Crosby's points lead impressive to teammates

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Pavel Kubina, right, tries to control Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) during first-period NHL action in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007.

By Karen Price

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Monday, February 12, 2007


Sidney Crosby's teammates are used to seeing him accomplish mind-boggling feats on the ice, whether it's scoring a highlight goal or making the perfect pass through traffic.
"Yeah, I think everybody's amazed and impressed by him every day," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. "There are still times when we say 'Holy (expletive), how did he do that?' It's good to have him on my side."

But what the 19-year-old center's doing now -- running away with the NHL scoring race -- has even his teammates in awe. Crosby, who became the youngest player ever to break the 100-point mark in the NHL last year with 102 points in 81 games for sixth in the NHL, has 87 points in 52 games this season.

Going into Sunday's games, he led the Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin, the Atlanta Thrashers' Marian Hossa and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Martin St. Louis by 15 points in the scoring race.

Last season, he had 59 points through the same number of games, and is on pace to top 120 points this season for what could be his first of many Art Ross trophies for the league's top scorer.

"It's incredible," forward Colby Armstrong said. "I think his attitude and the way he approaches every game is key to that. He's ready to play every night and he's focused. He just takes it a game at a time. He never gets caught up in anything, and I think that's the key to his success. I think a lot of people can learn from how he handles himself."

San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton won the Art Ross last season with 125 points. It was the highest points total since Jaromir Jagr had 127 in 1997-98.

Like last year when the hardware in question was the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, Crosby will tell anyone who asks that he isn't thinking about trophies except, of course, the Stanley Cup. But his teammates would like to see him win the scoring title, nonetheless.

"He's the ultimate team guy," Armstrong said. "He's always about the team, never about his individual awards. All the success he has, it's great to see because he's such a great guy."

Center Dominic Moore, who played for the New York Rangers last season, believes that Crosby's success is influencing the Penguins' success as a team, and vice versa.

"Last year was his first year and it's clear that he's a lot more comfortable now, a lot more confident now," Moore said. "Last year being on the other side, yeah, I was obviously very intent on stopping him. But to be honest, the team wasn't that effective, so I think that goes hand in hand with it. He feels more confident with his team as well."

When it comes to Crosby, teammate Maxime Talbot said, the sky's the limit.

"I can never imagine what he's going to reach in his career and what he's going to reach the next couple of years," Talbot said. "I guess there's no limit. You can't see where he's going to go. Right now, it's absolutely amazing, though. It's fun to be part of, too, because he's making us win, too."



Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com.