Crosby joins Penguins as first pick in draft

By Roger Lajoie

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Junior hockey sensation Sidney Crosby
was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the first overall
draft pick at the NHL’s scaled down Entry Draft on Saturday.

Crosby, who does not turn 18 until next Saturday, is one of
the most highly-touted prospects in the sport’s history and has
already been compared to current Penguins great and part-owner
Mario Lemieux.

His selection was a formality after the Penguins won the
NHL’s first draft lottery on July 21, earning the right to take
the native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with the first pick.

The NHL draft is usually held at an arena but this year’s
selection took place in an Ottawa hotel ballroom with only 21
of the top prospects on hand and was closed to the public.

The draft was reduced to seven rounds this year and will be
completed in just one day as opposed to the usual two.

Crosby is a 5-foot-11, 193-pound center who scouts say has
tremendous skating ability, great hockey sense and a prolific
natural scoring touch.

He has been Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year for
the past two seasons and is considered a cast iron NHL prospect
who is ready to play in the league immediately.

He helped Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League (QMJHL) into the Memorial Cup this year, where
they lost in the championship game to the London Knights.

Crosby has won the QMJHL scoring title for the last two
seasons, finishing with 66 goals, 102 assists and 168 points in
just 62 games this season.

When Crosby reports to Pittsburgh’s training camp in
September, the young protege will not only carry the hopes of
the franchise but the entire league.

The NHL is reeling from a lock-out that saw it become the
first major professional sports league to cancel an entire
season.

The Penguins are trying to get a new arena built in their
city and hope Crosby’s arrival will help get the project
underway. Lemieux bought the team out of bankruptcy a few
seasons ago.

The NHL will introduce a variety of new rules this season,
which it hopes will open up the game. The changes are expected
to benefit players like Crosby, considered to be one of the
best offensive players to come into the NHL in many years.