A few minutes ago I walked in the door from the Penguins v. Avalanche game, and I'm overjoyed to be able to report firsthand that Sidney Crosby is every bit as good as I hoped he'd be. It won't show up on the scoresheet necessarily, where he got only a single assist in the 4-3 win, but he's as impressive as an eighteen year-old could be.
While he didn't get the points tonight, Crosby's got the same unmistakable points potential that only the great ones have. Even when it doesn't end up in the net from his stick or someone else's, you can just see how his mind is working out ways to create scoring chances. Blind passes and abrupt shots that are always on-target. The refusal to give up on a play. Like Mario, his linemates know they've always got to keep their sticks on the ice. I can't imagine there are five better passers in the league than him right now, and he's only going to get better. He doesn't have Lemieux's size or wingspan, though, or the accompanying ability to conserve movement. Crosby's more of a whirling dervish, though constantly under control, and he puts that high energy to good use-- he made a couple of nice defensive plays tonight, including one great puck-stripping while short-handed. With Mario out of the lineup (and Palffy, and LeClair), Crosby seemed to take ownership for the team's effort tonight, and the team got solid play from all four lines tonight.
Fittingly, Wayne Gretzky was in the building tonight to scout for Team Canada. I can't imagine he'd leave 87 off the Olympic squad.
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