Coach Therrien gives Sidney an 'A'

Well, it looks like the new coach has already taken a liking to Sidney Crosby.

From Shawna Richer, the official Crosby stalker for the Globe and Mail:

Sidney Crosby was annointed an assistant captain with the Penguins today, less than 24 hours after Michel Therrien was brought in to coach the struggling team.

"Staring tonight Sidney Crosby will be an assistant captain," Therrien said after the Penguins morning game-day skate. "Eventually it is going to be his team; he is the future of this franchise and I want him to start feeling the responsibility now.

"He's become an important part of this team very quickly and he is an incredible hockey player. I like the kid, he's a good kid. He brings a passion to the game and he cares so much. When you have a kid like that you want to encourage him and give him the responsibility he deserves. That he cares so much is a gold mine for us. He's leading us already for sure."

Hmm, I'm not sure if putting extra pressure on the kid is really the way go to. Other's like Vincent Lecavalier and Chris Pronger and Bryan McCabe really faltered when given extra leadership duties at a very young age.

So, How does Sid feel?

"It's a pretty big honour to get a letter on your jersey and I plan on taking it very seriously," he said, wearing a black furry trapper hat given to him by friend Maxime Talbot, who was sent down to Wilkes-Barre yesterday. "For the coach to show that he thinks I deserve that kind of responsibility is something that is really important and will do my best to live up to it."

"It's important to lead by example and by your actions. To be 18 in the NHL and get a letter is pretty special."

Full article here.