So Many Articles, So Little Time

WOW. The Internet blew up yesterday with several stories about the Saint. Let's get started with what I think is a head scratcher. Several people, including Don "Grapes" Cherry (← holy crap, that suit nearly blinded me), aren't happy about Maxime Talbot's prank at the Leafs pre-game practice. First, scroll down to the bottom of this article and read some of the reader comments. Some people are very upset about it. Then, watch this video clip of Grapes talking about the incident, as well as footage of the prank itself (it starts at about one minute into the video):

(The always-on-top-of-things Seth Rorabaugh from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Empty Netters found that clip, and the guys from ThePensblog.com spotted the TSN comments.) My take on the issue (if anyone cares) is that it was a harmless prank that, as a result, made headlines. Therefore people in attendance can say, "I was there for that." As a huge Sid fan myself, I doubt very much that I would have gotten pissed about it. It's not like Max was forging autographs as Sidney. Seriously, the prank lasted all of 30 seconds. But I could be biased here, as I really like Mad Max, too. Feel free to leave a comment at the end with your take on this situation.

Next up, Sid still has a commanding lead in the NHL All-Star voting. It was announced Tuesday that The Kid received 268,045 votes in the latest voting returns. He has more than 85,000 more votes than Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov, who at second place has 182,686 votes.

The West Coast is pumped about Crosby's arrival. Several articles have been detailing this, but this one from Alan Robinson for Yahoo! Sports has some comments from someone who understands what this is all about:

[Wayne] Gretzky, the biggest name of them all in Canada, knows what this is all about. Early in his Oilers' career, he made a three-game swing to Washington, Philadelphia and Toronto from Jan. 13-16, 1982 in which there was a similar media crush. Scalpers got $250 for a single seat in Toronto, where Gretzky's one-day appearance generated 99 requests for interviews.

"Sidney Crosby rolls into the hockey town that Wayne Gretzky made famous, but he 'wasn't even born' when the Oilers were at their best." - OttawaCitizen.com

"He will enjoy it," said Gretzky, whose Phoenix Coyotes lost in Pittsburgh 3-1 Monday night as Crosby set up the decisive goal. "They have tremendous fans out there in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. They're going to be really excited to see him play in person."

[...]

"We need to have Crosby in every building," Gretzky said. "It's about time."

So how does Sir Sidney himself feel about the hype? "I'd never complain about the attention – ever," said Crosby, already 186 games into a superstar's career. "I feel very fortunate to be doing what I love to do. Not everyone gets that chance every day. This is just part of it, and it comes down to managing my time to make sure I concentrate on my passion, which is the hockey."

And finally today, evidently the Internet loves Sidney. The proof is in the countless websites and blogs [*cough, cough*] dedicated to him. TSCS wasn't mentioned, but a segment taken from our Friends over at ThePensblog.com was mentioned but not credited:

There are websites and blogspots: wheressidney.com, sidneycrosby.se, sidney-crosby.info. They're bursting with information (Crosby had an 85 per cent average in Grade 11) and worshipful images (Crosby's face put on Matt Damon's body on a "Bourne Identity" movie poster to make it "The Bourne Scorer") to go with desktop art, screensavers and contests.

Click that link and scroll down to the second picture in the post to view the photoshop in question. It was created by Jerry Scott. (If The Canadian Press is unwilling to dish out the kudos, I will.) As for the rest of the article, AOL Fanhouse's Greg Wyshynski takes a closer look at who really was the first NHL cyber superstar: Sid or Mario?

As I told you earlier, I am unable to recap the late games. (DAMN YOU, GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT!!!) I will, however, provide links to good recaps to tonight's game and tomorrow's game, then I will resume my own recapping duties on Saturday. :)

GO PENS!!!