to prepare myself for this. That's all that matters. You have to play with confidence. You can't afford to have doubt. Everything counts now."
-- Sidney Crosby, Oct. 4, 2005
A hot commodity anywhere these days, Sidney Crosby right, and teammate/captain/owner Mario Lemieux answer questions during a news conference at the Embassy Suites in Secaucus, N.J., yesterday on the eve of the new season.
(Bob Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com or at 412-263-1959.)
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