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BIOGRAPHY

Sidney Crosby
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP

Sidney Patrick Crosby, born August 7, 1987, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, is a professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

One of the most anticipated new players in years, Crosby is believed by many to have innate talent comparable to that of Wayne Gretzky, and that he might one day break Gretzky's NHL scoring records, an assessment that has led to the nickname, The Next One.

On July 22, 2005 the NHL, upon ratification of its new CBA, held its first league-wide draft lottery in its history and it was won by the Pittsburgh Penguins. On July 30, the Penguins selected Crosby in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft with the first overall pick. This will give Crosby the opportunity to play alongside the man to whom he has drawn several comparisons, Mario Lemieux.

Wayne Gretzky has also said that Crosby would be considered for the 2006 Canada Olympic hockey team if his performance in the first half of the 2005-06 NHL season warrants it. However, many mainstream hockey observers view this as a long shot, given Canada's depth and commitment to players with greater international experience.

Crosby was drafted first overall in the QMJHL Draft on June 7, 2003 by the Rimouski Océanic. He won the scoring title and set a new scoring record for 16-year-olds in his rookie season in the QMJHL. He achieved 54 goals and 81 assists.

Crosby played his first professional NHL game on October 5, 2005, against the New Jersey Devils, and registered an assist on a goal by Mark Recchi. He continued his success in his next two NHL games, scoring an assist against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 7, 2005, and then scoring his first career NHL goal and adding two assists against the Boston Bruins the next night. Crosby's first NHL goal came against goaltender Hannu Toivonen and was assisted by linemates Mark Recchi and Zigmund Palffy.