Pressure situations no sweat for Crosby

From the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette:

The Penguins knew all about Sidney Crosby's extraordinary vision before they drafted him last summer.

They were well aware of his instincts and abilities, too, the way he could handle the puck and react to plays even before they began to unfold.

After all, any scout who watched Crosby play -- and untold hundreds had, from the time he was a pre-teen in Nova Scotia -- should have come away with a pretty good grasp of the many things he can do on the ice.

What they might not have fully realized is how Crosby can ratchet up his game in conjunction with the stakes, but it's apparent as his rookie season enters its final weeks that he thrives in situations where games can be decided by a single play.

*snip*

That's an impressive stat, but here's one that speaks directly to his knack for producing under pressure: Of the five games the Penguins have won in overtime or a shootout this season, Crosby has scored the deciding goal four times.

Read the full article here.

Penguins 3 - Panthers 5: A Pointless Game for Sid

The Panthers defeated the Penguins 5-3 in a game between two teams that will be golfing together in about a month's time.

The Panthers aren't going into the night quietly, however. This win is their 7th straight and players such as Olli Jokinen and Jozef Stumpel have been on fire as of late. If only they played like this earlier in the year...

John LeClair scored his 400th NHL goal Wednesday night at Mellon Arena, but the Pittsburgh Penguins dropped a 5-3 decision to the Florida Panthers.

Chris Gratton scored 2:09 into the contest when he one-time a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury for a 1-0 Florida lead.

Nathan Horton made it a 2-0 Panthers lead with 3:41 left in the period. He wristed a power-play goal past Fleury.

The Panthers made it 3-0 just 23 seconds into the second period when he slammed in a rebound.

Rostislav Olesz slid a puck through Fleury’s legpads with 9:26 on the clock for a 4-0 Florida advantage.

Fleury was pulled for Sebastien Caron after Olesz’ goal. Fleury stopped just 13 of the 17 shots he faced. Florida goalie Roberto Luongo made 31 saves to earn the win and was especially sharp.

“Marc had a bad game. When your goalie doesn’t play well, it’s really tough to win, not just for us, but all the teams. [Therrien's comments]

“Luongo, I thought he was outstanding. I thought [Sidney] Crosby could have had three or four goals tonight. He’s a quality goalie.”

Sidney could have had 3 or 4 goals, but how many did he actually get?

0! That's right, a big fat donut that Homer Simpson would have trouble eating.

In 20:18 of ice time, Sidney was pointless with 7 shots on goal and a damn awful -3. He was 7 for 21 on faceoffs, which is one of the worst outputs of the season for him.

Full game recap here.

Andy Hilbert: Crosby's New Running Mate

Andy Hilbert has moved around a lot in the past couple of seasons. He was always a good prospect and scorer at the AHL level, but a lack of skating ability and a lack of a real shot has hindered him so far.

He must feel like he's won the lottery now that he's Sidney Crosby's new linemate. Just getting out of Chi-Town, alone, must feel good.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Center Andy Hilbert will remain a winger on Sidney Crosby's line, at least for the time being.

"Yeah, I like what I saw from the way they played the last game and even the game before, when we made that move," coach Michel Therrien said Tuesday. "This is something I had in my mind for two or three weeks, how he was going to react as a winger."

Hilbert, claimed off waivers from Chicago on March 9, was shifted from center to wing during Friday night's 4-3 win over the Islanders. Hilbert, 25, had a goal against New York and an assist in Sunday night's 6-5 loss to Montreal, and has two goals and three assists in eight games since joining the Penguins.

The former second-round pick of the Bruins has 10 goals and 10 assists in 74 career NHL games with Boston, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

"We're going to try different combinations because we have to make decisions," Therrien said. "We'll give an opportunity to those players. "Right now, I really like the way he fits in with Crosby and (Colby) Armstrong."

I also hope Andy, a natural centerman, can take more of the draws rather than Sidney.

Spector: Penguins Have Some Work to Do

Lyke "Spector" Richardson of FoxSports.com has a look at the Penguins and what they have to do in the future to improve.

It wasn't supposed to end like this for the Pens. They'd won the Sidney Crosby draft lottery last July, team owner and captain Mario Lemieux was returning to action for another season and was supposed to thrive under the new NHL rules, and thanks to the new CBA, the Pens were able to invest in free agent help.

With Lemieux tutoring "Sid the Kid" and a roster buoyed by veterans like Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, Jocelyn Thibault, Zigmund Palffy and John LeClair, the Pens were expected to make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, GM Craig Patrick ignored the lesson the New York Rangers had painfully learned under the old CBA: You can't build a winner with free agency as your main pillar.

It's true that you can't simply buy a team, but the Penguins lack of good defense in general was a weakness from the start, and who expected Sergei Gonchar to suck so badly in the new NHL? Dick Tarnstrom? If I were looking at one element that wasn't addressed until too late, I'd point to coach Ed Olczyk, who couldn't be bothered to have his team play better defensively.

Crosby has been everything he was expected to be, leading the Penguins in every offensive category. Indeed, it can be argued that Crosby's performance improved following Lemieux's retirement, as he was able to fully take over as the franchise player.

Even before Lemieux's retirement, Sidney was already the franchise and already the team's best player. Palffy and Crosby were certainly doing good while the old Lemieux/Leclair combo struggled badly.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who spent the first half of the season bouncing between the Pens and their farm club for contract reasons, has in the second half provided the Pens with solid, even spectacular goaltending.

That's true. After being nearly ruined by the Penguins right out of juniors, Fleury has been a big reason why the Penguins have been in many games late in the year. His numbers are pretty bad, but you can see the skill and potential and ability to make tough saves.

Brooks Orpik is gaining a reputation as a tough, stay-at-home defenseman while Josef Melichar is also showing some promise on the blueline.

Well, we know Orpik is a cheap-shot artist with a big mouth. The Pens did well when they had another guy just like that: Ulf Samuelsson ;) As for Melichar, he should be a 'decent' average defenseman some day.

Then there's the promise of next season, when their 2004 second overall pick, highly touted center Evgeny Malkin, will be making his debut. Like his countryman Alexander Ovechkin (drafted first overall that year) and his soon-to-be teammate Crosby, Malkin should make an immediate impact.

The Penguins stand a good chance of landing the first overall pick in this year's draft, where they could get a shot at such top prospects as Phil Kessel, Johnathan Toews, Jordan Staal (brother of the Hurricanes Eric Staal), Michael Frolik or Niklas Backstrom.

Malkin, the big lanky kid ranked #1 by The Hockey News' Future Watch Edition. I saw him at the WJC in Vancouver and he's going to be a great player, in my opinion. With Crosby and him as a 1-2 punch on the same line or as centers on different lines, they'll be set for a long time with great offensive punch. As for the current draft, it may be weak, but not for the Top 3 picks. This will give the Penguins 4 extremely strong kids to build around. (Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, ??)

Spector goes on to discuss the off-ice issues facing the Penguins and so forth. Go check out the whole article here.

Penguins 5 - Canadiens 6: Wild and Crazy Loss

The Montreal Canadiens avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Penguins with a 6-5 win in a wild and crazy 'where-the-hell-is-the-defence?' game. If not for some bad luck, the Penguins could have had something to hang their helmets on. At the very least, the Penguins are finishing the season with some good efforts. They could easily be tanking it, but the players seem to be playing for future jobs and pride.

The Penguins won the first three contests against Montreal this season, but the Canadiens, who are fighting for an Eastern Conference playoff spot, jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first and held on for the win.

“We played hard. We worked hard and played hard and I thought we were the best team on the ice,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “But, you need breaks to win games. We didn’t have any breaks. All the breaks were against us. It was one of those nights. The hockey god was not on our side tonight.”

Armstrong nearly completed [a] hat-trick when Hilbert’s shot deflected off Armstrong and into the goal with 12:22 to play. However, Armstrong was ruled to have intentionally knocked the puck into the net with his arm, so the goal was waved off.

“It was just a shot that Hilby put at the net and it hit a stick and came up and hit me – and it was more of a reaction – and went into the net,” Armstrong said.

Michael Ryder put Montreal up, 6-4, when he kept the puck on a 2-on-1 and roofed it past Marc-Andre Fleury with seven minutes to go.

John LeClair brought the Penguins within 6-5 just 1:05 later when he knocked in his 399th career goal. Konstantin Koltsov and Ryan Malone assisted on the play.

Crosby had a fairly decent night with 2 assists in 22:34 of ice time. He also had 2 shots on goal, finished +1 and went 9 for 20 on faceoffs.

Video Highlights right here.

Penguins 4 - Islanders 3 (OT): Sidney for teh winz!

After find themselves down with a 3-1 deficit, Sidney Crosby led the charge and the Penguins pulled off a win against a fast-sinking Islanders team.

Sidney finished with 1 goal (a beauty in OT) and one assist (on Andy Hilbert's deflection goal) in 21:02 of ice time. Sidney also had 2 shots on goal and went 11 for 19 on faceoffs.

Sidney Crosby rifled a shot past Rick DiPietro 3:28 into overtime Friday night to give the Penguins a 4-3 triumph at Mellon Arena.

“I don’t think we had the best first period, but in the second and third we earned the right to be in the game and ultimately win it,” Crosby said. “It was nice.”

It was the fourth time in their five meetings this year that the Penguins and Islanders needed overtime to decide the outcome. Pittsburgh won the first game, but New York rattled off three-straight triumphs via shootout before Friday night.

Crosby ended the Penguins’ drought against the Islanders with an exclamation point. On a 2-on-1 with Colby Armstrong on the right side, Crosby streaked down the left side of the rink and ripped a hard shot past DiPietro.

“There was a lot to think about because it was a long way down 2-on-1, but I wasn’t going to pass up a shot that late in the game,” Crosby said. “I wanted to make sure I gave it my best shot and it’s just nice to win.”

Crosby nearly gave the Penguins a win late in the third period when DiPietro misplayed a puck and Crosby fired it at the net through two defenders.

“It was kind of a tough angle and they had a couple guys back, but I just threw it at the net and it was probably an inch away from going in,” he said. “I was close there, but to get the win was nice.”

Game recap here.
Watch the video highlights here.

Sidney Crosby: A Big Hit in Montreal

The latest from Crosby-stalker Shawna Richer: Crosby's bigger than the Beatles!

Several hundred people pressed against a metal gate, crowded deep around the Pittsburgh Penguins bus parked inside the bowels of the Bell Centre. Dozens more spilled onto the sidewalk, oblivious to the cold.

Close by but hidden from view, Sidney Crosby visited with his parents and little sister, chatting until it was time to leave. An hour had passed since the game ended but not one fan had budged, and so Mr. Crosby, in long, dark wool coat and flanked by two Penguins staff members, was whisked down a hallway, through a side door and out an exit no one could see.

Moments later, the bus rumbled to life and a mixture of cries and sighs erupted from the crowd. In the middle of the pack, a teenage girl squealed and frantically waved a cardboard sign at the disappearing vehicle. It read: Je t'adore #87.

Apparently, French chicks don't mind nasty teeth :)

When they finally reached the door, at least a hundred more waited outside. It took him 15 minutes to travel as many metres. By the time he escaped onto the bus, Mr. McMillan, as slim as Mr. Crosby is sturdy, had been swept up in a wave and flattened against it.

"Even with Mario, it was never like this," Mr. McMillan said.

"For a non-French player to cause such a reaction in Montreal is really unbelievable."

"Cheer Up, Sid"

A Quiet Girl, Senators fan and enemy of the state, tries to cheer up Sidney Crosby after her Senators destroyed him and the Penguins the other night.

I've got a problem
with everyone I know
I've got a problem and
I want everyone to know
I got home late from a rink
off the power grid
I say it sucked because I'm Sid
I'm gonna cry
I'm gonna scream
I'm gonna say what I don't mean
I'm gonna cry
I'm gonna mope
I'm gonna give up all my hope
I'm bringing everybody down
Greet everybody with a frown
I'll just wait for death to come around
Cheer up, Sid!
It's a brand new day
It'll be okay ...

If you really want to cheer him up, send him a Dany Heatley to play alongside. Not only would Sid get a good linemate, but also somebody with worse looking teeth.

Andre Roy: Crosby's Whiny Defender

Good of Andre Roy to stick up for Sidney Crosby, even if it's just a whiny post-game tirade.

Not even a post-game shower could cool off Andre Roy. Angry at seeing Andrej Meszaros hit Sidney Crosby on or close to his left knee in a controversial third-period collision last night, the Penguins tough guy stood up from his seat at the bench and slammed his stick on the boards.

"That's five minutes for kneeing," he yelled at the officials.

For the shout-out, he was given a 10-minute misconduct and sent to the dressing room.

Before leaving Scotiabank Place, Roy had more to say about the incident. Plenty more.

"(Crosby's) allowed to get hit," he started, "but he is a franchise player. And you've got that ugly mutt skating across, going for his knee. They want a clean NHL ... and you wonder why you have incidents like Todd Bertuzzi.

"Meszaros should think twice. That can't happen."

No, incident's like Todd Bertuzzi happen because certain individuals can't control their emotions and just snap.

For his part, Crosby shrugged off the play.

"I don't know," the rookie sensation said when asked if the hit by the Senators defenceman was a deliberate attempt to injure him. "You have to ask him."

The look on Crosby's face after the hit was somewhat priceless. It was a mix of Sidney wanting to whine, cry, and scream out in pain. Sidney held back and just grimaced while holding all of that emotion inside.

Penguins 2 - Senators 5: Vetoed!

'Twas not a good night at all for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins as the Sens smoked them by a 5-2 score.

Eric Cairns took a cheap spear-jab at giant Zdeno Chara. Chara dropped the gloves and then proceeded to beat the living snot out of Cairns.

Sidney Crosby took a borderline low hit from Andrej Meszaros. On the ensuing Power Play, Crosby, playing the point, coughed up the puck to Antoine Vermette who scored a pretty shorthanded goal.

The Ottawa Senators scored early Tuesday and held on for a 5-2 win over the Penguins.

Daniel Alfredsson fired a slap-shot past Sebastien Caron 2:33 into the game for a power-play goal.

Colby Armstrong tied the game 6:56 into the second period with a short-handed goal. He created a turnover in the Ottawa zone and the puck went to Ryan Malone. He slid a pass to Armstrong and he fired it past Ray Emery.

The Senators tallied a power-play goal 17 seconds when Andrej Meszaros fired a slap-shot past Caron.

Chris Kelly made it 3-1 with 7:29 to play when he flipped a shot past Caron.

Meszaros tallied a power-play goal to make it a 4-1 game 3:39 into the third.

Tomas Surovy cut it to 4-2 with 11:18 left in the game when he converted on a Senators turnover.

Antoine Vermette added a short-handed goal with 4:52 left to boost Ottawa’s lead to 5-2.

On the night, Crosby played 22:52 and finished with 1 assist, -1, 6 shots on goal, 4PIM, and 7 for 18 on faceoffs.

Chartible Crosby

Here are a couple of off-ice pics of Sidney Crosby doing charity work.





Oh, and here's something to scare your kids...

Weekend Recap: A Quiet Crosby

The Penguins held on for a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. It was a very free-flowing game, and Marc-Andre Fleury had to make 42 saves to give the Penguins the victory.

Despite all of the goals, Sidney Crosby had only a lone assist in the win and wasn't as dangerous as he should have been.

Last night, The Penguins lost a tough 1-0 tilt to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Chad Kilger scored on a penalty shot in the third period to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 1-0 win over the Penguins at Mellon Arena.

Kilger was tripped up going to the net with 6:51 to play. He was awarded a penalty shot and beat Marc-Andre Fleury for the only goal of the game.

“It was a tough night,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “I didn’t like we approached the game. I think we responded really well in the second and third. We matched their desperation. The game could have gone both ways. They played a good game and we played a good game.”

Pittsburgh’s Tomas Surovy appeared to score late in the first period as his deflection of a shot trickled into the goal, but it was ruled to have crossed the goal line after time had expired.

While Crosby had been appearing to catch up to Alexander Ovechkin in the rookie scoring race, this quiet offensive weekend seems to kill any chance of that happening.

Game recap here.

Penguins 1 - New Jersey 2: Doubled by the Devils

It was classic Devils defensively-stifling and boring hockey as the Penguins fell to their trapping by a 2-1 score.

Crosby was held pointless in 21:39 with 2 shots on goal. The bad 'whiny' side of Sidney Crosby came out as he was assessed with an 'abuse of officials' penalty in the second period. Obviously, his PR people still have some work to do.

New Jersey rallied for a pair of second-period goals to give the Devils a 2-1 win over the Penguins on Thursday.

Jani Rita’s centering pass deflected off New Jersey defenseman Ken Klee and went into the net 8:53 into the period. There were no assists on the play.

John Madden poked in a rebound to tie the game at 1-all 5:51 into the second.

Brian Gionta rifled a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury on a breakaway to give the Devils a 2-1 lead with 2:35 left in the period.

Neither team scored in the third as the Devils snapped the Penguins’ two-game win streak. Pittsburgh managed only 14 shots on goal in the game.

Next up for the Penguins are the red-hot Canadiens and Cristobal Huet on Saturday night.

Around the Blogosphere: Ovechkin vs. Crosby

Although it seems to be "in the bag" that Alexander Ovechkin will win the Calder Trophy over Sidney Crosby, the actual voting may be closer than one would think, given some of the comments made by media members, other players, and hockey executives.

Here's a blogosphere look at Crosby vs. Ovechkin.

Jamie Fitzpatrick seems to think that there is no race at all, and that people devalue Ovechkin because he is the more flashy player:

Hockey people sometimes seem allergic to entertainment - imagine Ovechkin trying to play for a fun-killer like Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire. Fans can be ignorant of the complete player - backchecking wins as many games as goal scoring, but it doesn't sell tickets or get the sportscasters burbling with delight.

The Globe and Mail article makes a couple of other good points. The two rookies are seen as peers. But Ovechkin is 20 years old and Crosby 18, a significant divide. And many will be surprised to learn that the scoring race remains close, with Crosby projected for 94 points this season and Ovechkin for 101.

But the article doesn't acknowledge that Ovechkin is also growing into a complete player, one who certainly isn't shy about throwing his weight around. And there is no mention of Crosby's occasional tendency to lose his composure. "(Ovechkin) doesn't get frustrated if he gets hit, either," says Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson. "He gets up and keeps playing. Not like the other rookie (Crosby), who starts crying. I think there's a big difference in the attitude."

James Mirtle, the Globe and Mail editor/journalist, has a look at the 'lack' of a race and some comments made against his paper's Shawna Richer:

Globe reporter Shawna Richer does dig up some interesting tidbits from pretty 'in-the-know' sources that weigh in in Crosby's favour — something that I didn't, at this point, think possible. The argument about which rookie is 'better,' at least this season, had been seemingly dead since Crosby's Penguins lost 10 in a row and 16 of 17 games from early January to early February. (In fact, before Saturday's win over New Jersey, Pittsburgh had won just three times in their last 23 games. Now that's ugly.)

Over at OffWing Opinion, Eric offers two great side-by-side video montages of Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin. No matter which side of the fence you are on in this debate, this matches fer sum good watchin'.

Crosby Battles to Stay in Calder Race

The latest from the Globe and Mail's Shawna Richer (aka The Crosby Stalker)

Martin Brodeur is one of the most qualified men in the National Hockey League to offer an opinion on who is the season's best rookie: Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin?

By season's end, Mr. Brodeur's New Jersey Devils will have faced the Pittsburgh Penguins eight times and the Washington Capitals four. The goaltender also just came off a weekend of consecutive nights battling each player.

On Friday, he stopped Mr. Ovechkin cold during an overtime shootout and turned back his lone shot during regulation. On Saturday, Mr. Brodeur surrendered two goals to Mr. Crosby, the first coming 42 seconds into the game through a sliver-sized opening in the goaltender's pads.

Mr. Crosby and Mr. Ovechkin each have fewer than 20 games remaining as the race for the league's rookie-of-the-year award, the Calder Trophy, heats up, providing passionate bar-stool debate among even casual fans.

Who is better? The gritty, 18-year-old Canadian playmaker who has put even his most offensively challenged teammates on the scoresheet with jaw-dropping passes, or the Russian sniper two years his senior who moves like a freight train and doesn't seem to need anyone's help?

When comparing the two kids, people quickly forget, or don't even realize, that Ovechkin is older than Crosby. When you are that young, 1 or 2 years can make a huge difference in terms of skill and just pure body function. Who knows if Crosby will suddenly just become a lot stronger and more physically mature in the next 2 years. Maybe so, maybe not. If Ovechkin were Crosby's age, would he be able to do the things he is now?

Since we can't really predict such a thing, it's up to Crosby to do his best NOW and hope that the writers can forget about Ovechkin's 1,000 highlight reel rushes...it won't happen, but it's no knock on Crosby to be the '2nd fiddle' right now.

Penguins 2 - Flyers 0: Armstronging Philly

It's always sweet when the Pens beat the Flyers. I love the Flyers as much as cholera, measals, and a turd sandwich.

Colby Armstrong was the offensive hero with a deuce of goals on the night, both assisted by Herr Sidney Crosby.

Crosby has been a horse since Recchi was traded. On the night, he played 24:41(!) and had 5 shots on goal, 2 assists, +1, and went 14-for-20 on faceoffs. I guess to making Sidney more effective is to take any player over 26 years of age off of the roster.

Michael the Hockey Fanatic had a fan's perspective over at his 'confessional' blog.

The Flyers frustration, thanks to Fleury, turned to chippy feisty behavior. Several Penguins and Flyers pushed and shoved with 5:15 left to go in the period. This would certainly be the key to the game. If one player on either side were to lose their cool, it could cost them a penalty kill. This is crucial when the Flyers saw their locker room still down 1-0 at the end of the 2nd period.

Colby Armstrong has really proven himself an offensive force lately posting his second goal of the game early 2:50 into the 3rd period. Crosby helped out with Rita on that goal earning Sid 2 points at that point in his race to chase Ovechkin.

Full NHL game recap here.

Penguins 6 - Devils 3: Crosby > Ebil!

It's about time Sidney Crosby got back on the ass-kickin wagon and laid the smack on someone.

The victims? The "new look" Jersey Devils, starring Ken Klee.

Sidney Crosby racked up three points Saturday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins rolled to a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils at Mellon Arena.

The victory snapped the Penguins’ four-game losing streak.

“We played well. There were a lot of new faces and combinations, but the guys had the right attitude about it and worried about playing their own game and doing their best,” Crosby said. “For us, everything clicked. Everyone was working together and doing the little things.”

Forget the little things, Crosby was doin the BIG things. The second line of Andy Hilbert (newly plucked from the ChickenHawks) and Tomas Surovy also produced two goals of their own.

For the night, El Sid finished with 2 goals, 1 assist, and +1 in 19:55 of ice time with 5 shots on goal. Sid also went 11 for 19 in faceoffs, an area he's been sucking less at during the second half of the season.

Full game recap here.

Sidney Crosby Linkage of the Day

John Kresier of NHL.com gives a nice written massage to Sidney Crosby in his latest column/propaganda piece.

Suffice it to say that this was not the rookie season Sidney Crosby dreamed of when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer.

Well, duh! He was drafted by a crappy team, did he expect a Stanley Cup? You have to wonder how players drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks must feel.

The one good note for Crosby this season is that he won his head-to-head "series" with Washington rookie star Alexander Ovechkin. Despite Wednesday's 6-3 loss in Washington, the Penguins and Crosby beat Ovechkin and the Capitals in three of their four meetings this season.

Yeah, but we know Ovechkin is likely to walk away with the Calder. I'm sure Crosby would rather have that.

Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated (SI.com) has a piece about Sidney Crosby growing up fast. Off the ice, Sidney has never really been all that immature. On the ice? He needs to stop whining so much and take his knocks like a Steve Yzerman.

Life after Recchi

It hasn't been a great 48 hours for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

First, a 6-3 loss to the Washington Crapitals and Alexander Ovechkin. Ivan Majesky scored his first goal of the year from about 140 feet away from the net. He'll take it. Sidney was outduelled head-to-head by Ovechkin (for the first time) and Alex seems to be breaking away in the race for the Calder.

After that, Marc Recchi was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes for Niklas Nordgren (a rather BLAH defenseman), Krys Kolanos (a good AHL player but not much more than NHL filler at this point) and a draft pick.

So, Crosby has had Lemieux, Palffy, and Recchi all ripped away from him this season. This certainly won't help him catch Ovechkin (not that there was much of a chance) nor the Penguins win any games. As for the future? The Penguins didn't exactly fill the bank vault at the trade deadline. Still, Recchi was a UFA signing and they essentially got the picks for 'free' (not counting the salary paid to Recchi)

From Dave Molinari's Q&A:

Q: What is your opinion on the Calder race? I feel while both Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are very talented, they are two very different types of players. Crosby is the more complete player, with Ovechkin being a pure sniper. I have never seen Ovechkin display the kind of stick-handling ability and vision I see from Crosby on a regular basis. Not to take anything away from Ovechkin -- he is amazing, also -- I just feel that as time goes by, Ovechkin's numbers will not be too much better (if better at all) than his first year's, while Crosby's numbers will certainly improve.

-- Christian DeRobio of Clearwater, Fla.

MOLINARI: Despite Crosby's advantage in head-to-head play -- the Penguins won the season series against Washington, 3-1, and Crosby outscored Ovechkin, nine points to five, in those games -- Ovechkin is the front-runner in the Calder race at this point. Understandably so, too, because he not only leads Crosby in the rookie scoring race, but has scored some spectacular goals that have to have made an indelible impression on trophy voters. Crosby will need a strong closing kick to overtake Ovechkin for the Calder.

That doesn't mean Ovechkin will be the better player over the long term -- frankly, any club would be ecstatic to have either -- but the Calder has nothing to do with how anyone projects a rookie's career will play out. (Nor does it have anything to do with what a rookie does, or does not, accomplish during the Olympics, or the playoffs.) It is awarded strictly on the basis of what players accomplish during their first season in the league, and both Ovechkin and Crosby have done some sensational things. Of course, so have other newcomers such as New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf, who are worthy of more top-end Calder support than they seem likely to receive.

Penguins 4 - Lightning 5: Struck Down in the Shootout

Sidney Crosby had his best post-Olympic game, but the Penguins' rally wasn't quite enough as Tampa Bay took the game in a shootout.

Once again, the Penguins battled back from a 4-1 deficit, but fell to Tampa Bay in a shootout, 5-4, Tuesday night at Mellon Arena.

Jani Rita and Sidney Crosby failed to score in the shootout for the Penguins, while Brad Richards and Vaclav Prospal tallied to give Tampa Bay the 2-0 shootout victory.

“We had another comeback. It’s not the habit we want to get into and it seems like we’ve had to do it a lot this year, but I think it’s always been a test of character and we’ve always passed that,” Crosby said. “That shows a lot. It’s pretty amazing, too, with the way the fans have reacted when we’re behind like that. They get behind us and it’s pretty amazing, especially with the way things have been going. We have to give thanks to them. We just keep trying to play with energy and not give up.”

It also shows how bad the Tampa Bay defense and goaltending are...*ahem*.

Sidney finished with 1 goal and 1 assist and +1 in 22:40 of ice time. He also had 5 shots on goal, finished 12 for 23 in faceoffs, but did fail to score in the shootout.

Full game recap here.

Mario Lemieux Foundation Auction

Looking to get some Sidney Crosby memorabilia and help charity at the same time?

Check out http://www.mariolemieux.org

The Mario Lemieux Foundation announced the start of the Bid for 66 on-line auction event to benefit cancer and neonatal research.

This special 10-day on-line auction is comprised of memorabilia from some of the most recognizable names in sports, including Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Ben Roethlisberger, Daytona 500 champ Jimmie Johnson and many more! The Bid for 66 on-line auction will be held March 5th through March 15th at www.mariolemieux.org.

The following is a sample of items that are available for bid during the Bid for 66 on-line auction:

Mario Lemieux autographed memorabilia
Pittsburgh Penguins autographed and game used memorabilia
Sidney Crosby autographed memorabilia
Ben Roethlisberger autographed Harley Davidson motorcycle helmet
Mario Lemieux autographed Pittsburgh Penguin Igloo Club tickets vs. the New Jersey Devils on March 11th
Dan Marino autographed Pittsburgh Panthers jersey
Freddy Adu autographed D.C. United jersey
Autographed artwork featuring Mario, Michael Jordan, Yogi Berra and more
Autographed Mellon Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational merchandise
Golf apparel and accessories

Sidney and Team Canada

Sidney may have been snubbed for the Turin Olympics, but let's not forget that the World Championships are coming and Sidney Crosby could be a lynchpin for the squad.

From Lance Hornsby of the Toronto Sun:

As coach and co-recruiter for the Canadian side at the world championship in May in Latvia, Habscheid gets the first chance to restore the nation's wounded hockey pride -- with Sidney Crosby high on his list. You'd think Habscheid will be inundated with volunteers, especially those who failed to win a medal in Italy or thought they deserved to go.

Now, is Sidney interested in going?

Pat Brisson, Crosby's agent, sees no reason his client won't be in Latvia once his Pittsburgh Penguins finish the regular season on April 18 in Toronto.

"As long as he's healthy and if he is invited," Brisson said. "Sidney would like nothing more than to keep playing for Pittsburgh, because he has never missed the playoffs in his life, but he has played at the national level before."

Well, this would be the perfect time for Sidney to suit up for Team Canada once again. Not only would he be a shoo-in for the roster, but you know he'd be counted on to play a big role on the team and be counted on for some heavy offensive numbers.

Hurricanes 7 - Penguins 5: Swept Away!

There were 12 goals total but just one assist for Sir Sidney Crosby in a 7-5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

At least the Penguins, for all of their poor defensive play, have the heart and determination to be mounting decent comeback attempts.

Mark Recchi recorded a hat-trick, but the Pittsburgh Penguins could not rally past the Carolina Hurricanes, 7-5, Saturday night at Mellon Arena.

Recchi scored once in the second period and two more times in the third as the Penguins outscored the Hurricanes 5-2 in the final two frames.

It was Recchi’s sixth-career hat-trick and first with the Penguins.

“We showed a lot of character. We just have to find ways to have better starts and don’t get ourselves let down like this. It’s just too tough [to come back] against teams like this,” Recchi said. “We kept battling and that’s one great sign about our team right now – we definitely don’t quit. We have to find ways to be better and find ways to get off to better starts. "

“It’s frustrating and disappointing because we really want to win.”

Sidney's Stats: 1 assist, EVEN, 22:14TOI, 7-for-20 on faceoffs, 2 shots on goal, and 3 blocked shots.

Full game recap here.

Sidney Not Angry at Team Canada

There is no need to burn your bridges so early in life.

From ABC News,

Sidney Crosby's only regret about the Olympics is he won't be able to play in them for another four years, not that he was passed over for the just-concluded Winter Games.

The Penguins' rookie star declined again Wednesday to criticize Team Canada officials for bypassing him despite the Canadians' poor showing in Turin, Italy, where they failed to reach the semifinals four years after winning the gold in Salt Lake City.

"When I watched the first game, it was tough because I think that was the time I realized it's probably going to be another four years before I had the opportunity," Crosby said. "After that, I just became a fan. I was pulling for them and I wanted them to do well. It's unfortunate it didn't, but I said before Canada had a lot of expectations and they're not going to win gold every time."

Senators 4 - Penguins 3: Comeback denied!

I turned on the tube yesterday and it was 4-0 Senators early in the third. I felt like turning the channel, knowning the game was already probably in the books.

Still, I kept the TV tuned to the game and witnessed the Penguins almost come back to tie the Sens, who looked pretty bad holding their lead.



Jani Rita scored his first goal as a Penguin and Andre Roy (pictured)scored his first goal in about 2 years, but it wasn't quite enough.

The Pittsburgh Penguins rallied for three goals in the third period Wednesday night at Mellon Arena, but fell short as the Ottawa Senators posted a 4-3 win.

The Senators grabbed a 1-0 lead through the first and built it to 4-0 heading into the third period.

“You can’t give up. We didn’t give up,” Penguins rookie Sidney Crosby said. “You just have to go out there and try to keep coming. We made it close, but in the end we didn’t get two points we wanted.”

John LeClair scored a power-play goal 6:18 into the third period to break the shutout. Ryan Malone and Ryan Whitney had the assists.

Andre Roy and Jani Rita tallied goals 1:33 apart late in the period to slice the Penguins’ deficit to 4-3.

Roy scored his first goal in a Penguin uniform when Rita’s pass trickled in front of the goal and he slammed it past Ray Emery with 6:14 to play. Colby Armstrong assisted on the goal as well.

Likewise, Rita notched his first goal with the Pens when he flipped in LeClair’s pass to make it a 4-3 with 5:41 on the clock. Armstrong added another assist on the play.

Sir Sidney didn't really have a big part in the comeback and he was nullified by the Sens defense all night long. Sidney did finish EVEN, but had only 2 shots for in 22:25 of ice time. He also went 6 for 22 in faceoffs.

I was also impressed with Sergei Gonchar. Where was this kind of effort earlier in the season? Gonchar had 5 shots on goal and was an offensive factor all night long. I hope Gonchar can continue to play this way for the rest of the season, hopefully helping Crosby put up some numbers.

Full game recap here.

Down the Stretch they come!

The Penguins have no hope in hell of making the playoffs, but Sidney Crosby still has the Calder Trophy to play for. With Alexander Ovechkin perhaps a bit tired from the Olympic experience, it's quite possible that a well-rested and motivated Crosby could have a terrific finish and make the Calder voting a lot closer than it would be if the season ended today. Maybe Crosby can use the fact that Canada snubbed him as extra motivation. Sidney may claim not to be disturbed by being left off of the team, but how could he just sit at home and not have the thought cross his mind that he could have done a lot better than some of those guys?

Crosby's first post-Olympic test? The powerful Ottawa Senators club.

Today's article comes from Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Penguins have 23 games remaining, beginning with a visit by Ottawa to Mellon Arena at 7:38 p.m. tomorrow, and there is much the team, and its most celebrated player, can try to accomplish.

Crosby is hard-wired to focus on team objectives, not individual ones, but there are a few personal achievements with his grasp.

He trails Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, 69-65, in the rookie scoring race and is widely regarded as being behind him in the competition for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the NHL's top rookie. With more than a quarter of the season left, Crosby has a chance to hurdle Ovechkin on both counts.

He's well aware of the situation but hardly consumed by it. He figures, probably with good reason, that getting up in such things would be counterproductive.

"I'd love to have the opportunity to win [the rookie scoring title], but I don't think that's something that's going to be in my mind," Crosby said. "I've played hockey enough to know that when you start thinking about those things, you're not worrying about doing your job and playing.

"I'm going to try to have the strongest 23 games possible. Everyone knows [the Calder] is based on your season. If I can focus on just finishing off the year as strong as possible, having the best however many games I play, we'll see what happens."