Pens v Oilers (W 4-2)

Ladies and gentlemen of Edmonton, allow us to introduce you to the one, the only, Sidney Patrick Crosby.

That's him in the center, celebrating one of his three points last night.

I MISSED ALL THE GOOD STUFF!!! I've recorded the game for future viewing purposes, but I'm not one of those people that can stay away from the Internet and/or sports recaps on TV so I can avoid hearing what happened during the game. I needed to know right away, and here's what I found:

In the future, when you talk about comebacks, you'll be talking about this game. The score was 2-0 through the end of two periods, but somehow in the third, the Pens found their game and decided it was time to show the West Coast what they are all about.

"They don't call us the 'Cardiac Kids' for nothing!"

Yet again, it was our boy Maxime Talbot who got the ball rolling with the first Pens goal of the night. (You know, I was thinking - someone out there really should start a Mad Max Talbot blog.) Seconds later, Sid set Kris Letang up for the tying goal. After a few minutes, Mark Eaton fired a shot that Colby Armstrong deflected in for the go-ahead goal. Then, for a little insurance, Sergei Gonchar and the Saint worked the puck to Ryan Whitney during a power play. Whitney scored from the point. Despite Edmonton's best last minute efforts, the final score was Pens 4, Oilers 2.

Make sure you check out the recap on ThePensblog.com for all the details. They found the photograph (posted below) of an up-ended Sidney crashing into Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson in what could have been a repeat of the Clint Malarchuk incident. ← CAUTION: I have provided you with the image-free Wikipedia entry. It gives a vivid, verbal account of the incident. Should you decide to search his name, you will find graphic videos of the incident. People that do not have strong stomachs should be advised not to watch them. I have seen this footage - it is definitely shocking. (Sidenote: Most shocking about the clip to me is how long it takes for someone to help the bleeding Malarchuk. With several players and the ref standing near him, he is left kneeling on the ice for a full 10 seconds bleeding profusely before his team's trainer, Jim Pizzutelli, comes to his aid and literally saves his life.)

This could have been extremely bad. (Image courtesy of ThePensblog.com)

Yahoo! Sports had this account of Sid's debut in Edmonton:

The sellout crowd of 16,839 cheered Crosby when he hit the ice in warmups and again when he was shown briefly on the video board during the U.S. anthem, but they left no doubt about their true allegiance. One fan held up a homemade placard early in the third period that read: "Sidney, welcome to the house Wayne built."

In the end, Crosby showed his appreciation for the respect the crowd showed him by waving to the fans after taking a quick spin on the ice for having been named the No. 1 star.

"When you're on a stage like this you always want to do well," Crosby said. "I try not to go into any building on the road expecting too much, but it's nice to get a welcoming like that. It's definitely a nice gesture and I appreciate it."

Make sure you read that article. At the end of it, teammate Gary Roberts tells us the why life isn't always a breeze for Sid.

Colby, Sidney, and Kris show Edmonton what they're made of.

Finally today, when I provided you with a list of Crosby articles yesterday, Friend of The Show and fellow Crosby blogger Eric B. from The Sidney Crosby Spotlight pointed out a good one that I missed. In it, new teammate Petr Sykora calls Sid "the best of everything:"

Sidney Crosby comes exactly as advertised, with pinstripes and poise.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain stands out for the magic he performs so effortlessly on skates and blends in with every measured word he utters so earnestly while off the ice. Forgive him if the Kid paints every new town beige on a western swing that whisks him from Edmonton to Calgary and Vancouver for the first time in his three-year National Hockey League career. It's the safest, wisest course plotted for a 20-year-old whose careless syllables could be turned against him faster than a neutral zone giveaway.

[...]

"When I was 20, I was 20 years old," said former Oiler Petr Sykora, now a grizzled 31 and a Crosby teammate in Pittsburgh. "He's not 20 years old. He's so mature. He knows exactly how to handle stuff. It's not easy for him. The media is all over him all the time, especially when we come to Canada. I think the way he's handling himself it's like he's been in the league for 10 years. It's amazing. He's Sidney Crosby. He's the best of everything."

Tonight, the Pens face the Calgary Flames at 9:00 pm Eastern. GO PENS!!!