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Oh, Canada?!

Dave Molinari | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | December 21, 2005

Mike Yeo knew all the stories. Had been hearing them for a few years, actually. Just like everyone else in the industry.

So he realized quite awhile ago that Sidney Crosby wasn't simply another good teenage prospect. He just wasn't convinced Crosby was quite as good as some people made him out to be. Or that any kid could be, for that matter.

"I'd heard a lot of things," Yeo, the Penguins assistant coach, said yesterday. "If anything, I was maybe a little skeptical because it's natural that players are built up, hyped up.

"Then when I saw him at [training] camp, I knew he was something special."

Not special enough—at least not at age 18—to get a place on Canada's Olympic team, which was announced yesterday. Crosby didn't even receive a spot on Canada's taxi squad, where two other gifted young centers—Jason Spezza of Ottawa and Carolina's Eric Staal—ended up.

Crosby undoubtedly was disappointed to be bypassed, even though he has consistently downplayed talk of competing in the Games. Nonetheless, being left off Team Canada assures that all of his energy and focus will be used to the benefit of the Penguins, beginning with a game against Philadelphia at 7:38 p.m. tomorrow at Mellon Arena.

And while it's safe to conclude that Crosby already has developed some special feelings about the Flyers—remember, he had three teeth busted on a high stick from Philadelphia defenseman Derian Hatcher last month, then was smeared as a "diver" by the Flyers—his words do not betray those sentiments.

Given the way Crosby measures his tone and words, it's no surprise to hear him suggest that because of the Penguins' free fall through the Eastern Conference standings and their coaching change a week ago, the identity of their opponent tomorrow is secondary, at most.

"Obviously, we've had some tough games against them—there's a little bit of a rivalry—but we're more focused on just our game than on who we're playing," he said.

"Maybe under other circumstances, it might be more of a game where it's thought of as a rivalry. With a lot of new things, we're more worried about ourselves than who we're playing against."

That doesn't mean he's forgotten what the Flyers did to—and said about—him. But while the stick in the mouth might have been a bit unusual, the vocal assault he absorbed from such Flyers as center Peter Forsberg, along with numerous broadcasters and reporters from Philadelphia, were nothing new for Crosby.

He said he had been attacked that way "a lot" throughout his career, and figured the thinking behind the diving accusations was pretty transparent.

"That's typical, trying to get in other people's minds, my own mind," he said. "It's not the first time, and probably won't be the last, so I don't worry about it."

Yeo, meanwhile, noted that Crosby responded to having his teeth broken by scoring the overtime game-winner at the Wachovia Center a few hours later.

"It seems like he's one of those guys you might not want to wake up," Yeo said. "He showed that competitiveness there. He was challenged, and he responded to that challenge. I think he made a pretty bold statement there that, when challenged, he's going to respond."

That's certainly been the case through the first 33 games of his pro career. He is the No. 2 scorer among NHL rookies, with 14 goals and 19 assists—both team highs—and is one of the few Penguins this season who has not only met most expectations, but also exceeded them.

Crosby allowed that his rookie season "has gone pretty well"—if only from an individual standpoint—and it could get even better now that new coach Michel Therrien has moved him back to center. Crosby, who also got work on both wings under former coach Eddie Olczyk, is versatile enough to play any forward position, but is most comfortable in the middle.

"It's going to give him an opportunity to control the puck a little bit more on the ice," Yeo said. "It's an area where maybe we're thin right now. If you're looking at a guy to be your top-line centerman, he's the best candidate right now."

It says something about the state of the Penguins' depth chart when an 18-year-old can chisel out a place at the top of any position, but it also says something about what a remarkable talent Crosby is.

Never mind that he is a teenager, or isn't an Olympian.

"He's good for the game," Yeo said. "The excitement he brings, his creativity on the ice. The things he does are obviously great for our hockey team, and really good for the game, too."

Penguins Notebook

Forward Sidney Crosby allowed that he was "a little bit" disappointed to be left off Canada's roster for the Olympics but doesn't seem to be taking the rejection personally.

"I was in the mix, and that's all you can ask for," he said.

Canadian officials opted to emphasize experience when putting together their team, and even made room for checking-line center Kris Draper of Detroit at the expense of gifted young players such as Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Crosby.

Crosby, though, declined to question the moves made by his country's decision-makers.

"I'm not going to second-guess anybody," he said. "They all deserve to be on that team. There's a lot of talent in Canada."

Therrien said being involved with the Games "would have been a great experience" for Crosby, but pointed out how extraordinary it is for a teenager even to be considered for a place on Canada's A-list national squad.

"That he got a good chance to make the Canadian team is just phenomenal," Therrien said. "He's going to have plenty of time to participate in the Olympics."

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