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Why should you care? Supremely talented Sidney Crosby tops the list of reasons you should give the NHL another chance

Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2005 by Paul Grant

RE2ASON #1

The kid

The hockey gods planned it to happen precisely this way. The game's top league, so utterly broken, needed a savior. It needed someone who was lift-you-out-of-your-overpriced-arena-seat talented, someone who was articulate, someone who was just happy to be here. The game had fallen so far so fast, it needed an extraordinary force to save it.

Then, whistling as he worked, along came Sidney Crosby.

Crosby, 18, has been groomed for this role since he first strapped on skates 15 years ago. His father, Troy, a goalie, was drafted in the 12th round in 1984 by the Canadiens. But the father was drafted the same year as a skinny prospect named Patrick Roy, so he never played a minute in the NHL.

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Vicariously, he raised Sidney--the prodigy, protege and progeny--to be great. And it worked. Heck, Wayne Gretzky himself said the kid would be the one to break his immortal records. And that was two years ago.

The time has come. The time has come for the NHL to be reborn. And the time has come for Sidney Crosby to step on the ice and save the league.

Can he? This is where the synchronicity is sharpest. As recently as two years ago, the answer would have been no; the skating-in-sand, hubris-loving NHL wouldn't have allowed such a talent to break through. But in today's desperate and humbled NHL. he will get every opportunity.

The league, seeing its relevance gauge hit zero, hastily instituted new rules designed to woo back fans and effectively open up the game for a player such as Crosby.

He's not the fastest player or the biggest or the grittiest. Instead, he's a lot of everything. He plays like he wants to win more than anything else in the world. He's good at "seeing the ice," to use the nonsensical parlance of the game. (Who doesn't see the ice?) And he plays like he can't believe he's playing for a living.

To summarize: He scores and passes like Gretzky, is tough like Peter Forsberg and is easy to smile like Jarome Iginla. He's not arrogant or cocky like many young athletes, he doesn't stay out late, and he's nice to his mother. He recently bought her a clothes dryer because years of basement wrist shots dented the old one beyond recognition. He's pretty much everything everybody says he is.

He's exactly what the game needs at exactly the right time.

So, if for no other reason--although we'll give you several others--Sidney Crosby is why you should care about the NHL. Just to watch the kid play, remembering why we watch a game in the first place, To be entertained.

REASON #2

Rookies not named Crosby

Every NHL fan knows about Penguins phenom Sidney Crosby and eagerly awaits his first season. But there are other rookies who have the talent to excite fans and frustrate opponents and deserve a share of the spotlight:

Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Capitals

No. 1 overall pick in 2004, 6-2, 212. Age: 20. Ovechkin is touted as the complete package-he has size and skill and even personality. He is a good skater who is difficult to knock off the puck, and he can make the good pass or score. Some scouts say he has defensive lapses, but those lapses don't make him a defensive liability. He is a mature player who plays well at both ends.

Jeff Carter, C, Flyers

No. 11 overall pick in 2003, 6-3, 193. Age; 20. Carter will need to add a little bulk, but he's an offensive player--and coach Ken Hitchcock will get Carter's defensive game in order. Scouts praise his poise, especially after Carter led the AHL in playoff scoring fresh out of the OHL.

2004-05, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL): 55 GP, 34 goals, 40 assists, plus-20, 40 PIM.

2004-05, Philadelphia (AHL playoffs): 21 GP, 12 goals, 11 assists, plus-10, 12 PIM.

Dion Phaneuf, D, Flames

No. 9 overall pick in 2003, 6-2, 200.

Age: 20. Phaneuf is projected to be a No. 1 defenseman. His game is complete: He puts up big numbers, has a big shot and is a big hitter--opponents would be wise to keep their heads up in the open ice. He is vulnerable in one-on-one battles but already is expected to be an impact player. He's a good skater who can join the rush.

2004-05, Red Deer (WHL): 55 GP, 24 goals, 32 assists, plus-15, 73 PIM.

Zach Parise, C, Devils

No. 17 overall pick in 2003, 5-11, 185.

Age: 21. Parise's size is his biggest drawback and the reason he fell out of the top 10 in the draft. He has the work ethic of his father, former NHL player J.P. Parise, but more skill. Zach also is smart and a playmaker. He has big-game experience from playing for North Dakota, where he was one of the best college players in the country, and the U.S. national teams.

2004-05, Albany (AHL): 73 GP, 18 goals, 40 assists, mins-11, 56 PIM.

Kari Lehtonen, G, Thrashers

No. 2 overall pick in 2002, 6-3, 200.

Age: 21. Lehtonen is expected to beat out Mike Dunham for the No. 1 spot. Lehtonen played four games for the Thrashers in 2003-04 and was 4-0 with a 1.25 goals-against average. He is big, covers the net well and is very quick.

2004-05, Chicago (AHL): 38-17.2, 2,27 GAA, .929 save percentage.

Why should you care? Supremely talented Sidney Crosby tops the list of reasons you should give the NHL another chance

Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2005 by Paul Grant

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